{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=415803", "Lakewood Alerts article'Congressman Chris Smith Joins Ocean County, Manchester Officials in Strong Opposition to AI Data Centers'", "2026-08-25", "2026", "2026-08", "Republican", "House", "NJ", "Christopher H. Smith", "S000522", "chrissmith.house.gov", "chrissmith", "https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx", "scraper", "By Lakewood Alerts\n\nPublished August 25, 2026\n\nRep. Chris Smith is joining Ocean County and Manchester Township officials in opposing the development of AI data centers in the area, citing concerns over their potential impact on local resources, the environment and residents.\n\nSmith met Thursday, August 20, with Manchester Township Mayor Joseph Hankins, Public Works Director Al Yodakis and Ocean County Commissioner Rob Arace to discuss their shared opposition to data center development in Manchester Township and across Ocean County.\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 Smith said.\n\nSmith also voiced strong support for a recently adopted Ocean County Board of Commissioners resolution encouraging municipalities to conduct comprehensive due diligence and establish appropriate land-use safeguards before approving data center projects. The resolution raises concerns about the environmental and resource impacts associated with the construction and operation of the facilities.\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 Smith said. \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", 1, "2026-08-27T16:10:01Z", "2026-08-27T16:10:50Z"]], "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=415803"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4242627657949924, "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"}