5,000 gallons of diesel spill from Secaucus data center into Hackensack River tributary -
An estimated 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled from an Equinix data center in Secaucus, New Jersey, into a Hackensack River tributary. This incident triggered a multi-day cleanup effort monitored by the DEP and U.S. Coast Guard. The spill has intensified calls from environmental and community groups for a statewide moratorium on new data center development and stricter regulations on the industry in New Jersey.
An estimated 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled from a storage tank at an Equinix data center in Secaucus, New Jersey, on Friday, Sept. 11. The No. 2 diesel fuel entered a storm drain and Anderson Creek, a tributary of the Hackensack River in the environmentally sensitive Meadowlands. Cleanup crews hired by Equinix, monitored by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the U.S. Coast Guard, have been working to contain and recover the fuel, with protective booms installed to prevent contamination from reaching the Hackensack River.
Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli and Bill Sheehan, executive director of Hackensack Riverkeeper, indicated that a computer malfunction was responsible for the spill. While no immediate impacts to the Hackensack River or wildlife have been observed by state officials, Sheehan warned that it is too early to determine the long-term ecological consequences for Anderson Creek and its wetlands.
The incident has amplified a growing debate over data center expansion in New Jersey. Environmental and community groups, including the Climate Revolution Action Network represented by Ben Dziobek, are advocating for a statewide moratorium on new data center development. They argue that municipalities are ill-equipped to assess the widespread impacts of data centers on electricity, water use, and pollution, and are calling on Gov. Mikie Sherrill and state lawmakers to develop statewide regulatory standards for the industry.