There’s a fight breaking out in one Middlesex County community over a boiling hot topic: data centers.
Residents near a massive data center planned in South Brunswick are voicing opposition to a draft permit that would allow the project to run a dozen diesel generators. Critics point to what’s in the vicinity: multiple schools, senior housing, and a nature preserve where eagles nest. They say that’s who would breathe the exhaust if the state approves a permit for the data center’s controversial plans.
The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is considering an air permit that would let a 341,000-square-foot data center on the former Princeton Nurseries site run diesel generators. Last month, the same department fined a data center $1.07 million for running 62 diesel generators without permits. Now, nearby residents are asking the state to look harder before it approves a permit for the one going up in their backyard.
The developer behind the plan is Sentinel Data Centers, according to NJ.com.
It’s not just residents who are against the project—Princeton officials are coming out against the plans too. The draft covers 12 backup generators for emergencies, but officials and residents alike allege the company plans 20, along with around 400,000 gallons of diesel on site. Princeton Mayor and Council voiced their concerns in an October 1 letter to the state, alleging the site was “misleadingly characterized as ‘minor sources’ of emissions.”
They go on to emphasize the demand of such a project that would run during outages and grid reductions. “Powerful storms and extended heat waves are occurring more frequently in this region. The data center will significantly increase demand on infrastructure that is already under strain, and operating the generators will make the site a major source of emissions. The site should therefore be reviewed and regulated accordingly.”
Residents and Princeton officials alike have the same demand: replace the “minor source” classification, which requires lighter monitoring and reporting, with a “major source” designation, which could bring stricter limits and increased review.
NJ.com reports that speakers at a September 23 hearing voiced unanimous opposition to the diesel generator plan. One local alleges that all 12 generators appear to already be installed.
The state sees it differently. In a public notice, the DEP says an assessment found the health risk from the generators to be “negligible,” adding that the draft permit would require hour meters, run logs, and records of fuel sulfur content.
It would also bar testing on days when the forecast calls for unhealthy air. The agency says it will publish a written response to comments, along with a final decision.
The DEP extended the deadline for written comments to November 9 following the backlash. Residents can still weigh in here.
Peter Candia is the Food + Drink Editor at New Jersey Digest. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Peter found a passion for writing midway through school and never looked back. He is a former line cook, server and bartender at top-rated restaurants in the tri-state area. In addition to food, Peter enjoys politics, music, sports and anything New Jersey.
