Data centers have had a rough couple of weeks.
Last week, Virginia issued a $2.5 million fine to a Microsoft data center for exceeding emissions limits last year.
The notice published online details an event in June of 2025 when the Microsoft facility in Leesburg, Virginia, reported a failure of an electrical substation and had to operate 62 emergency engines for a seven-day period, according to the Department of Environmental Quality. The state says the facility exceeded its permitted fuel emissions limits for pollutants including CO, VOC, PM10 and PM2.5 during that time.
As part of the settlement with Microsoft, the tech giant has agreed to invest $2.4 million toward an environmental project underway in Loudoun County, where the facility is located, to monitor air quality in the areas containing the highest concentration of data centers. The department says it plans to use the funds secured from the order to deploy dozens of air quality sensors around areas of the state with the highest concentration of data centers.
Virginia environmental officials ordered tech giant Microsoft on Monday to pay roughly $2.5 million after its Leesburg data center violated air quality standards during a week-long power grid outage in 2025, according to state documents.https://t.co/bEHrBo882a
— 7News DC (@7NewsDC) September 16, 2026
This week, New Jersey environmental officials fined a company linked to a $17 billion AI deal with Microsoft for operating 62 natural gas-powered generators without a permit.
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