{
  "id": 8690371,
  "title": "Former EPA officials: Trump is letting data centers make people sick",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/former-epa-officials-trump-is-letting-data-centers-make-people-sick",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-20T13:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Grist",
    "slug": "grist",
    "url": "https://grist.org/health/former-epa-officials-trump-is-letting-data-centers-make-people-sick/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials, now affiliated with the Environmental Protection Network, are warning that Donald Trump's EPA has weakened pollution safeguards since January 2025, resulting in at least 30 actions that could increase health risks associated with the booming data center industry. There are approximately 3,000 data centers in the United States, with over 1,500 more in the planning stages. As developers expand this energy-intensive infrastructure, essential government regulatory safeguards are being lost, according to ex-EPA officials. Dan Costa, an EPA veteran who spent 35 years studying air pollution, noted the significant loss of EPA's research workforce and shift in priorities away from strict enforcement of pollution standards. President Trump has positioned the nation as the global leader in AI, with the EPA aiming to support this goal by reducing regulations and facilitating data center construction, even if it means extending the operational lifespan of coal-fired plants or easing regulations on onsite fossil fuel-powered turbines. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin supports these efforts, emphasizing the importance of building and powering data centers for America's AI dominance. The former EPA researchers assert that pollution from the AI boom could lead to 1,300 additional annual deaths, with some health impacts potentially emerging within years. Lynn Goldman, a physician and former EPA administrative official, emphasized that the AI industry's pursuit of advantage should not come at the cost of public health, stating that families should not have to suffer health consequences due to the AI boom.",
  "summary": "“Families shouldn’t have to pay for the AI boom with their health.”",
  "key_points": [
    "Former EPA officials warn Trump's EPA weakened pollution safeguards since 2025.",
    "30 actions by Trump's EPA could increase health risks from booming data centers.",
    "Pollution from AI boom could cause 1,300 additional annual deaths."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Fortune",
        "title": "As high fuel costs force people to choose between filling up or buying groceries, Trump says ‘it’s a very inexpensive price to pay’ for the Iran war",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/as-high-fuel-costs-force-people-to-choose-between-filling-up-or",
        "published": "2026-09-20T14:24:34.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}