Americans across the political spectrum are outraged and staunchly opposing the development of new AI data centers — and the fossil fuel-burning gas plants that run them — in rural and urban communities across the country alike.
So naturally, the Trump administration’s Environment Protection Agency, run by Lee Zeldin, is putting a stop to how much input and notice the public receives at the onset of tech companies’ development of the wildly unpopular facilities in communities nationwide.
The EPA has plans to eradicate a federal environmental rule that mandates states seek public input and adequately announce when applications for air pollution permits for a number of different types of industrial facilities are submitted. That includes when tech companies apply to develop new data centers and the gas plants that run them, according to the New York Times.
The elimination of this federal requirement means that members of the public may no longer be notified of new developments in their community, therefore robbing residents of the opportunity to show up to local government meetings on the matter and express their concerns about the new projects. In some cases, they might not even know the facilities are being built until after permits are approved or building has already begun.
In order to keep their data centers from spiking electricity costs in the communities they’re invading, tech companies have been building power plants to fuel the data centers that house the absurd amount of computing equipment needed for the ongoing development of artificial intelligence. These are often gas plants that release greenhouse gases and other pollutants into the air that can make people sick and cause diseases. The permits for building these types of facilities are the ones currently subject to public notice and adequate public input from community members.
A spokesperson for the EPA told the NYT that the planned rule change would “provide the state and local agencies most familiar with local issues the discretion to determine whether, when, and for how long to provide opportunities for public participation.”
This is coming from the same agency that has redefined itself during Trump II under Zeldin’s leadership to be laser-focused on making “the United States the artificial intelligence capital of the world.” The EPA has historically been a federal agency focused solely on public health issues and protecting the environment.
More details, per the NYT:
The E.P.A. has also proposed another sweeping change that would let developers start building data centers before their permits are approved. And it has exempted the gas plants that fuel many data centers from limits on pollutants that cause acid rain.
The latest proposal would apply to industrial facilities that the E.P.A. classifies as a “minor source” of air pollution. The category includes car repair shops, data centers, landfills, laundromats and steel mills.
Environmentalists argue that the phrase “minor source” is misleading, since such facilities can emit up to 250 tons of hazardous pollutants per year, a significant amount from a public health perspective.
If the proposed change is enacted, it’s bound to spark bipartisan backlash.
Opposition to data centers is one of the only issues bonding Americans across the political spectrum in 2026 as they fight the development of these facilities, which are draining the nation’s water supply, spiking energy costs during an affordability crisis and fueling Americans’ concerns about unregulated AI development.
So, why wouldn’t the Trump administration jump to crack down on the mounting solidarity? More from the NYT here.
— Nicole LaFond
Even Republicans Cooling on Trump After Disastrous Summer
Reuters/Ipsos, a very high-quality pollster, is out with new results that I doubt Natalie Harp will print out for Trump’s daily digest.
Only 13% of Americans “strongly approve” of Trump — including a paltry 35% of Republicans. Overall, just 33% of Americans approve of the President. That seems to be driven, at least in part, by a precipitous drop in Republican voters’ support for the Iran war.
It’s the second Reuters/Ipsos poll in a row to show Trump at the dismal 33% benchmark, a record low for the pollster throughout both of his terms.
— Kate Riga
Judge Blocks Ohio Law Requiring Proof of Citizenship to Register to Vote at DMV
U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver, a Clinton appointee, on Tuesday preliminarily enjoined an Ohio law that made registering to vote while applying for or renewing a driver’s license more onerous. Oliver held that the law likely violated the National Voter Registration Act in two ways: both by requiring more proof of citizenship documentation than what federal law necessitates, and offering the option to register only to people who successfully applied for a license.
According to Democracy Docket (founded by lawyer Marc Elias, whose firm brought the challenge to the Ohio law on behalf of the whimsically named Red Wine & Blue and Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans), “nearly 30%” of Ohio voters register through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
— Kate Riga
There’s a Ton to Read on TPM Today
Hunter Walker reports on the guy who won the Michigan primary for the Republican nomination for a House seat even though he dropped out of the race (likely due to the fact that his Trump-backed opponent once described himself as a “proud Muslim”). Turns out, he live tweeted his day as he participated in protests in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021: EXCLUSIVE: He Accidentally Won a Michigan House Primary. He Also Attended the Jan 6 Protest.
Josh Kovensky has two major reports out today on the “Minneapolis 15” case and the Trump administration’s apparent mass surveillance of protesters and left-leaning activists there after federal agents killed Alex Pretti and Renee Good earlier this year: Civil Liberties Groups From Across Political Spectrum Denounce Trump’s NSPM-7 AND: Undercover DHS Agent Monitored Alex Pretti Memorial, New Docs Suggest
Kate Riga has an update on the Supreme Court’s order on Trump’s mail-in voting executive order that came down yesterday evening: “A federal judge advanced the ball in a challenge to President Donald Trump’s order to overhaul mail-in voting, an important step in what will be a furious few weeks of litigation critical to the 2026 midterms.” More here: Judge Clears Way for Voting Group to Get Fresh Block on Trump Order
Yesterday’s Top Story
Canada Sits the United States Down for an Intervention
What I’m Reading
GOP Islamophobia Watch: Tim Scott says candidates like El-Sayed ‘coming after our culture’
Trump orders flags lowered to honor Dolly Parton
Trump Lawyers Warn That Kennedy Center Might Need Demolition if Not Fixed
