EPA to kill law requiring states to inform the public about new data centers

The Environmental Protection Agency intends to repeal a federal law requiring states to publicize and ask for public input on applications for air pollution permits, including from new data centers and power plants, Maxine Joselow reports for the Salt Lake Tribune. 

“The move could prevent residents from raising concerns about — or even learning about — data centers before permits are approved and construction starts,” the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

Over a dozen states and 200 advocacy groups have voiced opposition to the change. The proposal also categorizes data centers as a “minor source” of air pollution, a category that includes car repair shops and laundromats, which environmentalists argue is misleading.

The EPA has also proposed letting developers start building data centers before their permits are approved, and has exempted the gas plants that fuel data centers from limits on pollutants that cause acid rain.