Marsh River in Autumn by Martin Kavanagh
Policy Notes - October 2025
Data Centers in the Pinelands and Black Run Headwaters updates. Policy Notes are designed to update the public on the activities of the Pinelands Commission, which have been summarized by Pinelands Alliance staff who attend all public meetings of the Commission.
Pinelands Commissioners Question Oversight of Data Center Impacts
Are our municipal leaders prepared to properly review the data centers that are vying to come to town? The post-pandemic warehouse boom revealed weaknesses in the existing system of zoning and permitting that left residents vulnerable to increased noise and traffic. The latest wave of development associated with data centers ups the ante, adding astronomical demand to our overburdened energy and water supplies. Whose responsibility is it to ensure that New Jersey residents won’t end up paying the price for poor planning?
At this month’s Pinelands Commission meeting (watch the recording here), Commissioners raised serious concerns about the lack of oversight and review in large-scale industrial projects—specifically pointing to the recently built data center in Vineland, NJ.
Commissioner Asselta, a Vineland resident representing Cumberland County, didn’t mince words. Calling the massive new facility “a monstrosity,” he questioned how the 2.6 million square foot facility was allowed to move forward without a full review of its environmental impacts. “They’re not going to render an opinion on the water usage until—it’s already finished, it’s built,” he said. “So what happens if we render an opinion that the aquifer can’t handle however many gallons are needed to keep that thing cool?”
Asselta’s broader point was that the approval process appears backwards—not only in Vineland, but across New Jersey—where resource evaluations sometimes come after construction has already occurred.
In response, Executive Director Sue Grogan clarified that the Pinelands Commission’s review process ensures such oversights wouldn’t happen within the Pinelands boundary. “All of the analysis that maybe didn’t happen in the Vineland case would happen for any application to be completed in the Pinelands,” she said.
Still, the discussion raised a key question: if Vineland’s municipal water supply proves insufficient and new wells are required, will the NJDEP coordinate with the Pinelands Commission to ensure compliance with Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer protections outside of the Pinelands area? This mirrors the concerns that PPA has flagged in other towns, such as Winslow Township, which nearly allowed a golf course to double its water allocation from an over-stressed watershed (read more on our website), until our advocates highlighted this gap in enforcement.
Data centers are notorious for their high water usage, but this Vineland facility is reportedly using air-cooling, rather than water-cooling to maintain its operations. This decision lowers its water usage in exchange for higher electricity demand. The facility reportedly includes six gas turbines capable of generating 300 megawatts of electricity. This supplemental power supply will hopefully limit its impact on the overburdened electric grid of South Jersey, but undoubtedly creates additional pollution emissions for the surrounding community.
As data centers continue to proliferate across the region, their enormous energy demand is straining the grid and driving up costs for everyone. In New Jersey, electricity prices have risen dramatically as power supply struggles to keep pace with demand in the PJM Interconnection region, which manages the electric grid for much of the Mid-Atlantic. Read more about how bringing more cheap renewables online in the PJM region would help rewind the affordability crisis in a report by Synapse Energy Economics, Inc.
Data centers require constant, high-intensity power to operate and cool their servers, pushing utilities to rely more heavily on fossil fuel generation. At the same time, PJM’s bottlenecks and backlogs in bringing new renewable energy projects online have limited the availability of cheaper, cleaner power that could help stabilize prices and reduce emissions. The result is a system where new industrial energy users are expanding faster than the infrastructure and policies designed to support them—putting both ratepayers and natural resources at risk.
Black Run Headwaters Heading to Preservation?
Momentum continues to build for stronger protections around the Black Run Preserve, one of New Jersey’s most treasured natural areas and a vital headwater of the Southwest Branch of the Rancocas Creek. On October 10, 2025, the Pinelands Commission voted to adopt a long-awaited set of rule amendments that will better safeguard the sensitive headwaters area in Evesham Township.
The path to adoption followed months of steady progress. After the public comment period for the rule package closed on August 15, the CMP Policy & Implementation Committee reviewed public input and formally recommended adoption at its September 26 meeting. With strong public support and help from the Governor’s Office to expedite the first round of review, no major delays are expected during the Governor’s second round of review, during the 30-day veto period. The package is slated for submission to the Office of Administrative Law by December 10, with publication in the New Jersey Register in January 2026, when the rules officially take effect.
Once finalized, Evesham Township will have one year to update its local ordinances, though officials have already begun preparing those changes. The new rules will help prevent high-intensity development—such as the proposed 778-acre project that threatens to degrade the area’s water quality and wildlife habitat—and ensure that the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP) continues to protect this critical headwater ecosystem.
The area in question contains the headwaters of The Black Run Preserve, which is one of the most beloved natural areas in New Jersey and an important keystone of the Pinelands National Reserve. Pinelands Preservation Alliance has been an advocate for ongoing protection of the Black Run Preserve and was a founding organization for the Friends of Black Run Preserve. Today, the preserve is not only important for water supply protection and habitat to unique Pinelands plants and animals, but it has become one of southern New Jersey’s most popular destinations for hiking, wildlife observation and mountain biking. Learn more about the history of this issue on our website.