Deregulation Push for AI Data Centers Raises Health Risk Alarm

Former EPA alumni warn that Trump’s push to accelerate AI data-center construction through deregulation could increase pollution and health costs; a new Environmental Protection Network report catalogs 30 actions since January 2025—17 targeting AI or data centers—while Trump’s AI Action Plan promotes streamlined permitting and fossil-fuel exemptions. Studies project AI-related pollution could cause up to 1,300 premature deaths and over $20 billion in health costs by 2028, with impacts spreading beyond nearby communities. Advocates urge a Data Center Health Protection Pledge and stronger enforcement to restore clean-air and clean-water protections.