NEWS: The EPA wants to speed up air pollution permits amid the data center buildout. 👀

What happened: The agency has proposed scrapping its public input requirement for “minor source” air permits…which include the tractor trailer-sized diesel generators that data centers use for backup power. This equipment can spew out pollutants linked to heart disease and cancer.

The alternative: Instead, the proposal would let state and local air agencies decide on public participation requirements. “This approach is intended to reduce administrative burden and responsibly speed up permitting,” the EPA wrote. 

That reminds us: As we previously reported, Elon Musk’s Colossus 2 data center in Mississippi is allegedly running 27 gas turbines without a permit (the NAACP is suing over Clean Air Act violations).