EPA Convenes AI Roundtable at White House, Administrator Zeldin Highlights Permitting Reform to Make U.S. the AI Capital of the World

EPA Convenes AI Roundtable at White House, Administrator Zeldin Highlights Permitting Reform to Make U.S. the AI Capital of the World

September 15, 2025

WASHINGTON- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin led an Artificial Intelligence (AI) roundtable at the White House today with AI and data center leaders. Administrator Zeldin touted actions the Trump Administration has taken to advance AI innovation and streamline data center construction. He also sought feedback from participants regarding permitting barriers and other technical input.

"It was great to meet with some of the brightest minds powering the artificial intelligence revolution. The American people gave President Trump a mandate to catapult our nation into a golden age of prosperity. A major part of doing so will require us to tap into pro-growth policies that will make the United States the AI capital of the world. At the EPA, we are proudly implementing President Trump's AI action plan to tremendously boost these efforts. We will cut red tape for projects powering AI infrastructure and data centers, expedite permits, and accelerate AI integration to meet the needs of AI development nationwide," said EPA Administrator Zeldin.

"The Trump Administration and today's roundtable with EPA Administrator Zeldin, is advancing efforts to ensure the United States maintains leadership in AI, including both technology development and critical digital infrastructure. As the digital infrastructure leader, QTS is focused on responsibly and sustainably building the future of our country and economy," said QTS Data Centers Co-CEO Tag Greason. "We continue to listen and engage with the communities we call home with a steadfast commitment to providing job opportunities, fostering economic growth, working with local suppliers, and operating as trusted neighbors. The Administration's historic investment will directly benefit communities where we are developing data centers for AI."

Roundtable participants included Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Representative Gary Palmer (R-AL-06), White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Michael Kratsios, EPA Office of Air and Radiation Assistant Administrator Aaron Szabo, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Director Jeff Clark, (Oracle CEO Safra Catz, Equinix Executive Chairman Charles Meyers. Aligned Data Centers CEO Andrew Schaap, Clayco CEO Anthony Johnson, CyrusOne CEO Eric Schwartz, Cloud HQ Founder and CEO Hossein Fateh, QTS Co-CEO Tag Greason, Iron Mountain President and CEO William Meaney, Data Center Coalition President Josh Levi, Holder Construction President and CEO Beth Lowry, Vantage Data Centers North America President Dana Adams, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 15 President and Business Manager Tom Callahan, and Hitachi Americas President and CEO Charlie Takeuchi).

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.

Recent EPA Action on Permitting Reform

Specifically, EPA reissued the "no second guessing" memo under New Source Review (NSR) regarding the Actual-to-Project-Actual Applicability (APTA) test. This test is used to determine if a proposed project at an existing source triggers NSR preconstruction air permitting comparing pre-project baseline actual emissions with the project post-project actual emissions. This permitting reform action provides much needed certainty for preconstruction permit requirements for manufacturing and data center facilities. EPA will not "second-guess" pre-project emissions projections unless there is clear error or violation of recordkeeping requirements.

Also, in the NSR space, EPA issued a memo explaining that the agency will no longer apply its prior Reactivation Policy in its NSR permitting determinations and enforcement proceedings, or in its oversight of state, local, and Tribal air permitting programs nationally. The "Reactivation Policy" determines whether an NSR permit is required to resume the operation of a stationary source that had been idled. Under the Reactivation Policy, EPA presumed a major stationary source that was idle for two or more years was permanently shut down and thus subject to NSR permitting requirements applicable to a newly constructed source prior to restarting operations. This new policy allows for idled facilities like power plants which are desperately needed to provide electricity much faster.

EPA has acted on a backlogged determination concluding that certain next-generation power generators are not regulated as stationary or mobile internal combustion engines. In doing so, EPA is getting out of the way of new, innovative technology that will strengthen economic, national, and energy security. These generators have the ability to power data centers, the electric grid, and military installations. As these generators fall outside the scope of EPA's engine standards, they can be deployed without triggering additional permitting requirements.

Additionally, earlier this month, EPA issued NSR guidance on Begin Actual Construction, which redefines preconstruction, clarifying that companies need only obtain air permits when they break ground. This allows construction to begin on new projects without any unnecessary delays in air permitting from EPA. The agency intends to codify this in a future rulemaking with more substantive changes.

Background

Making America the AI Capital of the World is a core pillar of Administrator Zeldin's Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative. In July, Administrator Zeldin attended the Pennsylvania Energy & Innovation Summitand 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-edpublished 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.