EPA Proposes Air Pollution Exemption “Deal” for Data Centers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Environmental Protection Agency proposed cutting the American public out of air pollution permits for "minor sources", which includes the tractor trailer-sized diesel generators used by data centers. EPA's proposal removes any requirement for transparency or public participation for minor source pollution sources, including most data centers.

As data centers rapidly expand across the country, many rely on fleets of diesel and gas generators while obtaining multiple "minor source" permits that can obscure the cumulative pollution impacts of clustered data centers. Instead of strengthening oversight, the administration is proposing to weaken one of the few tools communities have to understand and challenge new pollution sources in their neighborhoods.

A Sierra Club investigation found 10,500 diesel generators at data centers condensed in Northern Virginia, totaling nearly 27 gigawatts, enough to power 7 million homes. Amazon alone holds enough "minor source" air permits to allow its backup generators to emit 4,200 tons of NOx in Northern Virginia, about the same as a mid-sized coal plant right in the heart of the seventh largest metro area in the country.

A public hearing is scheduled for July 22, from 9:00AM - 3:00PM CT, and should be published here on Wednesday, July 8th. Comments on the proposed rule are due August 21, 2026.

Statement from Jeremy Fisher, Sierra Club Senior Advisor:

"Every single person in this country deserves clean air, and the EPA's plan opens the door to silence communities concerned about the serious air quality and health impacts of thousands of diesel generators and other sources of pollution. We need stronger guardrails around data centers, not less transparency. If they're going to have any credibility around their pledges, Big Tech CEOs must tell the Trump administration to withdraw this proposed rule and strengthen public participation requirements and safeguards around data center pollution."

Math equation for equivalent homes powered: Average residential use is about 10,800 kWh per year from EIA, with an estimated load factor of ~0.33, which means that the average home uses about 3.7kW at peak. The estimated 27,000 MW of backup diesel generators could then serve the equivalent of about 7.2 million homes

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.