The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is advancing proposals that would limit public involvement in the permitting process for data centers and their associated power plants. Currently, states are required to notify the public and allow comments before approving air-pollution permits for industrial facilities, including data centers. The EPA’s proposed changes would remove this federal mandate, giving state and local agencies discretion over public participation. Additionally, the EPA is considering allowing developers to begin construction on data centers before permits are fully approved.
These changes come amid rapid expansion of large data centers, particularly in rural areas of the southern United States, where many communities are predominantly Black. Residents and environmental advocates warn that reducing transparency and public input could exacerbate health risks from increased pollution, raise utility costs, and accelerate community displacement.
Environmental activist Paul Black, opposing a massive data center project in rural South Carolina, described the proposals as undermining democratic principles and community rights. He noted that data centers often seek to establish themselves quietly in vulnerable communities, sometimes after being rejected in other locations.
The EPA defends the changes as a way to streamline permitting and support economic development and energy goals, including the agency’s stated priority to position the U.S. as a leader in artificial intelligence. However, critics highlight that local governments have sometimes signed nondisclosure agreements with tech companies, limiting public knowledge about these projects.
Data centers require substantial electricity, often supplied by gas-fired power plants that emit pollutants linked to respiratory and cancer risks. The growth of these facilities has been associated with rising energy bills, disproportionately affecting Black households, and with housing market disruptions in nearby communities.
Nearly 200 advocacy groups and multiple states, representing both political parties, have expressed opposition to the EPA’s proposed changes. The agency is expected to finalize the rule within the next year, a decision that could significantly alter how communities engage with industrial development impacting their environment and health.