The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection imposed a $1.1 million penalty on DataOne after thermal drone images, first reported by The Guardian and Floodlight News, showed 45 of the facility’s 62 gas generators running. The aerial footage, captured in August, prompted state inspectors to revisit the 2.6-million-square-foot site that had previously escaped detection.
Officials noted that none of the generators held the permits required for units with a capacity of 37 kilowatts or more, yet the equipment was operating at roughly 1,982 kilowatts,well above the state limit. The combustion process releases carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and other pollutants that the DEP says can aggravate asthma, trigger heart attacks and contribute to premature mortality.
A DataOne spokesperson said the company will seek the necessary air permits for the temporary generators but disputed the fine, describing it as unwarranted. The company also indicated that the generators would eventually be retired as the data center shifts to low-emission, quiet fuel-cell technology, a transition it claims is already underway.
Local residents, as reported by the New York Times, expressed alarm that the generators are located near farmland, homes and two schools, and that the facility powers Microsoft AI services such as Copilot. Tiffany Leone-Vespa, an 18-year-long Vineland resident, questioned the air quality, while Steve Brown characterized the operation as a “don’t ask for permission, just ask for forgiveness later” approach, suggesting the fine would not deter a billionaire-backed project.
New Jersey now hosts more than 80 data centers that are either planned or under construction, but DataOne is the first operator to rely on an off-grid fleet of gas generators. The state recently repealed a law that offered $250 million in tax credits for data-center development, a move that signaled growing public resistance to unchecked expansion and highlighted the limited leverage such incentives provide to developers.
Community activists, including Sustain SJ founder Zac Landicini and member Matt Williams, have called for a statewide moratorium on new data-center projects. Gardner, speaking to the New York Times, argued that repeated prioritization of corporate interests over local health and noise concerns demonstrates a pattern of neglect, reinforcing the demand for greater transparency and resident input in future developments.