its a curious thing to see when the powers that shouldn't be want to do something the law prevents; 

 

In the race to build infrastructure for artificial intelligence (AI), companies are constructing massive data centers that could have devastating consequences for the environment — all while sidestepping water pollution permits and exploiting air pollution permitting loopholes, according to separate investigations by Politico and Floodlight News.

Environmental advocates say regulatory changes and permitting strategies are letting projects move forward with minimal oversight and no input from the communities where they’re built.

A 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling eliminated federal permitting requirements — and with them, the public consultation those permits required — for many streams and wetlands that were previously protected, according to Politico.

A separate Floodlight investigation found that developers in Texas — where roughly 300 data centers already operate and 200 more are in development — have used “minor” air permits intended for small-scale polluters to build large-scale gas turbine and diesel generator operations with far less environmental review than the major permits they should be applying for would require.

The new regulatory landscape for data centers and waterways ..........more..........