United States: a city gives up a data center and becomes a symbol of resistance

A citizen mobilization recently led a New Jersey city to abandon a project to build a data center on its territory, a success that has become a symbol of a growing movement in the United States and has become a political issue.

Piles of debris litter a vacant lot in New Brunswick, about an hour’s drive from New York, bordered by a railway line as well as residences.

It was on this former automobile manufacturing site that the investment company Amzak Capital Management planned to establish a data center. Nine days before a final vote by the city council in mid-February, residents learned of the project’s existence at a technical committee meeting and sounded the alarm.

Environmental Impact

A viral video, leaflets distributed especially on the campus of Rutgers University, located in New Brunswick, and on the day of the vote, over 300 people showed up to attend the vote in a room that can barely accommodate 80.

“Before even opening the floor to public questions, they announced that the data center would be removed from the project,” recounted Ben Dziobek, founder of the environmental organization Climate Revolution Action Network.

Data centers “are becoming an important element of our modern economies,” as they are necessary for online services provided “to businesses, hospitals, universities, and residents,” New Brunswick Mayor James Cahill told AFP.

“But at the same time, communities across the country are debating how to integrate them locally with a focus on energy consumption (‘data centers’), their environmental impact, real estate footprint, and benefits for residents,” he added.

For long-time resident Brandon Guillebeaux, who lives in a community with a strong Hispanic representation, the numbers just didn’t add up. “If it had brought thousands of jobs, it would have been worth it,” he said, “but we’re talking about a handful.”

“Creating a Precedent”

C.J., a 23-year-old resident who did not provide her last name, pointed out that the center would have been located in the middle of a working-class neighborhood, far from the offices, hospitals, and university buildings of the wealthier downtown area.

“People from all over the country are calling us to ask, ‘how did you do it?'” confided Charlie Kratovil, a Democratic candidate for mayor of New Brunswick and an activist with the environmental organization Food & Water Watch. “A year ago, this wasn’t even a topic.”

Generative AI has multiplied the need for data centers, and dozens of projects are popping up all over the United States, in rural areas as well as in cities.

The development of additional energy infrastructure is not keeping pace, contributing to an increase of nearly 17% in the average electricity bill in New Jersey last year, according to a parliamentary report, more than in any other state.

In early March, seven leading AI companies committed to the U.S. government to offset the increase in their electricity needs through investments in new capacity.

According to a recent Quinnipiac University survey, 65% of Americans are against the idea of installing a data center in their community.

By 2025, Chandler (Arizona) and College Station (Texas) had already closed the door to the arrival of a “data center” last year, but without the resonance of the New Brunswick saga.

“I truly hope this will set a precedent,” said C.J., “showing people that if they take action and publicly express their disagreement with these data centers, they have a chance to stop them.”

In the coming weeks, Maine could become the first state to impose a moratorium on the construction of these warehouses that house thousands or even millions of electronic chips, the backbone of the internet and AI.

In New Jersey, the state with by far the highest population density, many bills are being considered, including one by Joe Danielsen, whose district includes New Brunswick.

While others, like Charlie Kratovil and Democratic figures Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, call for a global suspension, he demands the imposition of specifications on cloud computing giants.

“We know these data centers are coming,” added Ben Dziobek. “We want feasibility studies, to understand the impacts locally, and not to rush ahead.”