Food & Water Watch - New Jersey

06/24/2026

“Let’s Get It Done!”

TODAY: Members of the Senate Budget Committee call for the Make Polluters Pay Act to be held for a vote in their committee and brought to a floor vote.

Just before their committee meeting Senators Greenstein, Diegnan, and Zwicker spoke about the need for the bill to be passed before budget deadline.

The bill advanced out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, sending the bill to the Assembly floor. Lawmakers have until June 30 to pass a new state budget.

06/24/2026

Yesterday the Make Polluters Pay Act passed out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee!

Thank you to the Assembly members who voted to advance the bill and to the advocates who packed the room to show their support.

We have just 5 days to get this passed by the legislature before summer break! We need you take one minute today and send a quick message to your legislators at this link: https://bit.ly/4w8jTrd

Let us know in the comments once you’ve sent your message!

06/22/2026

"Someone is going to have to pay for climate change. New Jersey lawmakers have a chance to make sure it isn’t just you." Gernot Wagner, climate economist at Columbia Business School

Those responsible for pollution should pay for the damage: Shareholders of oil and gas companies. The Polluters Pay to Make New Jersey More Affordable Act would shift that burden from taxpayers to the companies responsible for environmental costs.

06/18/2026

Thank you Assemblywoman Collazos-Gill for leading the fight to !

06/07/2026

TOMORROW! The Polluters Pay Act will be heard in the NJ Senate Environment Committee!

Help us pack the room! Join us in Trenton at 10:00am!!

On Thursday, the bill passed out of the Assembly Environment Committee. This was a critical first step on the Assembly side!🎉 Tomorrow let’s do the same in the Senate!

RSVP: https://bit.ly/4odRq0j

06/02/2026

MAKE POLLUTERS PAY HEARING THIS THURSDAY

Join us in Trenton 6/4 at 10:30 AM to pack the room!

After an intense Spring of grassroots action the Polluters Pay Act is now scheduled for its first hearing of this legislative session.

With just four weeks left to pass the bill before the legislature finalizes the budget and breaks for the summer, this hearing is a critical moment to raise our voices, keep the pressure on, and demand our lawmakers put people before polluter profits.

RSVP: https://bit.ly/4odRq0j

06/01/2026

Governor Sherrill’s plan to regulate Data Centers is totally inadequate. Read our response to last week’s announcement. Link in bio.

05/29/2026

“Governor Sherrill’s attempt to rein in the data center industry is inadequate,” said Matt Smith of Food & Water Watch. “The only real solution is a full moratorium on new AI data centers.”

Data centers driving AI growth spark backlash across NJ, with towns moving to ban projects over concerns about energy use, water and property taxes.

05/18/2026

A coalition of New Jersey groups is urging the state to temporarily halt the approval and construction of large-scale data centers, warning the booming artificial intelligence industry could cause “irreversible harm” to communities. A moratorium is also needed to protect the environment and the health and well-being of New Jersey residents."

Advocates warn the booming artificial intelligence industry could drive up electric bills and strain the state's water supply.

05/14/2026

BREAKING: Today 60 of New Jersey’s leading environmental, labor, community and grassroots organizations submitted a letter to Governor Sherrill urging her to use her emergency powers to order a moratorium on approving and constructing new data centers. Communities are speaking out loud and clear about their concerns with data centers and the need for immediate action. 

Across New Jersey, data centers are being aggressively pursued by municipalities as a new form of “economic development.” These facilities promise tax revenue and jobs, but they also bring intense environmental demands—especially for water, energy, and land. In the Pinelands, where ecological systems are unusually fragile and interconnected, these impacts are magnified.

A recent FDU Poll indicated that 65 percent of registered voters favor a ban on the construction of new data centers in New Jersey until more power plants can be built. A Pinelands Alliance petition to issue a moratorium on data centers has nearly reached 7,500 signatures with more coming. Power, water supply, PFAS, noise, and community incompatibility are the concerns expressed by community members. These issues must be addressed before any new facilities are built.