Data centers can't catch a break

Good morning!

Last month, Secaucus Mayor Mike Gonnelli used the Hudson County town’s newsletter to perform some data center glazing, saying they are “here to stay.”

“Why are data centers are good for our Town: They generate a high tax ratable and have low impact on our community’s infrastructure (they do not bring extra traffic or increased enrollment in schools, for example). And data centers are increasingly doing their part to be energy efficient and sustainable, with self-generating electricity, quieter technology and recycling of resources,” he wrote.

Then Friday evening, a leak from the town’s Equinix Data Center led 5,000 gallons of fuel to spill into a Secaucus creek, per Michael Sol Warren at Gothamist. The Hackensack riverkeeper says he doubts the spill didn’t flow into the Hackensack River.

Gonnelli told Gothamist he’s pissed at Equinix.

“I want to go after them as best we can,” Gonnelli said.

Data center developers were already outmatched by local critics, and I bet the Secaucus incident will only, um, add fuel to the opposition (sorry!). Manchester in Ocean County and Upper Township in Cape May County last night voted to ban dana centers, joining a growing list of 90+ towns in New Jersey to do the same.

Elections: The biggest news from Monday is probably the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to let stand a lower court order that blocks President Trump’s vote-by-mail restrictions from taking effect in time for November’s midterm elections. Justice Brett Kavanaugh said the new rules, which would require among other things states to send the federal government lists of eligible voters, may be legal but there’s not enough time between now and November to put them into place. Two justices, Sam Alito and Clarence Thomas, dissented.

Sports: As New Jersey’s state government fights with business groups and independent contractors over worker classification, a new front in the battle is being waged that involves amateur sports. Umpires and referees are urging lawmakers to pass a bill that would declare them independent contractors, in advance of new labor rules critics say would require some of them to be deemed employees (and thus required to pay taxes and receive some state benefits). “When my wife and the thousands of sports officials across New Jersey take the field, they are not looking for a traditional W-2 job,” said bill co-sponsor Assemblyman Anthony Angelozzi during a Monday hearing. “They choose when and where they work, which leagues they serve, and how many games they accept.”

Nursing homes: New Jersey nursing home residents on Medicaid get a $50 monthly allowance to buy things their homes don’t provide. A bill floating around the Legislature would boost that amount to $140, but one advanced by an Assembly panel Monday would slap just a cost-of-living increase on the allowance starting in 2027. Not good enough, residents told the committee. “We’re not just waiting to die. We want to thrive,” said Gail Smith, a nursing home resident in Somerset County.

NJ-07: A new Insider NJ/StimSight poll of our state’s most competitive House district shows Democratic challenger Rebecca Bennett leading Republican incumbent Rep. Tom Kean Jr. 47%-43%. The most worrisome news for Kean here: His unfavorables are very high, 55% (hers are 30%).

MetLife: Rapper Macklemore’s recent pro-Palestinian remarks and performances at MetLife Stadium have landed him on the PNG list for the rest of Ed Sheeran’s stadium tour. After some Jewish groups blasted the rapper for spreading “political propaganda” about the war in Gaza, Sheeran’s tour promoter said Macklemore is no longer the tour’s opening act. The rapper said Robert Kraft, whose company owns the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, was key in his removal.

Courts: Yesterday we reported on a push by the Trump administration that would limit public benefits for those seeking green cards. On Monday, New Jersey joined a group of other states suing over the change. “If allowed to go into effect, this callous policy will harm not just immigrants but also the wider community by undermining public health and increasing costs for everyone,” New Jersey Attorney General Jen Davenport said.