EPA to drop requirement for public notice of polluting datacenters
State and local regulators would decide whether the public gets a say on minor-source permits
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering dropping mandatory public notice and comment requirements for minor-source air permits under the Clean Air Act (CAA). This change, proposed by the EPA, could affect datacenter projects that may be classified as minor or synthetic-minor sources, allowing them to avoid more stringent major-source review.
Critics, including the Environmental Protection Network (EPN), argue that this move would leave communities unaware of industrial developments, potentially resulting in increased pollution from datacenters powered by fossil fuels. The EPN warns that eliminating public participation would contradict the transparency commitments made by the current administration's administrator, Lee Zeldin.
Zeldin argued that state and local governments are the best equipped to make such decisions, as local conditions vary significantly across regions. However, the EPN claims that the proposed rule change directly contradicts Zeldin's earlier transparency memorandum, which emphasized the importance of public participation in decision-making.
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