New Jersey fines data center $1.1M after drone pics expose 62 gas generators

New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection fined DataOne $1.1 million after an investigation found the company had installed and operated dozens of gas-fired generators at its Vineland data center without required air permits. Thermal drone footage shared with state regulators and the press showed 45 of the site’s 62 generators in operation. State officials said generators at those sizes emit combustion pollutants such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which are linked to worsened asthma, heart attacks and premature death. DEP Commissioner Ed Potosnak called the enforcement “by far the largest ever taken against a data center in New Jersey” and said the state would not allow data centers to operate with impunity. Under the enforcement, DataOne has 45 days to apply for the necessary permits or to stop operating the generators; the company may continue using the engines while permit applications are pending. DataOne told the New York Times it intends to apply for the permits, disagrees with the fine, and is transitioning toward low-emission fuel cells for longer-term power. Local residents and advocacy groups criticized the penalty as inadequate and not timely. Sustain SJ and neighborhood residents said the generators were large and obvious once spotted from the air, and they questioned why enforcement took about six months after concerns were first raised at a public town hall. Neighbors voiced worries about long-running unpermitted emissions near homes, farmland and two schools and asked whether air quality had been measured during the period the generators were operating. Previously, DataOne sought permits for about 30 generators but withdrew that application in May after the DEP found multiple deficiencies; the company at the time planned to shift toward fuel cells. Maintenance logs cited by reporting showed some of the gas engines were first turned on in October. The Vineland complex is a 2.6 million-square-foot facility and is among more than 80 data centers planned or under construction in New Jersey. The state recently ended data center tax credits and removed a fund that had offered about $250 million in incentives, reflecting rising public pushback against large data center developments.