New Jersey City Nixes Data Center, Insists Future AI Drinks From Local Tap Instead

KEY POINTS

•On February 18, 2026, New Brunswick residents rallied as the city council removed data centers from redevelopment plans.
•Environmental group Climate Revolution Action Network led opposition due to concerns about energy use, water consumption, and pollution.
•Similar protests and council meetings have occurred in Clarmore, Oklahoma, and San Marcos, Texas, resulting in canceled data center projects.

On February 18, 2026, New Brunswick, NJ residents played city hall Paul Revere, celebrating loudly when the council yanked data centers from the redevelopment plan—despite none being proposed. Led by guy-on-the-run Ben Dziobek shouting 'They canceled it!,' a crowd cheered like they won the lottery, minus the money. The opposition, orchestrated by the Climate Revolution Action Network, feared AI power-hungry data centers would suck water and juice from local grids, wrecking parks and peace. Behind the scenes, planner Daniel Dominguez admitted data centers were 'not critical.' And outsourced noise, energy guzzling, and potential pollution were conveniently axed before sweating the paperwork. Nearby communities, including Oklahoma and Texas, face the same melodrama, with arrests for speaking too long and 9-hour rants. Basically, data centers are the new unwanted party guests nobody wants crashing — but giant enough to guzzle your water and electricity while awkwardly hogging space.