For Immediate Release
September 22, 2026
Media Contact: Maegan.Kuhlmann@sierraclub.org
Vineland Data Center Fined $1 Million for Illegal Air Operation of 62 Power Generators
Trenton, NJ - Today, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection issued a $1.07 million fine on the DataOne data center in Vineland. The record-breaking fine was issued for violations of the New Jersey Air Pollution Control Act for installing and operating 62 large natural gas power generators without the requisite DEP permits.
NJ Sierra Club Director, Anjuli Ramos-Busot, issued the following statement:
“We are glad that the NJ Department of Environmental Protection issued a record-breaking fine on the DataOne data center in Vineland. However, DataOne must be required to cease operations, and can only be allowed to resume if it has its proper and necessary permits.
This data center is clearly a bad actor: it is operating in flagrant violation of both federal and state law, putting community members at risk of health issues connected with air pollution, all while disregarding two stop-work orders from Vineland City.
This fine comes after months of Vineland residents sounding the alarm that the facility was operating illegally. While the historically large NJDEP fine is necessary and warranted, it unfortunately amounts to what could essentially be considered a rounding error on the expense sheet to a corporation like Nebius with a $64 billion market valuation. The state needs to be set up to act proactively to effectively regulate and hold data centers accountable so that million dollar fines do not become just the price of doing business in New Jersey. Data One cannot continue to operate illegally, and must only be allowed to resume operation if it is able to secure all appropriate permits, for the sake of the Vineland and surrounding communities.
The Sierra Club sees a clear path to reduce environmental and public health impacts through legislation and regulations. We need to ensure data centers are using clean energy, the state needs robust water and air permitting requirements that are able to capture the operation of the data center industry, and we need to make sure they are only built in appropriate areas with strict siting requirements. If they don’t meet these standards and criteria, they shouldn't be built.
DataOne is a bad actor, and one that is potentially representative of prospective data center developments in the state. This is why New Jersey needs strict, state-level conservation and siting requirements that protect water and air quality, open space and farmland, and provide buffers against heat and noise impacts so that we can proactively protect the environment and communities.
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About the New Jersey Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org/new-jersey.