Trump EPA Moves to Limit Community Feedback on Data Center Projects

The Trump EPA has made a proposal that would lift requirements that force states to provide public notice or solicit comments on air pollution permits for data center construction projects. Maxine Joselow has more at The New York Times: The move could prevent residents from raising concerns about — or even learning about — data centers before permits are approved and construction starts. Nearly 200 advocacy groups and more than a dozen states have voiced opposition to the change, making it the latest flashpoint in the national debate over the data centers powering the artificial intelligence boom. “People need to have a chance to have a say before they see bulldozers,” said Keri Powell, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, a nonprofit legal advocacy group. That’s not all, as Joselow continues: The E.P.A. has also proposed another sweeping change that would let developers start building data centers before their permits are approved. And it has exempted the gas…