1. United States
2. N.J.
3. Letter

You’ve heard me talking about data centers and how they have the potential to destroy our communities, like we are seeing in Vineland. Well, if we want an even scarier glimpse into New Jersey’s future, we can look at Michigan, which has become ground zero for where Big Tech is trying to take over and build its big data centers all over the state. It's a cautionary tale for New Jersey. Secrecy, lost farmland, increased taxes, and increased energy and water costs for average families. Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash A warning from Michigan: Secrecy and massive scale We were joined this morning by Tom Leonard, the former speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives and a candidate for governor this year. He's made the fight against data centers one of the centerpieces of his campaign for governor. He explained the lack of transparency as big tech gets local towns to sign a non-disclosure agreement so there's no way to know if the developer has ties to communist China or other enemies of our way of life. He talked about the two massive centers being developed currently, using as much energy as 3 million homes. For perspective, there are only 4.5 million homes in all of Michigan. Tom explained how he's fighting back in his home state and what we need to look for in ours. Photo by Microsoft Copilot on Unsplash Photo by Microsoft Copilot on Unsplash Energy and water demands: What data centers mean for NJ residents Specifically, why these monstrosities are such a problem, and to preview what could be coming down the line for us in New Jersey if we don’t rise up to fight them like Tom is in Michigan. A small AI Data center could use enough energy to power 100,000 homes, and as much water as would be used by a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people. Putting that into local perspective, Vineland, the site of the latest controversial AI Center being developed, is home to only 60,000 people. So, the Data Center is potentially going to use more than twice the energy of the entire town. Photo by Aerps.com on Unsplash Photo by Aerps.com on Unsplash Local backlash grows in Vineland over transparency concerns Caller Nicole from Vineland heads up a group called "Sustain SJ" on Facebook and is rallying local residents to fight the center. She talked about how some local politicians have just ignored residents and enabled the center to get a long way down the track before anyone in the town knew what was coming. We all know that you have to question everything these politicos are doing, especially given prior "allegations of impropriety." At the very least, the local politicians should have pushed for transparency and maximum information for residents. The fact that there has to be a private group of citizens in order to inform the public is reminiscent of how big wind tried to come in with no public input and wreck our coast. Because of you and the passionate residents at the Jersey Shore, we stopped them. Buckle up, because we got to fight again. Which states have the most expensive electric bills? The average total electricity cost in the United States last year was $1,820. That was an increase of $110, or 6.4%, from 2024.