Ex-EPA officials say Trump rollbacks let AI data centers pollute more

A group of former Environmental Protection Agency officials says the Trump administration is weakening pollution rules to speed up construction of AI data centers, raising health risks for Americans who may never live near one. The warning came this week in a briefing and a new report from the Environmental Protection Network, an independent organization of EPA alumni.

The report identifies 30 federal actions taken since January 2025 that the group says increase health risks tied to data center pollution. Seventeen of those actions specifically mention artificial intelligence or target data centers directly, according to the report. They include executive actions that curtail renewable energy projects while loosening pollution limits and exempting existing power plants and factories from certain standards.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has said his goal is to make the United States “the AI capital of the world” through deregulation, and the agency has rolled back dozens of rules while cutting staff and funding. In July 2025, President Trump released an “AI Action Plan” that recommended streamlining or reducing regulations under the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Superfund law to speed up permitting for data centers and chip factories.

Lynn Goldman, a pediatrician and former EPA assistant administrator, said at the briefing that an industry buildout of this scale should prompt more vigilance from EPA, not less. She said the agency is instead weakening or reconsidering limits on toxic chemicals and pollutants to prioritize industry’s needs. Goldman also noted that people do not need to live near a data center to be affected, since pollution can come from the power plants and factories that support the broader AI buildout, including a revival of forever-chemical production tied to advanced chip manufacturing.

Health costs described as avoidable

The report cites a study from UC Riverside, Caltech and the Rochester Institute of Technology estimating that air pollution linked to AI could cause up to 1,300 premature deaths and more than $20 billion in public health costs by 2028. The Environmental Protection Network says that toll could grow once the policy changes in its report are factored in, though it does not provide an updated estimate. The group argues the losses are avoidable if clean air and water standards are restored and federal enforcement capacity is rebuilt.

The former officials are calling on Trump to adopt a “Data Center Health Protection Pledge” that would commit EPA to measuring how the data center buildout changes pollution levels, who is exposed, and what it means for health, then making that information public. EPA spokesperson Cora Mandy responded that the agency’s actions reflect “the best reading” of the Clean Air Act after what she called years of regulatory overreach, while maintaining a commitment to both protecting public health and making America the AI capital of the world.

What happens next depends on whether the administration responds to the pledge request or continues the deregulatory path outlined in the AI Action Plan. The Environmental Protection Network’s full report and EPA’s forthcoming responses to specific rule changes will show whether either side shifts position.