Federal Government Moves to Limit Public Input on Data Center Projects
The federal EPA is proposing rule changes to limit public input and allow data center construction before permit approval, sparking widespread opposition from citizens and states. These changes, affecting communities in states like South Carolina and Louisiana, are seen as undermining public participation and exacerbating environmental and economic burdens on local communities, particularly in the rural South.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving to limit public input and accelerate data center development by proposing two significant rule changes. One change would scrap a federal requirement for states to allow public comment before approving air-pollution permits for industrial facilities, including data centers and their associated power plants. Another proposed change would permit developers to begin constructing data centers before their permits are officially approved.
These proposed federal actions have drawn widespread criticism, with Paul Black, an environmental activist in South Carolina, calling them a "betrayal of everything this country should stand for." Black is actively organizing against a massive data center complex in a 40% Black community in rural South Carolina, a project that was relocated after failing to gain traction in a predominantly white county in Georgia. Opponents argue that these changes, combined with a lack of transparency and local governments signing non-disclosure agreements with tech companies, will worsen health risks, increase utility bills, and lead to community displacement, particularly in the rural South, where data center growth is concentrated.
Davante Lewis, a Louisiana public service commissioner, highlighted concerns over secrecy, noting that he was the only member to vote for releasing electricity use information related to the construction of a large data center in rural Louisiana. Nearly 200 advocacy groups and over a dozen states have voiced opposition to the EPA's proposals. Separately, South Carolina recently enacted its own ruling allowing power plants for data centers to be built without state regulatory commission review. The EPA, led by Lee Zeldin, defends the proposals as a way to "responsibly speed up permitting" and support economic development, aiming to make the U.S. an "artificial intelligence capital of the world," with the proposals expected to be finalized within the next year.