The High Cost of High Tech: Environmental and Social Effects of AI Data Centers in Secaucus, New Jersey (2020–Present)
by Samad Lamb
Site Description:
The Secaucus is a town located in Hudson County, New Jersey’s Meadowlands region, a dangerously prone to flooding industrial area close to the Hackensack River. Secaucus is home to a variety of high-tech and industrial facilities, such as data centers run by Equinix, CoreSite, Digital Realty, and Iron Mountain; massive warehouses and logistics hubs and vital transportation and power infrastructure linked to the New Jersey Turnpike and the PSE&G grid. Secaucus is one of the most rich in infrastructure communities in northern New Jersey because of these facilities, which are located along Meadowlands Parkway and County Avenue. They promote digital connectivity and economic growth, but they also raise concerns about who is responsible for the environmental consequences of technological advancement because they increase emissions, require excessive amounts of energy, and increase the risk of floods. The region is at risk for flooding and environmental stress due to its level surface and landfilling history. This raises significant questions for my website, What effects does Secaucus’s quick data center expansion have on the energy strain and air quality in the area? What health and environmental expenses are paid for by surrounding working-class cities like Union City, Jersey City, Newark, and North Bergen? The broader significance comes from its illustration of the trade-off between environmental justice and technological advancement, a local example of how the infrastructure of the AI sector maintains existing inequalities in New Jersey’s urban and industrial corridor.
This is my video story on the environmental impact of AI data centers in Secaucus, NJ.
Here is a video story of my project.
Introduction
Every time we open an app, send a text message, have a video chat, on a phone call, or watch a video, it all passes through data centers. These are giant machines that run nonstop to ensure that everyone’s technology use is working normally every day. AI data centers are facilities that focus on AI workloads that are built to deliver advanced computing, high performance information technology, and artificial intelligence. Traditional data centers are designed to focus on general computing, and they typically can handle diverse workloads including cloud services, databases, and web hosting. What you may not know about data centers is that it requires tons of electricity and water for cooling to keep data centers running efficiently
All of this use of activity uses a huge amount of power. As more people use technology, data centers would need to keep up to speed, and it would require more resources as data centers continue to expand. In 2007, Secaucus, New Jersey opened its first data center and today it has expanded to 23 data centers operated by tech companies including Equinix, CoreSite, Csquare, HorizonIQ, Telstra, Zenlayer, and CDS Global. Previously, Secaucus wasn’t known as a tech hub for data centers but was known for warehouses, train lines, and shipping containers. Secaucus was built on wetlands surrounded by swamps and the Hackensack Meadowlands. As I take you to a dive deep into its history, Secaucus was an agricultural community in the 20th century most known for its pig farms.i Although, when the construction of the New Jersey Turnpike was built in the 1950s, it quickly shifted to a commercial and residential development hub. Today, thirty percent of Secaucus’s land is industrial use, which includes a significant amount used for warehouses, data centers, and distribution centers.ii This demonstrates that Secaucus has invested heavily into data centers and its infrastructures throughout the years, and it highlights a transformation into corporate hubs, logistics centers, and a commutable town.
After reading all the background information about Secaucus and data centers you guys might be asking yourself, “What are the economic impacts?”, Why is it being put in Secaucus?”, “What drives the impact?”, and “Why is this not talked about enough?”. In my argument, I want to discuss key factors on the data center by showing the disadvantages, benefits and how the Secaucus AI data centers have been affecting nearby towns including Jersey City, Union City, North Bergen, and Kearny. By going over the positive and negative effects, we can understand the full picture of what’s happening with data centers because of how it shapes the local economy and the effect it has on daily lives. This will help you understand why Secaucus is a for these facilities and what it will mean going forward.
In this paper, I will go over the key impacts and show how it connects to a deeper understanding of how it affects local communities nearby to get affected, which connects to environmental justice. I’ll explain why AI data centers use so many resources. Also, I’ll describe health risks and how it’s not safe for people near the long-term. Furthermore, on how Secaucus doesn’t get affected and richer neighborhoods stay nice all year round, and why Secaucus residents aren’t talking about the data centers in their town. Lastly, I’ll talk more about the environmental impacts and what this means for technology in the future as we continue to grow.
Background Information
AI data centers work as huge factories usually located in a rural area, using specific hardware like GPU which stands for Graphic Processing unit, and it processes huge datasets for AI. It typically requires huge amounts of power and advanced liquid cooling to control the heat of the servers, and it’s all arranged by intelligent software for a smooth operation. The high powerful chips also usually generate intense heat so that companies can create the most powerful chip for users. These AI data centers pick locations based on how much power they can use cooling resources and proximity to people. Although, there is a difference between Data centers and AI data centers. The difference is that AI data centers use GPUs, and generic data centers use CPUs. AI data centers consume ten times as much water and energy as data centers. These AI data centers are basically specialized versions of data centers which have higher speed and higher cost up front. Both serve different purposes, and traditional data centers require less technology, and AI data centers require more advanced technology.
The role of a GPU is to solve math operations and hard tasks for the data centers. It is built to learn machine learning and AI operations as well, requiring a significant amount of training for AI data centers. GPUs have many problems they need to solve at once, that’s why they are so powerful. It handles a massive number of problems compared to CPUs. They speed up tasks significantly faster than CPUs, which takes hours to perform a simple calculation. By having a bunch of GPUs, they require a massive amount of electricity and water as well to meet the standards for it to operate at a sufficient rate. The role of servers in AI data centers is usually connected with GPUs and requires high speed networking to work properly. The servers also require a massive amount of training which can range up to a few months. The servers also take up a massive amount of water usage mainly through the heat it generates. These nonstop operations are essential for AI data centers to function the way they do now with models, for example, including OpenAI, Google, Nvidia, AMD, and Microsoft. They are all the technology companies we use today, and little do we know it requires intelligent thinking and models to make it possible.
In my secondary source “AI is on the rise, and so is the environmental impact that drives it” by Amber Chen of the Smithsonian magazine talks about how AI affects the environment. Amber breaks down and explains the downside of AI by saying “Another dimension of A.I.’s environmental footprint is its water consumption”.iii In the article, it also says that in 2023 the U.S data centers have consumed 66 billion liters of water, which is a concern. Amber goes more into depth about how data centers will affect power consumption and if data centers can become more sustainable. According to Bengamin Lee, a computer scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, says the renewable energy sector isn’t growing fast enough to meet the needs of AI. This is crucial because this explains how everything is going super-fast in the tech world and how it’s hurting the communities around us. Benjamin continues to say that data centers grow around a rate of 33 percent a year and that the global renewable energy capacity had grown 15.1 percent in 2024.
This connects to my research because it’s making a point in saying that AI is growing at a substantial rate, and it would be hard for everyone to keep up. In Secaucus data centers, renewable energy is up to about 100%, but most are often due to renewable energy credits. This means basically you trade a certificate to prove that it was generated from a renewable source and added to the grid. This just proves that the percentage was accurate enough for reports.
Demand of AI
Eventually data centers in Secaucus would not meet those standards as years continue to pass simply because the demand of AI is outweighing the true needs. The demand of AI is constantly taking over for how much we need, and it needs to slow down at a normal pace because companies want to rely on profit or make sure, they get the best product out to the public and take advantage of the AI boom. With more companies becoming more AI friendly, it also comes with a lot of risks as well. Including security threats because companies may depend on other factors and AI being used for security attacks and how much information it can’t handle at once. Also, energy and the environment can be a major risk because the amount of consumption can cause a major concern for the environment and with questions about whether renewable energy sources can keep up with the demand.
AI data centers use more electricity, water, and cooling systems simply because it keeps the AI data centers updated and freshly always generated. It prevents it from overheating, and the energy hardware is used for processing, and it relies on water consumption. Data centers have a bunch of chips, GPUs which are graphics processing units, and TPUs which are Tensor processing units. They are designed to intake a lot of energy and water consumption to perform at a high level. The 24/7 operation is another reason why it increases strain. Most data centers need backup power to fulfill the needs of the data center, which can generate more electricity. The tool that data centers would need to have is backup diesel generators and these generators would need to have testing to make sure it’s healthy gas and the use of the generator is up to date so constantly data centers are replacing generators to fulfill its needs which takes a lot of gas daily because it’s a nonstop operations. Imagine how many generators they need to have a successful operation each day, many! To meet its energy demands is challenging because it requires additional backup and storage.
Data
In my second secondary source by Goldman Sachs titled “How AI is transforming Data Centers and Ramping up Power” discusses key factors on how people’s electricity bills are going up without an explanation. According to the researchers, AI applications necessitate much denser computer processors and ongoing model training, which is driving up data center electricity consumption at a rate never seen and possibly doubling global power demand by 2030.iv In a Goldman Sachs Exchanges Podcast, a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs named Eric Sheridan says in the podcast that “You have the biggest companies almost living in fear of being disrupted and deploying capital to play as much offense as they’re playing defense”v. This explains how even companies are living in fear due to the AI demands and wants. Most companies will try to just adapt to the changes going on in the world, but it will only lead them so far due to the environment.
Environmental Justice is a big issue within data centers, and it affects many of the poor and middle-class communities. Data centers in North New Jersey have spiked up 20-40% due to data centers. This has left many families nearby to find out what the problem is, and many do not have a clue that its data centers. Due to a fast-paced movement with AI, this has caused benefits for many wealthy suburbs in New Jersey while mid-low working-class neighborhoods can’t keep up. For example, many of these towns are not built for the newer technology of AI, and many are just historic towns where people lived and hustled every day to get by. Companies forced their way into having AI in Secaucus because of its proximity to NYC and the access it would have to consumers daily. Secaucus is built on a wetland and normally data centers are placed in the middle of nowhere where people aren’t around. Secaucus is just a small commuter town to live in and in my secondary source New York Times article written by Kate Rounds, she explains what’s it is like growing up in Secaucus. Kate describes how Secaucus is a Hudson County suburb and has 30 square miles of marshlands. The town is a commuter vibe for New York City, and families that work in NYC live in Secaucus comfortably without dealing with the congestion in NYC. The vibes in Secaucus are very normal where they have access to public libraries, restaurants, shopping centers, wholesale stores, and a government center. Then also I mentioned earlier, they have the data center.
On March 7th, 2023, the Secaucus Municipal utilities authority had a local town meeting to discuss the towns utilities and infrastructures. There were participants of residents in Secaucus, town government officials, and it was a participant that works for Equinix named Jesus Martinez listed in the document “Jesus Martinez for Equinix 03”.vi The meeting had provided updates on electricity, water, and sewage systems that help sustain Secaucus’s massive industrial and data center operations. In the meeting they also described the” proposed sanitary flow” which means an estimated amount of water sewage or water waste in an upgraded system that is expected to carry. During the meeting, phase 1 proposed sanitary flow was calculated at 71,546 gallons per day (GPD). Equinix Data center 37 employees had a 925 flow rate GPD, 74 Data center customers also had a flow rate of 370 GPD, and the office had a flow rate of 4,823 GPD. Then, the data center air unit is around 4,858 GPD and Data power usage is around flow rate is 60,480 GPD. They explained that the sanitary flow prior was 17,605vii. Phase 1 proposal is 71,456 gallons per day and it’s a significant increase from the current sanitary flow of 17,605 gallons per day. The sanitary flow was projected using customers, employees, and office facilities. The proposed model was calculated by including employee usage, office space, customer presence, air handling units, and the largest contribution came from Data power usage and Data center Air units. The shift from having a low amount of sanitary flow GPD to increase five times the amount is very concerning due to companies increasing demands in the data centers and how AI data centers introduce new water demands that extend more than sanitary use. viii
As we fast forward nine months, on December 23rd, 2023, the NJDEP which stands for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has a public hearing to discuss the Bloom’s Energy plan to build fuel cells in the Equinix data center in Secaucus, New Jersey. The people in attendance were residents of Secaucus, Project Engineers, and Environmental officials, and everyone there discussed the possible effects that could take place after building the fuel cell. The participants discussed how the local impacts and whether if they are aligned with the New Jersey’s clean energy objectives. In the meeting, officials discussed emergency generators being operated at less than 100 hours of operation and on how the facility and the emergency generators follow NJDEPS requirements for testing and operational safety for air quality conditions.ix Officials also discuss how there are 20 emergency generators and how there are three permits for all 20. Bloom’s energy had submitted an application to have a new fuel cell. The NJDEP approved it and there was an” issue permit 230001” for blooms energy plant.x They begin to discuss how the fuel cell would provide supplement power from the grid. The application was submitted on March 13, 2023, and this was six days after the Secaucus Municipal meeting that discussed utilities and infrastructure. The decision could have influenced Bloom’s energy plant from the meeting about the sanitary flow rate of GPD. The influence also shows how more of Artificial intelligence is coming into the town and how it is changing the city in the future.
Economic benefits vs Local Cost
The economic benefits that Secaucus have for having a data center are access to more jobs, increased local tax revenue, more money for schools, access to high-tech, and more money for small businesses. The job creation that it creates is in fields like Engineering, IT, data analytics, Cybersecurity, and construction jobs during investment. The location is also a major benefit simply because of the proximity to New York City.
But the reality of the local cost outweighs the economic benefits. The costs are the energy bills and how data centers drive massive electricity demand which causes major price jumps for residents in Secaucus, which adds up to hundreds of dollars annually. Residents in Secaucus raise concerns about the noise of construction and energy bills. The massive electricity increases data centers to around $70 per month, which is a significant increase. There are major concerns, and many residents must deal with the consequences nearby.
Concerns on why the prices are up
According to an article by Alex Brown, for the New Jersey Monitor, he talks about how lawmakers fear that AI Data centers are going to drive up the prices in New Jersey. Lawmakers made serious concerns about the consumption of energy and electricity cost which is caused by the quick development of AI which is hurting people’s finances every month. According to the senator Bob Smith, he states that utilities need to increase to provide good lighting because the installations consume so much energy which will make it very difficult to hit New Jersey’s clean targets due to all the consumption they are taking. This shows that the growing use of technology is at its peak, and soon more locations will be built in New Jersey. Bob Smith had also passed a new bill that would require new Ai data centers in New Jersey to arrange to supply their power from new clean energy sources. xii This enforces new AI data centers to follow all the rules and regulations to make sure that the energy AI data centers are consuming is clean energy. Bob Smith also states” we have a crisis coming our way at electric rates. These outrageous increases are going to be put out on citizens”. This article shows that the leadership in the state of New Jersey sees the economic impacts AI data centers have.
How it affects nearby towns instead of Secaucus
Even though Secaucus has an AI data center, it doesn’t necessarily affect the town itself. I can argue that the town is benefiting more than suffering. So, you may ask who suffers? The towns nearby include Jersey City, Union City, Kearny, and North Bergen, which are all included in the Hudson County in New Jersey. These neighborhoods are welcome to low to middle class families who strive to make ends meet every single day. The demographics for these towns include in Jersey City there are mostly Black people, Hispanic, Asian and white people but most of the people who live there are Black and Spanish people. In Union City and North Bergen, its most Spanish people living in both towns. Lastly in Kearny, its mostly mixed but high Hispanic population. As you can see, a large percentage of minority groups live in these towns nearby. With the rise of their apartments/house properties due to inflation, gentrification, and its proximity to NYC, it already suffers enough. The environmental justice impacts the towns suffer from AI data centers are due to the higher electricity bills they receive each month and often all these towns rely on the same power grid and water supply which all towns will take a major hit. Living nearby has major noises you hear daily, and you may hear things like drones, or hum sounds which are caused by fans, and these can cause issues with families living in these towns.
The air quality that Secaucus has can travel to other cities which can have major health risks for families in the area. Where the data center is located, it’s on the tip of Secaucus away from families living in Secaucus but closer to people in towns in Jersey City. Then, Jersey City is close to Union City, Kearny and North Bergen, so most of these towns suffer. All towns that are receiving the benefits without needing to suffer are all the towns in rich Bergen County suburbs up north including Tenafly, Alpine, Upper Saddle River, and Ramsey don’t suffer from AI data centers. Companies are putting AI data centers in towns where people wouldn’t normally see the disadvantage being displayed right in front of their eyes because many are used to the benefits of AI data centers.
Zoning Laws
The zoning laws in Secaucus regulate building the height, lot coverage, and land use which includes Residential, Commercial, and Industrial. These laws are enforced by the engineers and the construction departments. They require rules and request permits for changes in renovation, structure or new businesses coming in. The District in Secaucus has zones like A and B. Permits are needed for expanding houses, adding supplies like pools, fences and businesses always uses.
My Recommendation
My recommendation for AI data centers to have more economic benefits rather than less negatives or concerns is to have water waste technology to track how much water you waste and what the limit is to waste per day. This is to help the communities nearby with less electricity bills and lower water usage, which will increase more water supply for people in surrounding areas. Also, i believe going forward, companies should report to the public on how much water and energy they are consuming. This will significantly help the areas around the data Hudson County because it will provide better insight on what the AI data centers are using daily. In one of my other primary sources, Rambo Tabolong talks about lawmakers in New Jersey proposed a measure to make their water and electricity use public. There were massive concerns that the AI data centers are pouring too much, and it’s causing issues for the state of New Jersey. These resources that are being used and how much is being used should be examined by the public because it’s safe for the people nearby to know because AI data centers share the same exact water supply in the area. The lack of disclosure, according to legislators and climate activists, keeps communities from understanding completely how these centers affect the state’s energy and environmental systems.
Conclusion
In my conclusion, AI Data centers are a big factor in the economy we live in today. This paper discusses the history of Secaucus, the cities nearby affected, how AI data centers work and a solution to fix the environmental justice problems currently. It also talks about how rich neighborhoods don’t get affected but only receive the benefits of AI data centers while the lower-middle class suffers with the consequences the rich would never want to face. As AI continues to expand, communities like Secaucus would be asked to balance AI data center water and energy consumption to help maintain the normal flow it was previously years ago. Due to high demand of Businesses wanting to bring out brand new projects in AI which causes the water and energy consumption in the first place. The findings of the paper suggest that better planning, structure, and strong regulations are needed so that new technology does not harm local communities. Hudson County is an example of many challenges many towns face today with AI infrastructure as it becomes more known.
Endnotes
1. Evan Levow, “A Timeline and Modern History of Secaucus, New Jersey,” NJ-DMV-DWI.com, October 27, 2021, accessed December 15, 2025. https://www.nj-dmv-dwi.com/a-timeline-and-modern-history-of-secaucusnewjersey/#:~:text=In%201900%2C%20Secaucus%20was%20established,more%20of%20a%20commuter%20location.
2. Town of Secaucus, Alternative Fuel Vehicle Readiness Plan (Secaucus, NJ: North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, December 2017), prepared by ICF, Greener by Design, and Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc., accessed December 16, 2025 https://www.njtpa.org/NJTPA/media/Documents/Planning/Regional-Programs/Studies/Alternative%20Fuel%20Vehicles%20Infrastructure/Secaucus-AFV-Infrastructure-Readiness-Plan_FINAL_Dec17.pdf#:~:text=space%20and%20other%20related%20uses%2C%2030%20percent,multi%2Dunit%20structures%2C%20and%2043%20percent%20are%20single%2D
3. Amber X. Chen, “A.I. Is on the Rise, and So Is the Environmental Impact of the Data Centers That Drive It,” Smithsonian Magazine, September 29, 2025, accessed December 16, 2025, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/with-ai-on-the-rise-what-will-be-the-environmental-impacts-of-data-centers-180987379/
4.Goldman Sachs, “How AI Is Transforming Data Centers and Ramping Up Power Demand,” Goldman Sachs Insights, August 29, 2025, accessed December17,2025
5. Secaucus Municipal Utilities Authority, Meeting Minutes, March 7, 2023, Secaucus, NJ: Secaucus Municipal Utilities Authority, March 7, 2023, accessed December 17, 2025
https://secaucusmua.org/index.php/meeting-agendas/minutes/2023/163-03-07-2023-meeting-minutes/file
6. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Public Hearing Transcript: Bloom Energy / Equinix NY5 (Secaucus, NJ), December 5, 2023, transcript of public hearing before the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, December 5, 2023, accessed December 17, 2025
https://dep.nj.gov/wp-content/uploads/ej/docs/bloom-equinix-transcript-20231205.pdf
7. Alex Brown, “Lawmakers Fear AI Data Centers Will Drive Up Residents’ Power Bills,” New Jersey Monitor, April 11, 2025, accessed December 17, 2025
8. Town of Secaucus, Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 135 of the Town of Secaucus Municipal Code, Secaucus, NJ: Town of Secaucus, accessed December 17, 2025
9. Rambo Talabong, “How Much Water and Energy Do Data Centers Consume? A New Jersey Bill Demands Answers,” InsideClimate News, September 24, 2025, accessed December 17, 2025
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/24092025/new-jersey-data-center-water-energy-consumption-bill/
Primary Sources:
https://dep.nj.gov/wp-content/uploads/ej/docs/bloom-equinix-transcript-20231205.pdf
NJDEP Public Hearing Transcript – Bloom Energy / Equinix NY5 (Secaucus, NJ) on December 23, 2023
This is a public transcript of the NJDEP which stands for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to discuss Bloom’s energy plant to build fuel cells in the AI data center in Secaucus. There were residents from the neighborhood, engineers that NJDEP employees, and engineers working on the project to provide knowledge of the possible effects that could take place in building the plant. Participants wanted to discuss to make sure the project was up to the needs of the New Jersey clean energy standards.
https://secaucusmua.org/index.php/meeting-agendas/minutes/2023/163-03-07-2023-meeting-minutes/file
Secaucus Municipal Utilities Authority (SMUA) Meeting Minutes on March 7, 2023
The Secaucus Municipal Utilities Authority had a meeting on March 7, 2023 to discuss more about the utilities and the infrastructure on the city of Secaucus. An employee for the Equinix data center in Secaucus was in attendance and his name was “Jesus Martinez” and he listed as a participant. The meeting provided details about Water, sewage and electrical systems.
Equinix NY4 / NY5 Data Center Specifications
This is a data center website that has all of its information on Equinix Data center. In the website it goes over the facility’s address, details including the type of technology and generators they are using. Also, it highlights the facility’s building as it goes over the financial data and operations of AI.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/24092025/new-jersey-data-center-water-energy-consumption-bill/
Publisher: Rambo Talabong, Rutgers Climate Change Resource Center, Inside Climate News, September 24, 2025.
This article talks about howl lawmakers in NJ provided a solution for data centers to follow in order stop the cause of electricity bills going up. They proposed a new rule to have data centers in New Jersey to report how much water and electricity they are using per quarter. This is proposed because there are many concerns about AI data centers are the main cause for electricity bills. Without informing the public about how much water and electricity that you are using is causing many activist and environmental activist to believe this is harming the state and keeping communities away from this information is just keeping problems communities face today.
Publisher: Alex brown, Author, New Jersey Monitor, April 11th, 2025
This article by Alex brown talks about how AI can drive up the prices and lawmakers concerned about the issue for the state of New Jersey. Lawmakers are concerned that with how fast AI is going and the development process can raise their energy and electricity cost. A senator named Bob Smith, he stated Utilities may need to increase prices in order to provide sufficient lighting because these installations consume enormous amounts of energy”.
Overall, my primary sources discuss about the rise of electricity bills, water usage, and for data centers to make their water and electricity public so people are aware of how much water and electricity data centers are using and to determine if thats the main factor of why electricity bills are rising. There has also been a meeting with the Secaucus Municipal utilities authority which included an employee of Equinix NY4 in attendance named “Jesus Martinez” and they discussed about the towns utilities and infrastructure. The NJDEP had a public hearing to discuss Bloom’s energy’s plan to build fuel cells in the Equinix NY4 data center in Secaucus. Participants from Secaucus joined to discuss how fuel cells could impact the community. I believe data centers have an impact on surrounding towns in North Jersey including Jersey City, Union City, North Bergen, Kearny, and Newark. These towns are low to middle class and i believe data centers have risen residents electricity bills and could have environmental risks in nearby towns.
For my argument about how data centers are rising electricity cost and how it leads to environmental risks in surrounding towns are the consumption of water and electricity that data centers consume and how they don’t report on how much they are wasting, which i think is the main cost of it. In one of my primary sources “Inside Climate News” it talks about the concerns that facilities use massive amounts of electricity and water for cooling and the lack of disclosure is affecting the towns without a reason. In the New Jersey Monitor by Author Alex brown he wrote about how lawmakers raised concerns. that the development of AI data centers would raise their consumption of energy and it states by senator Bob Smith saying “utilities may need to increase prices in order to provide sufficient lighting because these installations consume enormous amounts of energy”. This means that it would be difficult to achieve its clean energy targets and i believe this harms towns with data centers nearby in NJ and specifically Secaucus’s data center and it would affect nearby towns with rising electricity, environmental risks and more harmful risk. I believe with the rise of AI the economy will not be able to keep up with the lack of coverage about data centers because the town with the data centers are benefitting.
Secondary Sources:
https://www.techpolicy.press/data-center-boom-risks-health-of-already-vulnerable-communities/
Publisher: Cecilia Marrinan, Tech Policy Associate at Kapor Foundation, June 12, 2025
This Article talks about the health effects that AI data centers have on minority communities. These data centers are built in these area, this leads to more energy and higher water and pollution. The article says this is an environmental justice issue because the companies choose these specific locations due to the cost and weaker zoning laws. Even though companies say data centers are creating more jobs, the actually provide fewer jobs which they discussed. This is similar for whats happening in Secaucus, where people in wealthier towns benefit in the AI use, while minority communities suffer.
Publisher: Amber X. Chen, AAAS Mass Media Following, June 12, 2025
This Article explains how data centers use large amounts of water and energy and contribute pollution. It shows how energy demands is growing faster then renewable energy and it can’t keep up. Because of this, many data centers still rely on fossil fuels. This connects to Secaucus because data centers like Equinix and Corsite increase energy use, pollution and water stress which affects nearby communities.
Publisher: Goldman Sachs, August 29, 2025
This article by Goldman Sachs discusses how AI is increasing electricity use in data centers because of powerful processors and the intense high performing training it needs to generate. Energy demands are rising fast that power grids are struggling to keep up. This forces utilities to expand its infrastructure and it relies on existing energy resources. This article also shows that data centers are building near large cities where power and other networks already exist so this creates more electricity that is not needed. This connects to my paper because it shows how the AI boom increases energy and environmental stress, which Secaucus data centers face this issue.
Publisher: Kate Rounds, New York Times, April 8, 2022
The New York Times article talks about how Secaucus was a industrial town and now its a commuter community for residents. Secaucus was built on marshland and near the Hackensack river and originally supported New york city’s economy. Overtime, warehouses and factories were replaced by offices, corporate buildings and apartment buildings as its more accessible to manhattan. However, Secaucus still has areas that are for industrial use especially near the turnpike where the data center are now built.
Image Analysis:
Inside the building where trillions are traded each day, Equinix NY4 data center host 49 exchanges among the customers that have set up servers in Secaucus, New Jersey Facility. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-13/inside-equinix-s-ny4-data-center-where-wall-street-trades?embedded-checkout=true
In the Image above this picture shows where everything takes place for one of the most important cities of the World, New York City. Even though its located across the Hudson River in Secaucus, NJ, it shows wires that are connected to servers that big financial institutions, technology hubs, colleges, and medical centers in the NY/NJ area. There are dozens of cables and power lines across the room which connect everything together and are key parts of data center daily operations. This photo is from a Bloomberg article and its inside the Equinix data center. In the image above, there are no people in the photo which could mean its restricted employees and could be unsafe.
One noticeable detail i noticed was there absence of people in the photo which can mean many things. There could be restricted access for employees working there which raises many concerns. The amount of electricity and water consumption these data centers use can be unsafe for the employees which can mean there are so many benefits they show you about data centers and AI, but there are also risks involved. Another noticeable detail i noticed is the green tubes above the power lines and cables below. I believe these green tubes help with the cooling for the wires below prevent the cables to overheat. There are many of the green tubes installed which means there are constantly consuming gallons of water and electricity daily to make sure its operations is running smoothly. My last visual is noticing how long the wires extend and how big the room in this photo actually is. Power lines across the whole room and blue railings across the room to keep everything stable and in place.
Together, the three visuals details i noticed shows that data centers rely on enormous amounts of electricity and water consumptions. This shows how energy driven the facility is and its responsible for companies nearby. Most individuals would never see this photo and would believe how data centers operate daily. This plays a major factor on why electricity bills are going up according to multiple reports by NJMonitor and i believe data centers should report to the state on how much they are consuming and why.
Data Analysis:
Oral Interviews:
Video Story:
This is my video story on the environmental impact of AI data centers in Secaucus, NJ.