Assemblywoman Tennille McCoy is calling on the state to reject an air pollution permit for a data center under construction in South Brunswick, citing potential health and environmental risks to residents of neighboring Plainsboro.
McCoy, a Democrat representing the 14th Legislative District, announced her opposition Monday, Nov. 9, the final day for public comments on the proposed permit before the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
The permit concerns the Sentinel Princeton Nurseries Data Center, a 341,000-square-foot facility being built at 4405 Route 1 on the former Princeton Nurseries property, just across the municipal boundary from Plainsboro.
“Air doesn’t stop at a township line,” McCoy said. “Plainsboro families will breathe what this facility emits, yet Plainsboro had no seat at the table when the project was approved. Before a single generator is permitted to run, NJDEP should offer our residents a full, transparent accounting of what this facility will put into our air.”
The draft permit, identified by the state as PN-DC1, covers 12 diesel-powered emergency generators, each rated at 3,620 kilowatts. The generators would provide backup electricity when the facility’s primary power supply is unavailable.
Pollutants associated with diesel exhaust include nitrogen oxides, benzene and formaldehyde. Residents and environmental advocates have also raised concerns about approximately 400,000 gallons of diesel fuel reportedly planned for storage at the site, along with the potential effects of generator testing and emergency operation on surrounding neighborhoods.
The DEP has said its health risk assessment found the risk associated with the proposed generators to be negligible under state technical standards. The draft permit would limit routine testing and maintenance to 28 hours annually per generator, although operation during qualifying emergencies would be permitted separately.
McCoy is seeking a more comprehensive public health review, particularly because the development is located near existing neighborhoods and a major residential project planned for Plainsboro.
In 2025, the Plainsboro Planning Board approved a mixed-use development on approximately 109 acres of the former Princeton Nurseries property, immediately south of the data center site. That project includes 950 residential units, including apartments, townhouses, single-family homes and senior housing, along with a 75,000-square-foot hotel and nearly 320,000 square feet of commercial space.
McCoy said the proximity of the two developments raises concerns about exposing current and future residents to emissions, noise and fuel storage associated with the data center.
“We are asking residents to make a home on one side of this property line and asking them to accept an industrial power plant’s worth of diesel generators on the other,” McCoy said.
McCoy’s statement adds to growing opposition to the project from neighboring communities.
On Oct. 1, Princeton Mayor Mark Freda and the Princeton Council urged DEP to deny the permit in its present form, raising concerns about diesel emissions affecting residential neighborhoods and two elementary schools.
State Sen. Andrew Zwicker and Assembly members Roy Freiman and Mitchelle Drulis, who represent the neighboring 16th Legislative District, also requested additional time for public comments.
The DEP subsequently extended the original Oct. 7 deadline to Nov. 9. Approximately 200 people attended a Sept. 23 public hearing at the Princeton Marriott at Forrestal in Plainsboro, with about 30 offering testimony, according to the lawmakers.
The state permit proceeding is separate from the municipal land-use approvals already granted by South Brunswick. The township approved the data center in May 2025, and construction is continuing despite opposition and a legal challenge to the redevelopment process.
McCoy also pointed to recent state actions addressing the growing data center industry.
In July, Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed legislation creating a separate utility rate class for large data centers, intended to prevent the facilities’ electricity and infrastructure costs from being shifted to other customers.
In August, Sherrill signed another law requiring data center operators to report their energy and water consumption to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities twice annually.
The following month, DEP announced a $1.07 million penalty against a Vineland data center after inspectors found 62 large natural-gas generators installed and operating without the required air permits.
The Vineland enforcement action is unrelated to the South Brunswick project, which is undergoing the state’s air permitting process.
“These laws are a good start, but they don’t change the fact that this facility is already rising along Route 1,” McCoy said. “I will continue working with my colleagues in the Legislature, local officials and neighbors to make sure Plainsboro’s voice is heard.”
The DEP has not announced a date for its final decision on the Sentinel permit. The agency is expected to review testimony from the September hearing and written comments submitted during the public-comment period before making its determination.
Residents can submit comments through the DEP’s online form at dep.nj.gov/boss/permit-comment-form. Comments must be received by Monday, Nov. 9, and should reference facility PN-DC1, Program Interest Number 19525 and Permit Activity Number PCP250001.
