President Trump’s administration has undertaken a significant deregulation effort aimed at expediting the development of artificial intelligence data center infrastructure, according to environmental advocates and former government officials. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has made clear the agency’s priority to position the United States as the global leader in AI through reduced regulatory oversight. Since the start of the administration, dozens of environmental rules have been scaled back, accompanied by reductions in staffing and funding at the EPA.
A group of former EPA employees, operating under the banner of the Environmental Protection Network, released a report identifying 30 federal policy changes made since January 2025 that they contend increase health risks from data center-related pollution. The group argues that the regulatory rollbacks, combined with policies that disadvantage renewable energy projects, are enabling data centers to be powered increasingly by fossil fuel sources. The report notes that 17 of the 30 policy changes explicitly reference AI or specifically target data centers. Trump’s AI Action Plan, released in July 2025, recommended streamlining regulations under the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Superfund law to expedite permitting processes.
Former EPA officials expressing concern about the policy direction point out that pollution from data center operations and their supporting infrastructure can affect public health far beyond the immediate facility locations. A research study cited in the report, conducted by UC Riverside, Caltech, and the Rochester Institute of Technology, projected that air pollution associated with AI infrastructure could result in as many as 1,300 premature deaths and more than $20 billion in public health costs by 2028. The environmental group argues these figures could increase further given the additional policy changes already implemented.
The EPA has responded to the criticism by asserting that its regulatory actions represent a return to proper statutory interpretation following what it characterizes as regulatory excess under previous administrations. The agency reiterated its dual commitment to both environmental protection and supporting American AI development. Former EPA officials countered by calling for adoption of a Data Center Health Protection Pledge that would include monitoring pollution changes, tracking exposure patterns, and making health impact information publicly available.
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