US wants to speed up data center permits: Know why
The White House just rolled out its "AI Action Plan" to speed up permits for building energy-hungry data centers, hoping to keep the US leading in artificial intelligence.
But there's a catch: this could mean loosening some clean air and water rules, echoing Trump-era policies.
With experts saying data center electricity use might double by 2030, the pressure is on.
Data centers likely to lean more on coal, gas
As data centers grow, they'll likely lean more on coal and gas—bad news for efforts to reduce emissions.
These centers also need tons of water for cooling, which could stress local supplies.
Companies like Amazon are betting big on nuclear power to help out (think $20 billion projects), but meeting all this demand may still push up energy bills for everyone as new infrastructure gets built.