Former Environmental Protection Agency officials working with the Environmental Protection Network have released a report expressing concern about regulatory changes implemented since January 2025. The officials argue that the Trump administration’s EPA has taken approximately 30 distinct actions that weaken pollution safeguards, permitting processes, inspection standards, and other regulatory protections related to data center operations.
The United States currently hosts roughly 3,000 data centers, with more than 1,500 additional facilities in development stages. As this energy-intensive infrastructure expands, the former EPA researchers contend that critical government oversight mechanisms are being dismantled. Dan Costa, who conducted air pollution research at the EPA for 35 years, emphasized that the agency historically maintained a robust scientific workforce dedicated to investigating emerging pollution sources and environmental threats. He stated that this capacity has been significantly reduced under the current administration, with the EPA’s main research office dismantled and enforcement priorities shifted away from strict pollution standard compliance.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has indicated the agency’s commitment to supporting data center development as part of a broader strategy to position the United States as a global leader in artificial intelligence. This policy shift has facilitated rapid expansion by data center developers. Some deregulation efforts have allowed aging coal-fired power plants to continue operating beyond their originally scheduled retirement dates to supply data centers with electricity. Other regulatory changes have eased restrictions on onsite fossil fuel turbines at hyperscale facilities.
Proposed regulatory modifications would permit data center construction to begin before air pollution permits are finalized. Additionally, EPA enforcement staff have received directives to avoid actions that could “unduly burden or significantly disrupt” energy production. Research cited by the former EPA officials suggests that pollution associated with the data center expansion could result in approximately 1,300 additional deaths annually. Health impacts may include both immediate effects such as heart attacks and premature births from particulate exposure, as well as longer-term consequences like cancer development.
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