EPA Unveils Clean Air Act-Related Resource to Provide Transparency for Data Center Developers, Local Communities, Tribes

EPA Unveils Clean Air Act-Related Resource to Provide Transparency for Data Center Developers, Local Communities, Tribes

EPA's Office of Air and Radiation's New Webpage Directly Responds to Americans' Request for Clean Air Act Guidance to Support Permitting, Building of U.S. Data Centers, AI Facilities

December 11, 2025

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) launched the Clean Air Act Resource for Data Centers webpage to provide data center developers, local communities and Tribes with a central location for Clean Air Act (CAA)-related resources. These additional resources further two core pillars of EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin's Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative-making America the artificial intelligence (AI) capital of the world and advancing cooperative federalism.

Looking exclusively through the lens of the CAA, OAR's specific new resources provide state and private sector partners with regulatory information, guidance and technical tools that can assist with modeling, air quality permitting, and regulatory interpretations relevant for data centers and AI facility development.

This webpage and EPA's CAA reforms provide transparency for data centers and AI development across the U.S., speeding up the ability to build data centers and the necessary backup generation. These efforts will help decrease the cost of new facilities while preserving the reliability of our electrical grid and keeping electricity rates down. This ultimately will reduce the cost-of-living for Americans who rely on data centers and AI for their daily lives-from ensuring food at the grocery store to photos on their phones.

"The global race to harness the power of artificial intelligence and build data centers is underway. President Trump's AI Action Plan made it clear; we need to win that race and establish America as the home for of the next great technological forefront," said EPA Administrator Zeldin. "EPA is diligently working to eliminate burdensome regulations and ensure data centers and related facilities can be built in the U.S. as we Power the Great American Comeback. Developers, local communities and Tribes will now have easy access to the tools they need to build big, beautiful data centers and AI facilities."

"Good rulemaking and policies must be coupled with sound public knowledge regarding regulations. As EPA works to enact policy that helps make America the AI capital of the world, our new webpage provides an essential resource to those looking to understand the current regulations," said EPA Assistant Administrator for Air Aaron Szabo. "OAR is pleased to be able to respond directly to the request from developers, local communities and Tribes who have been asking for these resources since day one. EPA is committed to following the law and helping Americans do the same."

Many of the current CAA requirements that impact the building of data centers date back to the 1990s when the available technology was vastly different. Historically, these rules ensure companies maintain proper pollution control. However, many of these requirements have not been updated to reflect technological advancements of the 21^st century. The digital revolution has ushered in new needs and new industries, which demand a holistic approach from EPA to update rules and further cooperative federalism in this rapidly growing space. As EPA continues to advance rulemaking to streamline permitting and end overly burdensome Biden-era requirements that stunted the development of data centers and AI facilities, the following tools will provide much needed guidance and clarity on the current CAA rules as developers, local communities and Tribes navigate this uncharted territory.

OAR's webpage is broken up into the following sections:

• Regulator Resources: Power sources are a major concern for planning data center and AI infrastructure. This section provides links to information on rules that apply to stationary combustion turbines and stationary engines-common sources of primary and backup power for data centers-and which are subject to various new source performance standards for certain air emissions and national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants. Before building, it is important to understand the regulations in place.
• Air Permitting Resources: This section houses EPA guidance documents, letters responding to permitting requests, and interpretations of permitting regulations. Understanding how EPA has handled permitting in the past based on the agency's statutory obligations will allow those looking to develop data centers and AI facilities to see what permitting requirements they may face.
• Modeling Guidance Documents: Over the years, EPA has released several modeling guidance documents and clarification memoranda that help developers show compliance with CAA air quality standards as they build. In this section, users will find EPA's Guideline on Air Quality Models which provides models, tools, and methods to use when dealing with CAA regulatory air quality requirements and lists the agency's preferred air quality models for use in the Prevent of Significant Deterioration (PSD) programs. There are also modeling resources to assist with permit applications and showing compliance.

In addition, and in line with EPA's commitment to advance cooperative federalism, EPA's OAR staff will also be available to consult with permit reviewing authorities and individual sources on a case-by-case basis. OAR will update the webpage to reflect the most up to date CAA regulations and guidance material available.

Visit OAR's new Clean Air Act Resources for Data Centers webpage.

This CAA-focused webpage is only one of many avenues EPA is taking to advance the president's priorities, ensure American dominance in technological innovation and make America the AI capital of the world. Across the agency, EPA is working to ensure that data center developers, local communities, and Tribes can partner together to ensure AI implementation prospers in the U.S. By doing so, billions of dollars will be invested into our nation, creating new jobs and promoting prosperity in communities that have been left behind by previous administrations.

Background
President Trump's Executive Order 14179, "Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence (AI)," boldly calls for America to advance dominance in technological innovation through the creation of an AI Action Plan. "America's AI Action Plan," released in July 2025, is comprised of three pillars-innovation, infrastructure, and international diplomacy and security-that provide the foundational framework for victory in this hypercompetitive global race. Inspired by this vision, EPA is focused on strengthening America's energy foundation and ensuring our nation remains the global leader in AI and the infrastructure that powers it.

In July, Administrator Zeldin attended the Pennsylvania Energy & Innovation Summit and participated in a roundtable alongside President Trump and National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC) partners where industry leaders announced over $90 billion in investments in the Keystone State, creating jobs and helping to unleash American energy to power the AI revolution.

In a Fox News op-ed published following the trip, Administrator Zeldin highlighted for the first time, EPA's proposals to streamline permitting and regulations to accelerate American data center development. EPA will continue to do its part to advance America's leadership in AI while maintaining its core mission of protecting human health and the environment.