EDISON, NJ - The township council will hear an ordinance banning data centers from all zones in Edison Township. The ordinance will come before the council for an introduction on Wednesday, with a public hearing and final vote scheduled for Monday, October 26.The ordinance would define data centers as “Any facility used primarily for the storage, management, and processing of digital or electronic data, which houses computer and network systems, including associated components such as servers, network equipment and appliances, t...
EDISON, NJ - The township council will hear an ordinance banning data centers from all zones in Edison Township. The ordinance will come before the council for an introduction on Wednesday, with a public hearing and final vote scheduled for Monday, October 26.
The ordinance would define data centers as “Any facility used primarily for the storage, management, and processing of digital or electronic data, which houses computer and network systems, including associated components such as servers, network equipment and appliances, telecommunications, and data storage systems (etc).”
The term would apply to any facility “whose primary purpose is housing active information technology or digital infrastructure, including but not limited to hyperscale facilities, colocation facilities, cloud computing infrastructure, cryptocurrency mining operations, artificial intelligence processing facilities, and other high-density digital infrastructure uses, regardless of how such facility is labeled or described.”
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According to the ordinance, data centers can consume the same amount of energy as anywhere from 100,000 households to two million households. They could also put a strain on a community's water supply by using several million gallons of water for cooling per day, emit harmful pollutants by using back-up diesel generators, and can result in noise pollution of more than ninety decibels.
“Data centers have severe negative and detrimental impacts related to land use, energy demand, water use, air quality, noise, and public health and wellbeing,” the ordinance reads, “unsustainable large-scale development and overexploitation of natural resources are inconsistent with the land uses that the governing body believes are in the best interest of the Township of Edison.”
Data centers, particularly one's for artificial intelligence, have become increasingly controversial due to their environmental impact and effects on local economies. A recent Gallup poll found that seven out of ten Americans oppose constructing data centers for artificial intelligence in their local area.
In New Jersey, there are more than 80 operating data centers with at least two currently being built. Dozens of municipalities have passed bans on data centers, including North Brunswick, East Brunswick, Old Bridge, Plainfield, Franklin, and Highland Park.