One of east coast’s largest datacenters accused of ‘violating federal law’

A major AI datacenter in New Jersey, DataOne, is facing accusations of violating federal law for operating dozens of unpermitted gas-powered generators. The facility, which supports Microsoft's AI infrastructure, has drawn criticism for noise and air pollution concerns.
Why it matters
The controversy underscores the tension between the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure and local environmental and regulatory compliance standards.
One of the largest datacenters on the east coast, DataOne is also the first in New Jersey seeking to build its own power plant. Photograph: Evan Simon/Floodlight One of the largest datacenters on the east coast, DataOne is also the first in New Jersey seeking to build its own power plant. Photograph: Evan Simon/Floodlight Floodlight Datacenters – US One of east coast’s largest datacenters accused of ‘violating federal law’ Thermal drone footage shows a Microsoft-backed AI datacenter powering its operations with dozens of unpermitted generators
The framing focuses on environmental impact and regulatory violations, which is typical of investigative environmental journalism.
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