From Pinelands to Highlands – 109 municipal actions to stop data centers and counting

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For Immediate Release
September 2, 2026

Just over a year ago, hyperscale data centers entered the scene en masse all across the country. This was a planned strategy to take communities by surprise as dozens of project proposals popped up, but some communities were prepared and started to pass bans early in the process. One of those towns was Pemberton Township in Burlington County in the Pinelands.

“We had been battling warehouses and poorly planned developments in our rural pineland community for so long that it just made sense to ban data centers. Many residents came to us against data centers, and one even came in with a draft ordinance that we gave to the town’s lawyers to look at and they polished it up for council to bring back to the people. We need to protect this area whenever possible,” reported Harry Harper, Pemberton Town Councilman.

The Pinelands Alliance also took action quickly in working with nearly 60 organizations to send a letter to Governor Sherrill asking for her to consider a state pause on data center development. Her response to our letter was holding a press conference a couple of weeks later with a “plan” that provided minimal protection of the community and environment while never responding directly to our letter.

“The true definition of guardrails is meant to provide direction. Governor Sherrill’s list includes data centers paying for energy infrastructure and bringing their own energy without requiring clean renewable energy. She also recently signed a bill that requires data centers to report their energy and water use AFTER the damage is done with no mention of the repercussions when a community’s water is critically low or becomes contaminated with PFAS. This requirement is misleading people into thinking there is protection when there isn’t any. New Jersey residents demand more,” said Jaclyn Rhoads, Executive Director of Pinelands Alliance.

The Pinelands is especially vulnerable to water withdrawals and contamination due to its unique surficial aquifer that is exposed at the surface. It is the lifeblood for the unique ecology making up the United Nations Biosphere Reserve. The Pinelands Commission recently passed amendments to the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan, the rules that govern development in the region, to provide greater scrutiny of water withdrawal permits at 50,000 gallons per day. The state requirement for review is set to 100,000 gallons per day. The Highlands has similar concerns regarding the impact on water resources.

“Globally, water is an ever-more precious resource and it should not be squandered recklessly for cooling data centers. Many New Jersey Highlands communities are choosing to keep these developments out of their communities,” said Julia Somers, Executive Director of the New Jersey Highlands Coalition. “We particularly recognize and thank Warren County Commissioner Jim Kern for his leadership and the model ordinance he developed and shared widely which defines data centers as either non-permitted uses or outright prohibited in municipal master plans and zoning ordinances.”

“Last year, we provided all 22 Warren County municipalities with a model data center ordinance. Since then, 14 have adopted an ordinance and three others already have superseded local ordinances providing similar protections. Today 17 of our 22 municipalities have protections in place,” noted James Kern, Warren County Commissioner. “That progress is especially important here in the Highlands Region. Local, county and state governments have invested millions of dollars to preserve farmland and open space, and the region is a critical source of drinking water for millions of New Jersey residents. Giving municipalities the tools to plan ahead helps protect these resources and the investments we have made in preserving them. As we plan for the future, we must continue to be good stewards of our shared environment.”

“Economic changes are coming, and our energy and water resources are finite. We all have a responsibility to carefully consider the facts, listen to our residents, and make informed decisions that serve our communities’ long-term interests. We do not need to fear progress, but we must understand its full impact before moving forward,” said Assemblyman Balvir Singh, New Jersey Legislative District 7.

Warren County and Burlington County are joined by municipalities and counties all over the state who have taken matters into their hands and have introduced or passed bans. “To date, at least 109 New Jersey municipalities and an entire county have taken action to permanently or temporarily ban data centers,” said Jennifer Coffey, Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions’ Executive Director. “Municipal officials are concerned about impacts to drinking water, noise, and air pollution. New Jersey needs a three-year moratorium on data centers so that we can develop robust laws that protect the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the communities in which we live.”

Is your town on the list? Visit our webpage on data centers to see if your town has banned data centers yet.

ANJEC and Pinelands Alliance are hosting an Hour of Action on September 9 to provide environmental commissioners and community leaders and advocates with the tools they need to stop data centers in their communities. Join ANJEC and Pinelands Alliance on Sept 9 at noon: https://anjec.org/conferences-workshops/

There is a webinar in the evening as well on September 9th at 7PM – https://engage.pinelandsalliance.org/component/events/event/51