Trump is giving data centers a pass to pollute

A coalition of former Environmental Protection Agency officials is warning that the Trump administration’s push to accelerate construction of AI data centers has come at the expense of environmental protections. In a briefing and a report released this week, the group — organized as the Environmental Protection Network (EPN) — cataloged about 30 federal actions since January 2025 that they say reduce pollution safeguards and favor industry expediency.

EPN members contend many of the changes either directly mention AI or target data center projects; 17 of the items in their list do so. They argue the administration’s strategy, including an "AI Action Plan" issued in July 2025 that advocates streamlining or relaxing permits under major environmental laws, makes it easier to site energy infrastructure tied to data centers, such as dedicated gas turbines and new power plants.

The former officials say those policy shifts have practical health consequences because the new facilities are increasingly powered by fossil fuels and by industrial processes that revive production of persistent chemicals. The report cites academic modeling that links AI-related air pollution to as many as 1,300 premature deaths and more than $20 billion in public-health costs by 2028, and EPN warns the toll could rise if weakened standards and reduced agency capacity persist.

EPN leaders urged the administration to adopt a Data Center Health Protection Pledge that would commit EPA to track pollution from the AI buildout, disclose who is exposed, and enforce protections. The current EPA defended its actions in a statement to The Verge, saying recent steps return regulations to what the agency views as the proper interpretation of the Clean Air Act while pledging to both protect health and promote U.S. leadership in AI.