EPA head Zeldin says Trump admin won't set environmental requirements for data centers
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that the Trump administration will not be setting environmental requirements for data centers, emphasizing states' rights in this matter. This comes amidst community concerns about data centers' high electricity and water usage, noise, and land use. Zeldin also highlighted the existence of closed-loop data center designs that minimize water impact.
Lee Zeldin, the Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Trump administration, announced on Wednesday that the federal government would not impose environmental requirements on data centers. Speaking at the POLITICO Energy Summit in Washington, D.C., Zeldin underscored the administration's belief in states' rights to determine how data centers operate within their borders.
The announcement addresses growing concerns from various communities regarding the significant electricity and water consumption of data centers, as well as issues like noise pollution, land use, and tax incentives. Zeldin acknowledged these public concerns but also pointed to the existence of "closed-loop" data center designs that do not tap into local water supplies. He suggested that while highly controversial data center projects often gain media attention, many developments follow best practices.