@floodlightnews.org
Investigating the powers stalling climate action
@floodlightnews.orgn 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.
@floodlightnews.orgFew 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:
@floodlightnews.orgAI 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:
@floodlightnews.orgThe 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.
@floodlightnews.orgNJ 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.
@floodlightnews.org“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.
@foodandwater.bsky.socialReposted by @floodlightnews.orgMicrosoft’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!
@floodlightnews.orgWe 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.
@floodlightnews.orgWildfire 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.
@floodlightnews.orgWe 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.orgFloodlight 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:
@floodlightnews.orgIn 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.
@floodlightnews.orgMontanans 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:
@floodlightnews.orgA New Jersey data center ran 62 gas generators without permits for nearly a year. State regulators didn't notice until July.
@floodlightnews.orgAfter 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?”
@floodlightnews.orgMeta’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.
@sesmith.lolReposted by @floodlightnews.orgIt's not a coincidence that data center construction in TX is projected to skyrocket well above that of any other state, the state has made it as easy as possible to avoid any kind of regulation.
@floodlightnews.org“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.
@floodlightnews.orgPromoted 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
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