A fresh round of scrutiny is being directed toward New Jersey data centers after a Secaucus facility spilled several thousand gallons of diesel fuel into a tributary of the Hackensack River over the weekend.
What Happened
The issue was first identified on Friday after diesel fuel spilled from a storage tank at the Equinix Data Center in Secaucus, which was reported to the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) the following day on September 12, according to northjersey.com. The fuel flowed into Anderson Creek—a tributary of the Hackensack River—which empties into Newark Bay.
The DEP says ~5,000 gallons of fuel was emptied into the tributary; however, it was contained before reaching the main river, according to DEP Spokesperson Larry Hajna in an interview with NJ.com. “Contractors are working to remove oil and water and it probably will be continuing into the week… Wildlife was not impacted as far as I know,” he said. Importantly, the spill has not impacted drinking water in the region.
Equinix hired Clean Harbors to lead remediation, according to a statement from the company. Following detection of the leak on Friday, Equinix halted the leak, contacted the Secaucus Fire Department, then the DEP and Hudson Regional Health Commission. “We are working closely with those agencies, local officials, and community stakeholders to ensure a thorough remediation while also conducting a full investigation to determine the root cause and prevent recurrence… We remain committed to resolving this quickly, transparently, and responsibly,” they said.
Not Everyone Is Convinced
Though Equinix alleges a quick solution, Hackensack Riverkeeper Bill Sheehan is not entirely convinced. In an interview with The Gothamist, Sheehan admitted he’s skeptical that the issue is entirely contained—claiming to have witnessed contractors laying a containment boom across the creek while leading a boat tour Saturday afternoon, and vacuum trucks pulling a mixture of fuel and water from the creek for disposal.
“The tributaries are the capillary system of the whole ecosystem. All the water that runs off of our land goes into the creeks first, and then runs through the creeks out into the river,” he said. Sheehan is hoping the state pursues a natural resource damages claim, which would require Equinix to fund environmental restoration—and Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli agrees, stating: “I want to go after them as best we can.”
Widespread Pushback
It’s another domino in the growing pushback against data centers across the country, which New Jersey has found itself firmly at the center of. In May, more than 60 environmental groups called on Governor Mikie Sherrill to place an immediate moratorium on large-scale data centers.
Now, this most recent incident sparks another round of widespread pushback on data centers within New Jersey. Sherrill already announced new rules for data centers to comply with last month, requiring operators to report water and energy use to the NJ Board of Public Utilities twice yearly for three years. Whether this latest round of controversy pushes the Governor to go even further remains to be seen.
The Equinix data center has been in Secaucus since 2001.
Peter Candia is the Food + Drink Editor at New Jersey Digest. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Peter found a passion for writing midway through school and never looked back. He is a former line cook, server and bartender at top-rated restaurants in the tri-state area. In addition to food, Peter enjoys politics, music, sports and anything New Jersey.
