How the AI boom derailed clean‑air efforts in one of US’s most polluted cities

In North St. Louis, Missouri, Barbara Johnson and other activists from groups like Metropolitan Congregations United have been fighting coal pollution for decades. Their hopes for cleaner air, bolstered by tougher federal soot standards scheduled for 2027, were dashed when President Donald Trump's administration scrapped these standards in February. This reversal is part of broader efforts to ensure the nation's electricity grid can meet the surging demand from power-hungry data centers, which Trump cited in an executive order. The rollbacks mean that major polluters like Ameren’s Labadie Energy Center, located west of St. Louis, will not be required to cut their soot emissions in half, despite being one of the largest emitters of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides among US coal plants. The US Department of Energy estimates AI and data center growth will add 50 gigawatts of new electricity demand by 2030. Air quality activists and health advocates, including those interviewed by Reuters, see the AI boom and its supporting policies as a major threat to US air quality, particularly from coal sources. St. Louis is expected to be significantly impacted due to its already poor air quality; residents experienced "good" air on only one-third of days last year. The pollution from the Labadie plant alone is estimated to cause an economic burden of up to $5.5 billion annually, with $820 million borne by St. Louis area residents. A coalition of farmers, environmentalists, and homeowners is resisting data center expansion due to concerns over higher power bills and reduced water supplies, but Trump's administration has not addressed the health effects of increased pollution. Ameren stated the Labadie plant will continue operating for at least another decade to ensure reliable power supplies, and has signed service contracts for an additional 2.3 gigawatts of potential peak demand from data centers, roughly the output of Labadie. Amazon Web Services is planning a 1,000-acre development in nearby Montgomery County, further signaling increased demand. The Data Center Coalition emphasized that utilities and policymakers, not data centers, are responsible for resource planning and generation procurement.