Former EPA officials say 30 federal actions raise data center pollution risks

The Environmental Protection Network, an independent group that includes former US Environmental Protection Agency staff, released a report in the second week of September identifying 30 federal actions since January 2025 that it says worsen health risks from data center pollution. Seventeen of them specifically mention AI or target data centers. The list includes steps to curb renewable energy projects, weaker pollution rules and exemptions for existing power plants and factories.

Citing a study by UC Riverside, Caltech and the Rochester Institute of Technology, the report says air pollution associated with AI could cause up to 1,300 premature deaths and more than $20 billion in public health costs by 2028. The group urged President Donald Trump to adopt a "Data Center Health Protection Pledge." EPA spokesperson Cora Mandy said the agency had returned regulations to the best reading of the Clean Air Act.