The Trump candidate for the EPA wants to make the United States the world capital of artificial intelligence.
It will be responsible for ensuring fair and swift deregulation decisions.
Artificial intelligence is a key topic for Lee Zeldin, who has been appointed by Donald Trump to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Zeldin has expressed his goal of "unleashing the energy dominance of the U.S." and turning the country into the "world capital of AI," according to a message posted on a social media platform. The EPA is responsible for regulating emissions that pollute the air and contribute to climate change, which gives it a crucial role in how the increasing energy demand from AI may amplify pollution from power plants.
However, Zeldin appears to be prioritizing business expansion, particularly related to AI data centers, over environmental protection. There is already concern from environmental advocates regarding Trump's plans for the EPA. Manish Bapna, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, stated that it is possible to meet the demand for data centers without eliminating the EPA regulations aimed at cleaning up polluting power plants and reducing climate pollution. Bapna emphasized the need for the EPA to protect clean air and water, as well as public health.
If the campaign promises are fulfilled, the next Trump administration is expected to implement a series of deregulations. During his previous term, more than 100 environmental regulations were eliminated, and the Supreme Court was composed of judges who have limited the ability of federal agencies to regulate the industry. In a recent message, Trump claimed that Zeldin would ensure "fair and swift" deregulatory decisions while maintaining the highest environmental standards.
Trump also expressed concerns about environmental impact studies, noting that they can slow down projects for many years and increase the costs of undertaking them in an environmentally responsible manner. Zeldin has a controversial history on environmental issues, with a mere 14% score in his legislative career, and he has received over $269,000 from the energy sector and nearly $1.5 million from the real estate sector during his political career.
Despite the concerns, some environmental advocates still hold out hope that environmental regulations can be preserved under Zeldin's leadership, although he voted in 2017 to cut the EPA's budget by 25%. Despite past differences, some have found common ground with him on specific issues, such as his opposition to offshore drilling.
Data centers, especially those that use large amounts of energy to train AI systems, are a hot topic in the environmental debate. Energy efficiency has allowed the energy consumption of these centers to remain relatively stable, but their demand is expected to increase by 160% by 2030, according to research from Goldman Sachs. The U.S. hosts more data centers than any other country, and their growing energy demand could lead to an increase in pollution from the energy sector.
Despite efforts by U.S. tech companies to acquire renewable energy and revive the nuclear industry, their carbon footprint has increased with the development of new AI tools. Tech companies continue to connect to the local power grid, which is 60% powered by fossil fuels. The Trump administration previously revoked an Obama-era plan that aimed to reduce emissions from power plants and replaced it with weaker regulations, which, according to the EPA, could result in thousands of additional deaths and worsen asthma cases due to pollution.
With the new Trump administration on the horizon, the stricter rules imposed during Biden’s term face an uncertain future. Jeremy Symons, senior advisor to the Environmental Protection Network, has pointed out that Zeldin's direction will likely follow the EPA's deregulation trend, although he hopes that Zeldin can recognize the broad, bipartisan public support for the EPA's work in protecting air and water.