This reminds me of Dr. Evil asking for a million dollars. This isn't even a slap on the hand.

I'll bet anything they budgeted for a fine and it was still cheaper than doing it the proper way. Whoever signed the paper to approve the install should be on the hook personally.

the [62] “tractor-trailer-size” generators were “impossible to miss” and certainly were not there when inspectors last visited in December 2025.

Each one of the generators cost roughly $1 million. With shipping, installation, etc. the total was probably north of $100 million for these generators.

So, they were fined less than 2% of what it cost them to have these installed. Pocket change, indeed.

Fine per day, right? RIGHT?

Does the order also include removing the gas generators, or is it just cost of doing business?

Fines are just a cost of doing business. There needs to be criminal charges and real consequences on the people making the decisions, and shutting down those generators until they meet regulations.

I'm sure they totally turned off those turbines right? So they keep getting fined each day right?

$1.1M an hour right?

At least $1.1M a day right?

Not even $1.1M a week???

Shouldn't they also straight up close the place and arrest everyone who signed off on it?

That's per generator, right?

Really? $1.1 million is nothing

Break the law, pay a tiny fine

I feel that only 1 million is a fraction of what they would had to pay if they had to produce the certifications and documentations for getting the permissions for the 62 turbines

In other news, Nintendo wins $4.5M from some dude selling pirated games....

You guys remember in I think Nice Dreams with Cheech and Chong where they put up the blue tarps over the plants and he acted like he was swimming?

I bet they start using tarps or building buildings around them to start hiding this kind of stuff.

If it's punishable by a fine, it's legal for a fee. We need jail time for CEOs, not paltry tickets

A measly mil?

DataOne works for Nebius which caters to Microsoft mainly. This wasn't a no name datacenter, it's Microsoft.

Backward society

Why are the permits even an option in the first place?

Corporate penalties need to be recurring (eg daily) and a % of annual revenue, not just fixed numbers.

And it needs to be hitting the Board of Directors personally.

That'll show 'em not to make tens of millions of dollars by breaking the law!

oh wow a whole 1million dollars.

I'm sure that'll show them, and totally isnt just a rounding error in their budget.

That's like the cost of maybe two of the generators at the going prices now. Cost of doing business for them. Make it a million a day until they remove them.

DataOne got hit with the fine after an investigation by The Guardian and Floodlight News in August shared thermal drone footage showing that 45 of the 62 gas generators were operating. 

Woah, wtf. They didn't just build them. They were already in operation!?!

Why the fuck are journalists capturing this after the fact? Why aren't there government inspectors visiting the site to approve it before they're allowed to start operation?

To bad that drone didn't also have grenades.

The residents know the data center is powering Microsoft’s AI tools like Copilot and worry DataOne will do whatever it takes to keep that deal in place.

Sounds like they should fine Microsoft too, then.

That's like the clothing company Gap selling sweat shop clothing (made by slaves) and then fining the factory but not Gap.

You know an actual solution? They get bulldozed by the city.