Sponsored by:
Assemblyman GREGORY E. MYHRE
District 9 (Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Requires certain State agencies to establish expedited approval and permitting procedures for artificial intelligence data centers that bring their own power.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the development of artificial intelligence data centers and supplementing P.L.2024, c.49 (C.34:1B-394 et al.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in this section:
“AI data center” means the same as the term is defined in section 2 of P.L.2024, c.49 (C.34:1B-395).
“Board” means the Board of Public Utilities.
“Electric public utility” means the same as the term is defined in section 3 of P.L.1999, c.23 (C.48:3-51).
b. No later than 12 months after the effective date of this section, the Board of Public Utilities, the Department of Community Affairs, and the Department of Environmental Protection shall, in accordance with the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt rules and regulations to establish expedited approval and permitting procedures for projects to develop AI data centers that are powered by on-site natural gas-powered electricity generation systems. The purpose of the rules and regulations shall be to encourage and expedite the construction of new AI data centers that bring their own energy supply.
c. The rules and regulations shall include, but not be limited to, provisions to establish:
(1) expedited site approval processes for use by all relevant State agencies and model expedited approval processes for use by local governments;
(2) expedited Department of Community Affairs construction plan review processes;
(3) expedited interconnection provisions, for use by the board and electric public utilities; and
(4) expedited Department of Environmental Protection permit processes, including, but not limited to, for permits issued pursuant to the pursuant to “The Wetlands Act of 1970,” P.L.1970, c.272 (C.13:9A-1 et seq.), the “Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act,” P.L.1987, c.156 (C.13:9B-1 et seq.), the “Coastal Area Facility Review Act,” P.L.1973, c.185 (C.13:19-1 et seq.), the “Pinelands Protection Act,” P.L.1979, c.111 (C.13:18A-1 et seq.), the “Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act,” P.L.2004, c.120 (C.13:20-1 et al.), the “Air Pollution Control Act (1954),” P.L.1954, c.212 (C.26:2C-1 et seq.), the “Water Supply Management Act,” P.L.1981, c.262 (C.58:1A-1 et seq.), the “Water Pollution Control Act,” P.L.1977, c.74 (C.58:10A-1 et seq.), the “Water Quality Planning Act,” P.L.1977, c.75 (C.58:11A-1 et seq.), and the “Flood Hazard Area Control Act,” P.L.1962, c.19 (C.58:16A-50 et seq.).
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would require the Board of Public Utilities, the Department of Community Affairs, and the Department of Environmental Protection to adopt rules and regulations to establish expedited approval and permitting procedures for projects to develop artificial intelligence (AI) data centers that are powered by on-site natural gas-powered electricity generation systems.
The bill would stipulate that the purpose of the rules and regulations would be to encourage and expedite the construction of new AI data centers that bring their own power supply. The bill would require the rules and regulations to be adopted no later than 12 months after the bill’s effective date. Finally, the bill would establish certain minimum contents for the rules and regulations, including that they establish provisions expedited site approval processes for use by all relevant State agencies and model expedited approval processes for use by local governments.