{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=415797", "Smith joins Ocean County Commissioners, Manchester Twp. Mayor and Council in opposition to data centers", "2026-08-24", "2026", "2026-08", "Republican", "House", "NJ", "Christopher H. Smith", "S000522", "chrissmith.house.gov", "chrissmith", "https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx", "scraper", "From left to right: Ocean County Commissioner Rob Arace, Manchester Twp. Director of Public Works Al Yodakis, Manchester Twp. Mayor Joseph Hankins, and U.S. Rep. Chris Smith.\n\nOn Thursday, August 20th, Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) met with Manchester Twp. Mayor Joseph Hankins, Director of Public Works Al Yodakis, and Ocean County Commissioner Rob Arace to discuss their mutual opposition to the development of AI data centers in the Township\u2014and Ocean County overall.\n\n\u201cAI data centers pose critical environmental risks and impose undue stresses on local resources\u2014including water and electricity\u2014which place significant financial burdens on ratepayers and residents,\u201d said Rep. Smith.\n\nSmith noted that he strongly supports a resolution recently agreed to by the Ocean County Board of Commissioners\u2014\u201cEncouraging Ocean County municipalities to undertake comprehensive due diligence and adopt appropriate land-use safeguards before approving Data Center development\u201d\u2014which highlights the environmental and resource-based concerns and impacts associated with data center construction and operations.\n\n\u201cThe people who will have to endure the negative consequences of data center development in their communities deserve to have their voices heard,\u201d continued Smith.\n\n\u201cThe reasonable concerns of local residents must no longer be steamrolled by tech companies seeking profit over Americans\u2019 quality of life\u2014not on my watch.\u201d\n\nDuring the meeting, the municipal, county, and federal officials also discussed current roadway, environmental, and safety issues impacting Manchester Township, and what steps the federal government can take to better assist.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-25T05:31:37Z", "2026-08-26T05:34:56Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=415797"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.3517711088061333, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}