tech
A city at the center of an AI data center frenzy just voted to ban them
A New Jersey city has voted to ban new data center developments, effectively blocking one the largest proposed data centers in the state.
TL;DR
- Millville, New Jersey, has banned the construction and operation of data centers.
- The ban halts the proposed 1.4 gigawatt Millville Energy & Data Center Campus.
- Commissioners cited incompatibility with land use, infrastructure capacity, and community character as reasons for the ban.
- Concerns include draining water supply, raising utility bills, causing noise, increasing temperature, and impacting quality of life.
- Environmental groups like the Climate Revolution Action Network have been organizing residents to oppose data centers.
- There are ongoing efforts to secure a statewide moratorium on data center construction in New Jersey.