Virginia fines a Microsoft data center for emissions violations

Updated on: September 16, 2026 / 4:39 PM EDT / CBS News

A Virginia state agency has fined a data center nearly $2.5 million for exceeding emissions limits last year, the state's largest civil penalty against a data center to date.

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.

"As part of our continued commitment to the communities where we operate, Microsoft will support VDEQ's expansion of air-quality…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/healthwatch/