The Trump administration is moving to make it harder for communities to weigh in on proposed data centers, even as a backlash against the behemoth projects grows across the country. The Environmental Protection Agency plans to eliminate a federal requirement that states publicize and solicit public input on applications for air pollution permits for a range of industrial facilities, including new data centers and the power plants needed to run them. 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.

Tech companies are increasingly building their own gas-burning power plants to fuel energy-hungry data centers. In March 2025, Lee Zeldin, the E.P.A. administrator, declared a top priority was to “make the United States the artificial intelligence capital of the world.” The E.P.A. has also proposed another sweeping change that would let developers start building data centers before their permits are approved.

The latest proposal would apply to industrial facilities that the E.P.A. classifies as a “minor source” of air pollution. Environmentalists argue that the phrase “minor source” is misleading, since such facilities can emit up to 250 tons of hazardous pollutants per year. In a part of Virginia called Data Center Alley, for instance, Amazon holds enough “minor source” permits to allow its backup generators to emit 4,200 tons of nitrogen oxides annually.