Former EPA Staffers Count 30 Federal Actions Raising Data Center Pollution Risk
Thirty federal actions have loosened pollution rules in ways that raise health risks as data centers multiply, according to a report issued Thursday by the Environmental Protection Network, a group run by former Environmental Protection Agency staff. The report, covered by Inside Climate News, ties rising power demand from the buildout to air pollution associated with asthma and heart and lung disease.
Inside Climate News reported that the Trump administration is favoring fossil fuel generation over cleaner supply as data center electricity demand climbs.
The cost of that trajectory has been modeled. University researchers in California and New York calculated that in a high-growth case for the industry, data center air pollution could account for about 600,000 asthma symptom cases, 1,300 premature deaths and upward of USD 20 billion in public health costs in 2028, Inside Climate News reported.
EPA rejected the framing. Agency spokesperson Cora Mandy said each action taken has "returned regulations to the best reading [of] the Clean Air Act after years of overreach by previous administrations".
Public sentiment runs against the deregulatory direction the report describes. In April, a YouGov survey of registered voters commissioned by the Environmental Protection Network put support for tougher treatment of corporations that break environmental laws at 84%.
Source: insideclimatenews.org (opens in a new tab)1 sourcePermalink