Assemblywoman joins opposition to South Brunswick data center
Federal and New Jersey lawmakers are urging the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to pause or deny an air pollution permit for the Sentinel Princeton Nurseries Data Center under construction in South Brunswick. They cite concerns about emissions from 12 diesel generators, nearby homes and schools, and the adequacy of the state’s health-risk review, while local opposition and a legal challenge continue.
U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, state Sen. Andrew Zwicker and Assemblywoman Tennille McCoy are opposing an air permit for the 341,000-square-foot Sentinel Princeton Nurseries Data Center in South Brunswick. They asked New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Ed Potosnak to reconsider the permit’s assumptions about generator use, emissions and health risks, and to provide another public-comment opportunity before making a final decision.
The permit would cover 12 diesel-powered emergency generators, while lawmakers said public statements have referenced as many as 20. Officials and residents in neighboring Plainsboro and Princeton have raised concerns about diesel pollution, noise, fuel storage and impacts on nearby homes and schools. South Brunswick approved the project in May 2025 and construction is continuing, although opposition and a legal challenge to the redevelopment process remain active.
The lawmakers’ objections come amid broader efforts to regulate data center energy and environmental impacts in New Jersey, including proposed legislation that would study the industry and temporarily prohibit new facilities. The DEP has not announced when it will rule on the permit.