Floodlight

NEW: Thermal drone footage shows the Microsoft-backed DataOne AI data center in Vineland, NJ is running dozens of gas generators. None of them have permits. A Floodlight visual investigation with @us.theguardian.com:

NJ regulators say they found no generators at a Microsoft-linked data center in Vineland during a December inspection. Emails we obtained show 16 unpermitted gas generators were already running there.

Joanne Frederick cares for 100 acres of conservation land on her Maryland farm. Now, a proposed transmission line to power AI data centers could cut through it. “I can't cut a tree down on my own property, right? This power line will destroy five acres of old growth.”

We analyzed Louisiana's air monitoring system to see whether it's tracking pollution from the state's biggest industrial facilities. We found: 🏭 Major polluters with NO nearby public monitors ☣️ Dangerous chemicals the state doesn't measure 🏛️ Years of industry efforts to weaken public oversight

Troops are collapsing from heat exhaustion. Military bases are flooding. Planes can’t lift off in hotter air. But the Pentagon’s message under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth: “We don’t do climate change crap.”

We used thermal drones to capture the heat pouring from OpenAI's Stargate data center. Then we dug into the records. Our findings: AI power plants in Texas are being built with air permits more commonly meant for dry cleaners than massive industrial facilities. floodlightnews.org/ai-data-cent...

In our latest investigation with The Guardian, we reveal that a Microsoft-linked data center in New Jersey likely emitted around 140 tons of smog-forming NOx before regulators stepped in. That's enough to rank it among the state's top five polluters.

Across Louisiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia, a quiet chemical industry campaign is making it harder to hold polluters accountable. This story is produced by @floodlightnews.org, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates the powers stalling climate action. www.thexylom.com/post/air-mon...

The chemical industry doesn't want you to be able to prove what pollution is in your air. We spent months documenting how.

We went in search of a hidden billionaire's club reshaping America's public lands 🔍 In our short documentary, rare drone footage provides a glimpse into the controversial mountaintop retreat:

Judges in Louisiana have made at least $1.1 million from investments in oil and petrochemical firms. So what happens when the companies they've invested in end up in their courtrooms?

“Polluting less than a farm.” That's how DataOne's CEO described his Vineland data center in January. Our analysis: its generators likely emitted enough smog-forming pollution to rank among New Jersey's top five polluters.

Food waste reduction is crucial but overlooked climate strategy. Last year, Sentient partnered with @floodlightnews.org to report on this topic if you'd like to read more!

New to Floodlight? 👋 We’re an investigative nonprofit newsroom that focuses on climate accountability. Sign up for our twice-monthly newsletter and join a community of readers who want the inside story on who’s stalling climate action:

n August, we exposed 62 unpermitted gas generators at a Microsoft-linked data center in Vineland, NJ. Weeks later, the state fined its operator a record $1M. Now we reveal how much pollution they released over nearly a year.

Few places are more impacted by Trump’s environmental policies than the Gulf Coast, where his administration is fast-tracking massive gas export terminals. Floodlight went to southwest Louisiana to see what that means for the people living beside them:

AI companies are taking advantage of air pollution permits commonly used by dry cleaners and auto body shops. A new investigation from Floodlight and WIRED reveals how a Texas loophole is fast-tracking data centers while bypassing environmental reviews:

The EPA operates 26 stations across the U.S. that monitor toxic air pollutants. How many are in Louisiana and Texas, two of the states with the nation's largest toxic emissions? Zero.

NJ regulators say they found no generators at a Microsoft-linked data center in Vineland during a December inspection. Emails we obtained show 16 unpermitted gas generators were already running there.

“I never expected that relocation was going to happen in my lifetime. Now that it has happened, it’s not a celebration.” After a federally funded move inland, Indigenous residents of Isle de Jean Charles say their new homes are already falling apart.

Microsoft’s massive DataOne data center in NJ was just hit with a $1 million fine for running unpermitted gas generators, but this investigation by @floodlightnews.org reveals that it was an ongoing problem – and regulators failed to stop it 😡 PRECISELY why we need a moratorium on data centers!

We use more concrete than anything except water, and it shows. If cement were a country, it would be the fifth-largest carbon polluter on the planet.

Wildfire smoke is spreading, data centers are adding pollution, and heat waves are worsening ozone levels. It matters more than ever to know what's in your air. The problem? The network built to tell you has lost nearly half its monitors.

We flew a thermal drone over one of the largest data centers planned on the East Coast. What we found: 60+ unpermitted generators, tractor-trailer-sized, burning a mile from two schools. floodlightnews.org/new-jersey-d...

Floodlight doesn't answer to advertisers, corporations, or a paywall. We answer to the truth — and to you. Every investigation is free to read and free to republish, and made possible entirely by donations. Help keep it that way:

In our latest investigation with The Guardian, we reveal that a Microsoft-linked data center in New Jersey likely emitted around 140 tons of smog-forming NOx before regulators stepped in. That's enough to rank it among the state's top five polluters.

Montanans are losing access to historic public trails after a controversial land swap tied to the ultra-exclusive Yellowstone Club. Floodlight went deep into the mountains to talk to hunters and hikers and find out exactly what’s happening:

A New Jersey data center ran 62 gas generators without permits for nearly a year. State regulators didn't notice until July.

After Hurricane Sandy, NYC began installing major flood protections around Lower Manhattan. But in one Queens neighborhood devastated by the superstorm, residents say little has changed. “Why is Edgemere different? Because we don't have Wall Street here?”

Meta’s Hyperion data center will sprawl across more than 3,650 acres in northeast Louisiana. Once operational, it’s expected to consume over six times as much electricity per day as New Orleans.

“Polluting less than a farm.” That's how DataOne's CEO described his Vineland data center in January. Our analysis: its generators likely emitted enough smog-forming pollution to rank among New Jersey's top five polluters.

Promoted as a climate fix, a federal mandate to mix ethanol into gasoline is instead driving high emissions: 🌽 Ethanol is made from corn 🚜 Corn is grown with nitrogen fertilizer 🔥 Fertilizer releases nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas 300x stronger than CO₂

New to Floodlight? 👋 We’re an investigative nonprofit newsroom that focuses on climate accountability. Sign up for our twice-monthly newsletter and join a community of readers who want the inside story on who’s stalling climate action:

New Jersey fined a Microsoft-linked data center $1M for running unpermitted gas generators, but never said how much pollution they released. So we filed records requests, got the technical data and had experts run the numbers. Here's what we found:

At least $1.1 million. That’s how much judges in Louisiana oil cases have made from oil-linked investments. Yes, you read that right: while profiting from oil firms, they were also hearing cases involving those same companies.

What do dry cleaners and AI companies have in common? Not much. But in Texas, both can qualify for the same kind of air pollution permit, and data center developers are using it to avoid the environmental reviews and public scrutiny that typically come with projects this size.

In August, we exposed 62 unpermitted gas generators at a Microsoft-linked data center in Vineland, NJ. Weeks later, the state fined its operator a record $1M. Now we reveal how much pollution they released over nearly a year.

Some government air pollution monitors are riddled with termites and patched with parts from eBay. Communities are trying to fill the gap — but now industry-backed laws in three states say their data can't be used against polluters.

New Jersey just issued their largest-ever fine against a data center ever. DataOne’s facility was operating at least 45 generators without a state permit. Read the story from @floodlightnews.org 👇 outrider.org/climate-chan...

NEW from Floodlight and The Guardian: NJ regulators say they found no generators at a Microsoft-linked data center in Vineland during a December inspection. Emails we obtained show 16 unpermitted gas generators were already running there.

Floodlight's Evan Simon goes in search of the Yellowstone Club, a retreat for the rich and famous that is "gobbling up vast swaths of Montana." Members of the club include celebrities, tech titans and Trump administration officials — including the man in charge of most of the nation's public lands.

NEW: In our latest investigation with @us.theguardian.com, we reveal that a Microsoft-linked data center in New Jersey likely emitted around 140 tons of smog-forming NOx before regulators stepped in. That's enough to rank it among the state's top five polluters.

REVEALED: NJ data center emitted staggering amounts of air pollution for nearly a year before regulators intervened 🗞️ floodlightnews.org/vineland-nj-...

Last month, Floodlight used a thermal drone to find DataOne's data center in Vineland, NJ, running at least 45 gas-powered generators without a state permit. Now, New Jersey regulators have issued their largest-ever fine against a data center.

Last month, we flew our thermal drone over NJ's largest data center and found it operating a fleet of unpermitted generators. Now, on the heels of that investigation, state regulators have issued that facility their largest-ever fine against a data center. floodlightnews.org/new-jersey-d...

From @floodlightnews.org: Across much of the U.S., people have little way to know when the air they breathe turns dangerous.

The chemical industry doesn't want you to be able to prove what pollution is in your air. We spent months documenting how.

New Jersey says DataOne’s 62 generators are illegal. It’s letting them run for 45 more days. 🗞️

Louisiana's Isle de Jean Charles, once 22,000 acres, is now just 320. When rising waters consumed their homeland, the island's Indigenous residents moved to a new government-funded settlement. But their “safe” homes already leak, crack, and fail.