The Trump administration is moving to end public notification of air pollution from AI data centers, as Guardian reporter Tom Perkins reports. A proposed EPA rule would make it optional, rather than required, for developers to disclose how much nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, and other pollutants their generators and turbines will release under so-called “minor source” Clean Air Act permits.
A “regulatory subsidy” for data centers?
Data centers powering the AI boom often run on dozens of diesel generators or gas turbines, with permit applications split up to stay under the EPA’s “minor” threshold and dodge tougher federal review. Joe Goffman, a former EPA assistant administrator for air and radiation, said the change guts what he called an “ironclad promise” of public input: “The administration is basically saying: ‘You all may have thought this was an ironclad promise, but it no longer is.’”
The EPA counters that the proposal merely speeds permitting and “does not alter emission standards.” But critics like Jessica O’Donnell of the Environmental Law and Policy Center argue disclosure is what keeps emissions limits enforced — without it, nearby communities may never learn what they’re breathing until it’s too late.
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