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I am born and raised in New Jersey. Growing up we used to visit the Shore multiple times a year. Belmar was my beach. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy devastated our state. After the storm passed, as I was volunteering in Belmar to literally pickup pieces of the boardwalk that had washed into residential yards ten blocks away, the importance of climate work came into focus for me. Storms happen, but the rate at which they happen, and their rate of intensification are both increasing; as are inland flooding, cloud burst events, so-called sunny day flooding, and combined sewer overflows. Much of our built system is quite old, and much of the new stuff is being built without regard for cumulative effects.

My guests for this episode are Nick Angarone (Chief Resilience Office, NJDEP) and Amy Chester (Director, Rebuild by Design). A few days prior to recording this episode, New Jersey announced a 1-year pause on the Protecting Against Climate Threats: Resilient Environments and Landscapes (NJ PACT REAL) Rules. The rules would require developers and property owners to incorporate various risk minimization steps to factor in the likelihood of adverse future impacts. If you haven't done so already, I highly recommend you look into Amy's flood modeling work. It is eye opening stuff. I know many people in support of the REAL rules, and likely as many against them. But no matter which side of the argument you fall on, I hope that you can look at the risks objectively and then come to the table with suggestions. The status quo isn't working. I will always support those looking for answers to the hard questions. Great discussion, I hope you all enjoy.

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There is a palpable fear spreading across the country, the fear of data centers and their potential impacts to our society and environment. Before we start, it is important to note that data centers are not a new thing, hyperscale data centers (>100MW) are new, as are large learning models (LLMs). Much has been written on their energy use, their water use, potential climate impacts, air impacts, impacts to our workforce, impacts to local farmers and food supplies, and the potential for a technological renaissance that alters how we live our lives. A day or two before we recorded this episode Governor Sherrill (NJ) had just proposed "guardrails" for data center development in the state. If you recall, I have been suggesting the same for a few months. Hyperlocal moratoriums have popped up all over the country. Each location has to decide for themselves, but I'd hope that they do so based on the most current and objective data possible. These are nuanced cases and developers are innovating and investing in the sector at an incredible pace. There is also the argument that to understand the benefits of development, you not only have to look at their footprint, but also their "handprint", or how they will make our lives less environmentally impactful. I'd suggest that will only happen if safeguards on usage are added to provide at least a minimum amount of processing time to energy and environmental questions, or social impact issues.

For this episode, I chose to focus mostly on the energy and water issues. My guests are Jeffrey Davis (Principal, Integral Consulting) and Abraham Silverman (Research Scholar, The Johns Hopkins University). The three of us try hard to not take a position on data centers but provide as much technical information as possible to support others in their planning processes. Towards the end of the episode, we also discuss a project that I am developing at Rutgers University to create a policy toolkit that focuses on building better guardrails.

We cover a lot on this one and thank you to my editing team for getting this episode finished in just a few days.

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The 25th Amendment has been in the news quite a lot over the last decade. For how often it has been brought up, do you really know what it says, or the potential implications it has? My guest this week, Rebecca Lubot, PhD, is a friend who recently wrote a compelling book on the topic, Keeping a Finger on the Button: Presidential Continuity and the Nuclear Age. Rebecca and I know each other from policy work in New Jersey where she is the Executive Director of the New Jersey Sustainable Business Network.

To quote David Greenberg, "The Twenty-Fifth Amendment has once again returned to the center of our political debates. Rebecca Lubot has delivered an authoritative, original, detailed account of how this vital part of the Constitution came into being - and how it continues to play out in our politics today. Keeping a Finger on the Button sheds needed light on presidential power in an era of global tension and democratic crisis."

Her research is impeccable, her topics timely, and her objective tone is critical. Sound management and understanding of nuance is critical. Rebecca gave us an important read that somehow succinctly weaves together many storylines.

Enjoy.

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