The Trump administration is aggressively dismantling environmental safeguards to fast-track the construction of AI data centers, a move that former EPA officials warn prioritizes industrial speed over public health. Lee Zeldin, the current EPA administrator, has explicitly stated his goal is to make America “the AI capital of the world” through deregulation. This strategy involves rolling back dozens of rules and cutting agency funding, effectively giving tech infrastructure a pass to pollute. The result is a surge in data centers powered by dirty energy, driven by executive actions that curtail renewable projects while softening limits on toxic chemicals and harmful pollutants.
A new report from the Environmental Protection Network (EPN), a group of EPA alumni, identifies 30 federal actions since January 2025 that exacerbate these health risks. Seventeen of those policies specifically target AI or data centers. These changes align with Trump’s July 2025 “AI Action Plan,” which recommended streamlining regulations under the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Superfund law. Tyson Slocum of Public Citizen noted that the plan uses emergency powers to grant massive exemptions for fossil fuel infrastructure. Consequently, the demand for advanced chips is reviving the production of persistent “forever chemicals,” while new gas turbines and power plants are being built specifically to serve energy-hungry tech companies.
The human cost of this regulatory rollback is quantifiable and severe. A study cited by the EPN, conducted by researchers at UC Riverside, Caltech, and the Rochester Institute of Technology, estimates that air pollution linked to AI expansion could lead to up to 1,300 premature deaths and more than $20 billion in public health costs by 2028. Lynn Goldman, a former EPA assistant administrator, emphasized that proximity to a facility is irrelevant because the pollution spreads widely. “You would think that an industry buildout of this magnitude… would mean more vigilance from EPA,” she said. “Instead, EPA is doing just the opposite.”
Former officials are urging the adoption of a “Data Center Health Protection Pledge,” though they admit the effort may be futile given the current political climate. Marc Boom of the EPN argued that a more polluting AI buildout is not inevitable but depends on government choices. The core issue isn’t just the energy consumption of servers, but the systematic weakening of the agencies tasked with measuring exposure and enforcing safety standards. Without restoring clean air and water protections, the physical infrastructure underpinning generative AI will continue to change America’s landscape at the expense of its citizens’ health.
