{
  "id": 5314864,
  "title": "EPA proposal could leave the public in the dark on data center plans",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/epa-proposal-could-leave-the-public-in-the-dark-on-data-center-plans-5314864",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-03T11:23:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Associated Press",
    "slug": "associated-press",
    "url": "https://apnews.com/article/epa-data-centers-ai-public-comment-states-947eb927ae81162ad4cc3e828915c804"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering a proposal that could make it more difficult for the public to learn about and comment on proposed AI data center projects across the United States. This move could potentially alter the midterm election landscape. The EPA's plan would strip away a federal requirement that states notify the public and solicit input before issuing air pollution permits for data centers and other industrial facilities.\n\nWhile states could still provide opportunities for public comment, the EPA would no longer require them as a condition for issuing permits. Critics argue that this change could hinder local residents from discovering proposed data centers and having their voices heard prior to project approval and construction. The proposal comes amid a backlash as tech companies construct hundreds of large server warehouses to support artificial intelligence and cloud computing.\n\nMike Koerber, a former deputy director of EPA's air quality office, stated that the elimination of the transparency requirement aligns with the Trump administration's efforts to distance itself from the fundamental EPA principle of transparency. Koerber worries that this could result in communities being \"kept completely in the dark about new data centers and heavy industrial emissions in their backyards, while neighboring states maintain oversight.\"\n\nUnder the EPA's proposed plan, states with inadequate or nonexistent public comment requirements could expedite permits for data centers, power plants, and other polluting sources without consulting the public or even informing the communities where the facilities will be located. Environmental advocates, like Keri Powell from the Southern Environmental Law Center, argue that such secrecy is unacceptable. They contend that communities must have an opportunity to weigh in on potentially harmful projects before they are approved.",
  "summary": "WASHINGTON (AP) — A plan by the Environmental Protection Agency could make it harder for the public to learn about and comment on proposed AI data centers that have sparked backlash in…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "EPA proposal could leave the public in the dark on data center plans",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/epa-proposal-could-leave-the-public-in-the-dark-on-data-center-plans",
        "published": "2026-09-03T11:02:43.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "ABC News (US)",
        "title": "EPA proposal could leave the public in the dark on data center plans",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/epa-proposal-could-leave-the-public-in-the-dark-on-data-center-plans-5315727",
        "published": "2026-09-03T11:16:45.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "PBS NewsHour",
        "title": "EPA proposal could leave the public in the dark on data center plans",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/epa-proposal-could-leave-the-public-in-the-dark-on-data-center-plans-5361139",
        "published": "2026-09-03T16:14:48.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}