The EPA wants to allow the construction of manufacturing facilities and power plants before obtaining a construction permit for Clean Air Act.
Released on September 9, 2025
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new measures aimed at speeding up the construction of the infrastructure needed to quickly build data centers for artificial intelligence that businesses can begin construction before obtaining air permits.
The EPA announced a new proposal on Tuesday.
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It’s six months after the EPA announced an initiative called the Great American Comeback, which prioritized the focus of institutions focused on building electricity generation rapidly to meet the burgeoning demand from data centers.
“For years, Clean Air Act permits have been a barrier to innovation and growth,” said Lee Zeldin, EPA administrator. “We’re continuing to fix this broken system.”
The EPA proposal redefines pre-construction requirements for atmospheric plants, manufacturing facilities and other infrastructures, allowing businesses to begin construction that is not related to atmospheric emissions before obtaining a clean air act construction permit.
The Trump administration has focused on winning races to quickly develop and expand AI use across the country, and has already launched a package of executive action aimed at increasing the energy supply to drive that expansion.
We and China are top economic rivals and are trapped in the technical arms race to ensure economic and military advantages. The vast amount of data processing behind AI requires a rapid increase in utilities and grids that are tense in many states.
The new source review program for the Clean Air Act will not allow the construction of major facilities before obtaining an air permit.
Under the Trump administration, the EPA has launched what it calls the largest deregulation action in the agency’s decades-long history, including a move to abolish the scientific and legal foundations to regulate greenhouse gas emissions that most scientists and environmentalists agree to.
