Dear Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and President Brad Smith,

You claim you want to be a “good neighbor” and build “Community First AI Infrastructure” – does that standard not apply to the contractors you hire to build data centers for you?

Clearly it doesn’t, because violating federal and state law by flooding our communities with illegal air pollution is not the behaviour of a “good neighbor.”

And that’s just the latest example of harmful conduct. As residents of Vineland, N.J., our experience with Nebius and DataOne has been, and continues to be, a nightmare. This data center you’ve backed has been running dozens of dangerous and polluting gas generators without air permits, potentially for months. This data center is just a mile away from two Vineland schools. We want to know why you haven’t stepped in to hold them to account. At a bare minimum, we want to meet directly with Microsoft representatives here in our community before any further work is done.

To begin with, our community was never given a proper chance to decide if we even wanted this 2.4 million square foot data center in the first place. Public engagement has been insufficient, with no town hall or public forum to discuss the project until Phase 1 was already completed. How were we supposed to assess if we want this in our community if we were only given a chance to weigh in once the project was already half done? Most of us were not even aware of the data center until construction had begun and operations were already partially underway.

The disrespect these companies have for Vineland residents couldn’t be clearer. In August, the contractors you hired were caught breaking the law by starting the fabrication and installation of a 1.5 million gallon on-site storage tank for liquified natural gas before our Planning Board even had a chance to vote. Work only ceased after our local government issued multiple stop work orders.

Already, problems from this data center abound. Noise from the facility has gotten so bad, neighbors are filing a lawsuit about the issue. To be clear, it is not just the noise of the construction itself, but incessant droning sounds that keeps people even a half-mile away from the site up at night. If this is what our residents are dealing with now, how bad will the facility be once it’s fully operational? Nebius, DataOne, and ultimately you as Microsoft leaders have a duty to communicate these impacts to our community ahead of time and provide solutions.

Considering the actions of these contractors thus far – including proposing experimental technologies and violations of federal, state, and local laws – we do not trust that Nebius and DataOne will protect the water resources of our drought-stricken community where water rationing is frequent. The site is also located above an aquifer that provides drinking water for a million people in New Jersey, raising the specter of groundwater contamination by waste materials or forever chemicals.

Microsoft, these are not the actions of a “good neighbor.” The actions of the companies you hired are those of a bully with something to hide. 

We demand to meet with you to discuss securing a robust community benefits ordinance, binding environmental protections, and a guarantee your company will provide direct oversight of this project with the well-being of local residents in mind.

Sincerely,

Sustain SJ