Bayonne is the latest municipality in New Jersey to ban data centers, providing a big win to residents and grassroots activists who fought back against a plan to bring one to the city last December. The ban was approved 5-0 by the city council earlier this week and signed by Mayor Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski on Thursday.

“This win in Bayonne is a win for everyone in New Jersey,” said Bayonne resident Jennah Reddick, who organized her neighbors to fight for the ban. “We showed that the people can fight back and that we’re the ones who have power, not the developers. We came together as a community to fight back against corporate greed, even when we were told it was a losing battle, and we won. Only one spark is needed to start a fire, and that spark can be you.”

Residents packed council meetings for months to demand a data center ban, which became a defining issue in the May elections for mayor and council earlier this year. Running on a platform that included banning data centers, Mayor Ashe-Nadrowski and her council slate swept the election.

“The movement to ban data centers is spreading to every corner of the state. This is an issue that unites people across the political spectrum,” said Ben Dziobek, Executive Director of Climate Revolution Action Network (CRAN), the Gen-Z climate advocacy organization leading the push to ban data centers. “What we just saw in Bayonne is that there’s a price to pay for officials who side with Big Tech over the people who elected them. We’re going to keep winning these fights town by town until we ban data centers statewide.”

CRAN thanked the broad coalition of residents, local officials, and community groups who helped lead the fight on the ground in Bayonne, including North New Jersey DSA, Friends of Liberty State Park, and State Senator Angela McKnight (D-31).

Bayonne is the 32nd municipality in New Jersey to ban data centers, the latest in a wave of grassroots resistance that crosses political and cultural lines, from rural farm communities in South Jersey to cities in Hudson County.

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About Climate Revolution Action Network New Jersey (CRAN)

Climate Revolution Action Network New Jersey (CRAN) is New Jersey's largest Gen-Z political organization. CRAN is leading the fight to ban AI data centers across New Jersey, training and working alongside local residents to pass bans in their communities.