Seven in 10 Americans oppose building data centers for artificial intelligence near their communities. Despite this, the federal government is moving to make it easier for them to be built — and in some places, residents won’t even get the chance to raise concerns publicly.

The EPA plans to scrap a federal requirement that states tell the public and allow public comment before approving air-pollution permits for industrial facilities, including data centers and the power plants built to feed their enormous appetite for electricity. The EPA last month also proposed letting developers start building data centers before their permits are approved.

The rural South, home to a disproportionate amount of Black communities, has seen the largest growth of these large data centers. Residents told Capital B the proposals and lack of transparency may worsen health risks, increase utility bills, and contribute to community displacement.

Paul Black, an environmental activist organizing against a data center complex the size of 1,200 football fields in rural South Carolina, said these moves “run counter to the way American democracy is sold to us.”

Nearly 200 advocacy groups and more than a dozen states, led by both Democrats and Republicans, have voiced opposition to the federal changes.