Data center fuel leak sends diesel into NJ creek
A major fuel leak at an Equinix data center in Secaucus, New Jersey, spilled an estimated 5,000 gallons of diesel into a local creek. Cleanup efforts are underway, and the state's environmental officials confirmed the spill has been contained. The incident has intensified calls for a statewide moratorium on data center development from critics.
A significant environmental incident occurred in Secaucus, New Jersey, involving a fuel leak at a local data center. An estimated 5,000 gallons of diesel discharged from a storage tank, with an unknown quantity making its way into a nearby creek. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) reported that the spill has been contained and did not impact the Hackensack River, with no immediate impacts to wildlife or drinking water intakes reported. However, residents and workers in the area expressed concern over the diesel smell.
Equinix, the data center operator, stated that its operations team detected the fuel release on Friday, stopped the leak, and immediately brought in remediation crews, notifying local and state agencies. The exact cause of the tank's release of thousands of gallons of diesel remains under investigation by Equinix.
Critics of New Jersey's expanding data center industry are leveraging this incident to renew calls for a statewide moratorium on data center development. They argue that such spills pose a severe threat to local ecosystems, with diesel potentially lodging in mud and impacting the food chain, affecting worms, fish, birds, ospreys, and eagles.