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EPA says power for data centers can sidestep pollution laws

https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-issues-permitting-guidance-further-president-trumps-agenda-promoting-data-centers
87•Levitating•59m ago

Comments

Levitating•58m ago
Title is taken from the reuters coverage[1], but I used the link to the original epa.gov press release.

[1]: https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/epa-says-power-data...

Zigurd•40m ago
About that P in your acronym...
blooalien•38m ago
> About that P in your acronym...

For the next couple of years (at least) it stands for "Pollution" or "Poisoning".

32ikU•37m ago
"privatization"
cestith•33m ago
The EPA as overseen by Donald J. Thatcher.
ethagnawl•28m ago
"Profit" or "Plunder" would seem to fit.
two_handfuls•40m ago
Surely this is going to cement the reputation of datacenters as a blight.
WarmWash•14m ago
Right, I can only imagine the most foolish DC operators are excited about this. Just more gas on the political fire, when DCs should be boring and out of public politics, even if they rank 15th for water consumption and 8th for energy consumption.
andsoitis•37m ago
EPA guidance source document https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2026-07/epa-issue...
user00005•17m ago
Thank you. This seems like a pretty straight-forward clarification of current law. The current thread title (OP said taken from Reuters) saying this side-steps the law seems misleading.
convolvatron•11m ago
its very much using the letter to violate the spirit - since the pollution is emitted regardless of whether the plant is grid-connected. these datacenter plants don't run as clean or as efficient as proper power plants, but the primary acid rain contributor is no2. how much are we really talking about?
londons_explore•31m ago
There are big benefits to having power generation grid connected.

It is more reliable (due to many possible generation sources). It is more eco-friendly (solar in daytime, wind when the wind blows). It is more cost efficient (no need to overbuild for peak usage, generators don't sit idle when computers are off for maintenance).

Yet our electricity grid has such a mass of regulations attached that people are choosing to lose these benefits - and with it we lose the benefit of them connecting to our grid.

dylan604•17m ago
That's partly a result of having 50 states writing laws for themselves instead having all statues living under federal laws for everything. The line between what is acceptable to be regulated by federal laws and what is not is something I, not being a lawyer, have never studied. Power and water type utilities does feel like it might be something that could benefit from same rules/regulations every where, but basing regulations on feelings is probably not the best bit of logic
tastyfreeze•31m ago
Hmm... rules for thee but not for me. Sounds like the beginning of the end for the EPA. Two tiered rules breed resentment. There are already plenty of people that don't like the EPA. Making exceptions just makes it easier to argue the EPA is useless or just a tool for oppressing the little guy.
dgellow•27m ago
It’s literally the playbook from project 2025. FWIW it’s not the beginning, that has been a process at play since day 1 of the 2nd trump admin

Edit: actually since the 1st term as mentioned below

josefresco•21m ago
Clarification: During his first term, Donald Trump appointed former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In his role as state attorney general, Pruitt had sued the EPA multiple times to challenge federal environmental regulations, including the Clean Power Plan and the Waters of the United States rule.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_policy_of_the_fi...

MisterTea•17m ago
> There are already plenty of people that don't like the EPA.

Rich assholes who are upset they can't throw their trash on the ground. Anyone else is parroting propaganda generated by said rich assholes.

mixdup•3m ago
>There are already plenty of people that don't like the EPA

And those people are the ones making these bifurcated rules undermining the EPA. The destruction is the purpose, it's not incidental

0xy•28m ago
First they say data centers should pay their own way on power infrastructure, then when they start springing up entirely off-grid and fully self-funded power infrastructure, suddenly there's a new problem.

The problem was never power or water (water being a known Chinese spy op after Karen Hao was caught exaggerating water usage by 1,000x in her book).

jordanb•22m ago
I'm trying to build a torment nexus and these negative ninnies complained that it used up all the electricity, so I made a machine that turns breathable air into toxic smoke to power the nexus and they don't like that ether!
triceratops•15m ago
You're saying multiple wrong ways to do a thing is evidence that the thing is undesirable?

Why don't you want an auto repair shop in the house next door, and why won't you let them pour old engine oil on your lawn? Are you anti-car-repair? All your "noise and pollution" complaints sound like psy ops to me, paid for by the Chinese EV industry.

^ that's what you sound like.

zach_moore•24m ago
then whats the fucking point of the EPA
dylan604•14m ago
According to this administration, there isn't one. They have told us this for years, but I guess nobody believed them??? It just took someone willing to not give a damn about working with others and just forcing their will upon others. After all, the people elected them and they are just carrying through with their well advertised plans.
bix6•19m ago
How the fuck does anyone still support these world destroying assholes.
dylan604•16m ago
$$$ Hangers on looking to scoop up some of the loose change overflowing the rich asshole's pockets
nancyminusone•13m ago
They really accel at making people their supporters don't like, angry. To gleefully rub your hands together while your enemies cry is a dream for some.
wilburx3•15m ago
What a disgrace. Abysmal leadership in this country.
shimman•14m ago
This seems pretty inline with our leadership tho. This country has always put profits above people.
Varelion•8m ago
I expect nothing and am still disappointed
Noaidi•8m ago
Let this sink in. Nobody cares about you and your children. They don’t care about the planet. These people are sociopaths. A lot of you work for these people. And a lot of you should stop working for these people. And if you’re using AI, you should stop using AI and you should make your boycott vocal.

This is not about Trump. This is not about Republicans or Democrats. This is about people who have the money who control all of those people. The AI play is nothing but pure greed. They don’t want to make your life better. They’re actively making your life. worse while they’re getting rich.

singpolyma3•4m ago
Beyond stupid. Why there are any "power generation" mechanisms that could produce air pollutantion in this decade is already incomprehensible. Making rules to allow for them on purpose is even dumber.
ck2•4m ago
right on cue for my meme of the three boxes this administration reaches into daily

   [chaos]  [corruption]  [cruelty]
fine then, make mar-a-lardo and the ballroom into datacenters

November and the "AI" collapse cannot come soon enough

but if the Dems don't get the Senate nothing will change even in the slightest

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EPA says power for data centers can sidestep pollution laws

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