FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 28, 2026
Contact: Anthony Campisi
Anthony@WalnutLaneStrategies.com
(732) 266-8221
Legislators, Advocates Rallied to Shield Working Families from Data Center Costs
Today, legislators, community advocates and environmental leaders gathered on the steps of the New Jersey Statehouse to call on the Legislature to take immediate action to shield New Jersey working families from rising utility bills driven by the rapid expansion of energy-hungry data centers.
As working families continue to face the pressures of inflation, the surging energy demands of Big Tech data centers threaten to push electricity prices even higher.
Clean energy advocates and lawmakers emphasized that multi-billion-dollar tech corporations must not be allowed to reap record profits at the expense of everyday ratepayers.
The coalition urged state leaders to mandate critical investments in the electrical grid and clean energy infrastructure to ensure a fair, sustainable, and affordable energy future. Speakers applauded Governor Sherrill’s announcement of data center guardrails
yesterday, while further urging state leaders to mandate critically needed safeguards to protect working families and the environment.
The press conference came hours before state senators approved a series of amendments to a bill that would tighten requirements for data centers and other large energy users to pay more for their energy — reducing the burden on working families and local businesses.
“Making progress on data centers is critical to lowering costs for New Jersey’s working families,” said Allison McLeod, interim Executive Director, New Jersey LCV, which convened the rally. “As inflation continues to squeeze household budgets, we cannot allow Big Tech corporations to rake in record profits while everyday residents shoulder the burden of skyrocketing electricity prices. New Jersey must be a leader in establishing strong guardrails that protect consumers, modernize our grid and accelerate our transition to cheap and clean energy. The Legislature must act now to ensure our energy future is both equitable and affordable.”
"For the past year I have worked in the Assembly to push for reforms in how data centers connect to the grid,” said Assemblyman David Bailey Jr. (D-Gloucester). “Tech companies and developers should be paying for data center power usage, not my constituents. Pay for what you say you need and invest in new power. If not, you can’t connect to the grid here in New Jersey."
“State government programs should be thoroughly scrutinized to ensure they are the most efficient and effective use of taxpayer dollars,” said Assemblyman Andrew Macurdy (D-Union). “Tax credit incentives for large AI data centers, which use huge
amounts of energy and other resources — driving up costs for residents — are no longer the best use of government resources in 2026. We are proposing legislation that will save the state $250 million and return that money to ratepayers and invest in clean energy generation and storage that will help drive down rates.”
“Working families in New Jersey are already being crushed by rising utility bills and housing costs,” said Senator Raj Mukherji (D-Hudson). “The last thing ratepayers should have to do is subsidize massive energy consumption without protections in place. If multibillion-dollar corporations want to use New Jersey’s energy grid to profit, they must pay their fair share and invest in new clean energy instead of passing the costs onto seniors, renters, and working people struggling to keep the lights on. We can
grow innovation and protect affordability at the same time, but only if we put people before profits.”
"We refuse to let New Jersey families subsidize Big Tech's massive energy appetite," said Elowyn Corby, Mid-Atlantic Senior Regional Director at Vote Solar Action Fund. "By passing these bills, we take a first critical step toward ensuring the tech boom doesn't exploit our wallets or sacrifice our public health."
“AI companies do not care about us,” said Andrew Arny, Energy Policy Manager at Climate Revolution NJ. “Big tech data centers are raising our power bills, harming our water systems, and disrupting communities with noise and pollution. These data centers power AI models that are stealing our jobs, spreading misinformation, and spying on us. New Jersey representatives should not be incentivizing AI. They should be regulating it now.”
“New Jersey has been passing intelligent legislation that has protected its residents from the ill-fated actions from the federal level, and we need to stay strong for all New Jerseyans in regard to the encroaching threat of data centers,” said Sharonda Allen of NJPEEC. “As an advocate of clean, green energy, I hope that there is a concerted effort to reopen offshore wind energy projects for New Jersey, to source much needed power to relieve New Jersey of the extreme damage that data centers pose. In that same vein, we must hold data centers accountable for the gross energy consumption required to operate them. We must ensure that New Jersey residents can afford to pay their utilities without carrying the load that data centers push off onto households.”
“ReThink Energy NJ strongly supports legislation that ensures data centers in New Jersey are powered by new clean energy sources and held accountable for the electricity they use, rather than shifting costs onto ratepayers and polluting our air and water," said Patty Cronheim, Program Director of ReThink Energy NJ. "Additionally, states across our energy region must work together to push PJM to act in the interest of the 60 million ratepayers who depend on a cleaner, fairer, and more reliable grid.”
“At Isles, we take a systems approach to our mission of creating the environment necessary for people and communities to grow and thrive; we recognize that clean energy is not just more affordable and reliable, but also faster and more efficient to bring
into the grid,” said Amisha Mukhopadhyay, Clean Energy Coordinator at Isles. “Right now, our communities are subsidizing data centers at the expense of their health and futures, with folks in overburdened cities like Trenton facing the brunt of the cost. Our work here is part of the larger four-prong strategy outlined by Governor Sherrill to make sure data centers pay their fair share and use clean energy sources. These bills will make sure our communities won’t have to compromise on their health and daily
necessities just to afford to keep the lights on.”
Following the rally, advocates, partners and community members headed into the Statehouse to meet directly with lawmakers and urge the passage of meaningful ratepayer protection and clean energy legislation.