Introduction

As a public health researcher committed to environmental justice, I have seen firsthand how infrastructure decisions shape air quality and who bears the burden of rising utility costs. Working families and neighborhoods of color are often disproportionately burdened by administrative decisions that affect their health. That is why I am calling on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan to require all large U.S. data centers to publicly report standardized environmental impact metrics each year and align with The United Nations’ Sustainable Procurement Guidelines for Data Centres and Servers.   

Why Must Change Be Enacted?

Data centers are expanding rapidly. A recently published report by the International Energy Association found that a single modern artificial intelligence (AI) facility can consume as much electricity as 100,000 households. Recent studies have estimated that data centers could account for up to 12% of U.S. electricity consumption by 2028 and consume up to six times more water than Denmark by 2027. In a world where 2.2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and 730 million people lack access to electricity; this is highly problematic. Despite these dismal statistics, there are currently no legally binding energy standards that apply to U.S. data centers in the private sector. President Trump is accelerating the construction of large data centers while reducing public review under the National Environmental Policy Act, and easing oversight tied to the Clean Air and Water Acts. His policy also promotes expanded fossil fuel energy infrastructure to power these facilities. This will increase greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution, directly affecting the air quality and health of nearby residents. Meanwhile, the European Union requires the disclosure of energy usage under the Energy Efficiency Directive and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1364. The UN’s Sustainable Procurement Guidelines for Data Centres and Servers also provides clear sustainability benchmarks that would minimize the harmful environmental impacts of these data centers. 

If this change is enacted: communities will gain transparency, regulators can use the data to manage pollution, and companies will be held accountable for their energy consumption. If federal regulations are not imposed, unchecked growth will deepen climate impacts and environmental injustice. The EPA has the authority to request public reporting and create a centralized database now. We cannot allow digital progress to come at the cost of our air, water, and health.