EPA moves to fast-track air permitting for data centers, power plants, other industry

Critics warn EPA plan would let developers start building before air permits are approved

The EPA has proposed a nationwide policy change that would allow companies behind data centers, power plants, and other large industrial projects to start limited on-site work before getting the federal air permits now required upfront. As E&E News reported, the agency said the move would help speed up development. However, critics have said it could do the opposite of what permitting is supposed to do: protect nearby communities by ensuring maj…

How Trump’s Speed-to-Power Push for Data Centers Could Backfire

The Trump administration is trying to ease data centers’ power permitting burden. It’s likely to speed things up. Whether it’ll kick up more dust for the industry is literally up in the air.On Tuesday, the EPA proposed a rule change that would let developers of all stripes start certain kinds of construction before getting a historically necessary permit under the Clean Air Act. Right now this document known as a New Source Review has long been …

EPA moves to fast-track air permitting for data centers, power plants, other industry

Air quality permitting approvals granted by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection for data center projects throughout the state have prompted community outcries and legal challenges over the past year. Now federal regulators have moved to fast-track air quality permits for data centers, power plants and other industrial facilities, the latest in a string of measures they’ve advanced under President Donald Trump to narrow the s…