The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed new measures to speed up construction of power plants to support the power demands of data centres for AI, enabling companies to start construction before obtaining clean air permits.
The EPA proposal will redefine the pre-construction requirements for power plants to enable companies to start construction of elements not relating to air emissions prior to obtaining Clean Air Act construction permits.
Lee Zeldin, EPA Administrator, said: “For years, Clean Air Act permitting has been an obstacle to innovation and growth. We are continuing to fix this broken system.”
Under the Trump administration, the EPA has launched what it describes as the largest deregulatory actions in the agency’s history, including a move to repeal the scientific and legal underpinning for regulating greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to climate change.