State: New Jersey

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October 12, 2026

An Act concerning certain data center development public notice requirements and supplementing and amending P.L.1975, c.291. (A5586, NJ)

Requires that data center developers hold at least one community information meeting, advertised at least one week in advance in publications and social media, at least 90 days before applying for preliminary site plan approval. They must also coordinate social media and website posts with municipality concerning the project and approval process; send direct mail…
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October 7, 2026

An Act concerning data center permit applications with the Department of Environmental Protection and amending P.L.2020, c.92. (S4657 / A5622, NJ)

Requires Department of Environmental Protection to only review applications for permits for new data centers until they have received an environmental justice impact statement that assesses potential environmental and public health stressors from the project and already borne by the local community and the developers have held a public hearing. The Department is authorized to…
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October 7, 2026

An Act concerning data center development in the State. (S4659, NJ)

Directs Department of Environmental Protection to conduct study on environmental impacts of data center development within 15 months, including: energy and water usage, grid and infrastructure impacts, air and noise pollution, land usage, e-waste, public health impacts, electricity rates and other fiscal impacts, energy efficiency, fossil fuels / renewable sources, disproportionate impacts on overburdened communities.…
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October 7, 2026

An Act concerning data center development and supplementing Title 48 of the Revised Statutes. (S4658, NJ)

Requires data centers to submit annual report to Department of Environmental Protection including: community benefit agreements, greenhouse gas emissions incl. indirect from energy consumption and water quality violations. Pre-operation data center projects must also submit report including proposed energy demands. Directs Department to establish Data Center Transparency Dashboard to publicly report data from these reports;…
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September 30, 2026

White House, bipartisan governors call on biggest US grid operator to lower prices

Big Tech, Energy, Government & Policy, Utilities & Power
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September 14, 2026

Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium and Impact Study Act. (A5482, NJ)

Establishes six month moratorium on approvals and incentives for AI-focused data centers. Establishes commission to study and report on electrical grid impacts, water consumption, sewer and wastewater impacts, environmental and climate impacts, public health concerns, cybersecurity and homeland security risks, labor and workforce impacts, property tax and municipal fiscal impacts, effects on residential and commercial…
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September 13, 2026

The Data Center Protests Looked Typical. They Were Anything But. | The New Republic
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August 20, 2026

Will data center job creation live up to hype? I have some concerns.

This analysis from Good Jobs First scrutinizes data center job creation claims, finding that nearly half of state data center subsidies require no job creation, and those that do typically require 50 or fewer positions. The article documents how many promised jobs are filled by subcontractors or temp agencies rather than direct employees, may not…

Economic Analysis, Government & Policy, Jobs, Taxes
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July 31, 2026

Policies for Data Centers, 2026

This Sierra Club policy brief outlines four categories of state-level guardrails to mitigate data center impacts: ratepayer protections through large load tariffs and cross-subsidy prevention, clean energy accountability via RPS enforcement and on-site renewable mandates, reform of tax and utility incentives, and public health protections addressing cumulative air emissions from backup diesel generators. The document…

Economic Analysis, Energy, Government & Policy, Public Engagement, Taxes, Utilities & Power
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July 27, 2026

Make the Road States

Make the Road States coordinates five affiliates — Connecticut, Nevada, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania — organizing immigrant and working-class communities of color. The network delivers national campaign leadership, communications and infrastructure support, and confronts mass deportations, birthright citizenship rollbacks, and attacks on trans youth rights and democratic processes.

Campaign Strategy, Coalition Building, Community Organizing, Environmental Justice, Public Engagement