5K Gallons of Diesel From Data Center Leaks Into NJ Creek

A data center built to power artificial intelligence instead spewed thousands of gallons of diesel fuel into a New Jersey waterway. State environmental officials say an estimated 5,000 gallons leaked Friday from a storage tank at the Equinix Data Center in Secaucus, with contractors still skimming oil from Anderson Creek, which feeds into the Hackensack River, per CBS News. The spill has been contained, and regulators say there's no impact on the Hackensack itself, and no nearby drinking water intakes. Also, "wildlife was not impacted as far as I know," says a spokesperson for the state's Department of Environmental Protection, per NJ.com.

"This data center's been here since 2001, over 25 years," says Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli, per News 12. "We've never had a problem before this time." Environmental advocate Bill Sheehan, who tells CBS he was told a computer malfunction triggered the release—"the computer was calling for oil"—warns it's too soon to rule out damage. "I'm not saying that they found a lot of dead animals," he says. "I am saying it's too early to know." Equinix says it quickly stopped the leak, notified authorities, and is investigating the cause while cleanup continues for several days.