On Sunday, the News-Journal carried a story on an effort by Gene Kern and another partner to build a data center project at a technology park put together by Rowan University in southern New Jersey.
The exhaustive piece was well researched and is interesting reading for anyone interested in the controversial project. To summarize, a group, led by Kern, walked away from a data center project after Rowan officials sought an 18 month delay.
No surprisingly, the always vocal Citizens Against the Newark Power Plant group was quick to view the story as an indictment of Kern. Given the Occupy Wall Street-like stance we have seen from the no power plant forces, this reaction comes as no surprise.
Underlying much of the opposition to the Data Centers project is a misunderstanding and perhaps hostility toward the free market system and its ability to deal with complex transformative projects. They continue to paint Kern as some sort of snake oil salesman when in reality the Data Centers backer is an entrepreneur and military veteran with a vision of building a ground-breaking project that would manage the avalanche of data that is coming our way in coming decades.
Despite the headline, the decision by the Rowan seemed to have little basis on environmental or not in my backyard concerns that are the cornerstone of the arguments of the no power plant group.
Rather, it had to do with a change in university administration and the fact Kern’s group was seeking tens of millions of dollars from the university. There were also concerns about financing. That’s understandable, given the amount of money being sought.
The current Data Centers proposal calls for private financing with the exception of a $7.5 million infrastructure grant from the state.
The state grant hinges on the project moving forward.
It is doubtful that the current project would have gotten to this point if UD had been asked to pony up a large sum.
Gene Kern is an entrepreneur, which to many of us is an admirable thing. The success of the Data Centers project will hinge on the ability of Kern and his team to navigate formidable environmental, financial and neighborhood issues.
The Rowan project is an interesting business story, but has nothing to do with the project in its present form.
Any gloating by Residents Against the Newark Power Plant is simply one more sign of a group desperately looking for a win while at risk of becoming a litigious fringe player.
