NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Jersey City has introduced a law to ban data centers as the primary use of industrial property.
“Data centers eat up power, drive up utility bills for every ratepayer in this state, and employ almost nobody,” Mayor James Solomon said in a statement. “Our industrial land should be put to work for the people who live here by creating real jobs with real wages.”
The ordinance, which is likely to pass, clarifies that data centers and cyber hotels cannot be defined as warehouses. Jersey City currently has about five data centers located downtown in buildings shared with commercial tenants, which will not be affected by the new rule. The City Council will vote on the ordinance on Aug. 19.
The move comes as backlash to the energy-hungry facilities is growing across the country, with record-high power costs straining consumers.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill signed legislation this month that aims to prevent data centers from passing on costs to residential consumers. New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced a one-year moratorium on new large data centers in the state this week, while Palm Beach rejected a proposal to build a new digital hub.
