Trump Administration Eases Environmental Rules for AI Data Centers

Former EPA officials have warned that President Donald Trump is weakening environmental regulations to speed up the construction of AI data centers, raising health risks for Americans. The officials are urging the president to adopt a "Data Center Health Protection Pledge" to signal that the administration is taking environmental threats seriously. EPA administrator Lee Zeldin has proclaimed his goal of making America "the AI capital of the world" through deregulation. Since then, Zeldin and the White House have rolled back dozens of rules while cutting staff and funding at the US EPA. The Environmental Protection Network, an independent organization of former EPA employees, released a report identifying 30 different federal actions since January 2025 that they say exacerbate health risks stemming from data center pollution. They warn that the wave of new AI data centers is increasingly powered by dirty energy, and that the EPA is prioritizing industry needs over its mandate to protect human health and the environment.