Opinion: EPA helping AI industry grow but ignoring technology's power to protect environment

"In the global race to lead on artificial intelligence, President Donald Trump's administration has made its goal unmistakable: the U.S. should become the world's AI powerhouse. To get there, the Environmental Protection Agency has taken on an unexpected role. Instead of focusing first and foremost on protecting people and the environment, the EPA is increasingly focused on clearing the regulatory path for rapid growth in data centers, chip factories and other AI-related infrastructure. That shift has created a striking imbalance."

"Under Administrator Lee Zeldin, the EPA has positioned itself as a facilitator for the tech sector and the fossil fuel industry. Reviews of new chemicals are rushed, hurdles lowered for air pollution permits and approvals streamlined, all under the pretext of keeping the U.S. competitive. The emphasis is clear: move fast. This deregulatory zeal stands in stark contrast to the agency's own lethargic embrace of AI to actually improve environmental and public health outcomes for communities across America."

"These tools may save staff time, but they barely scratch the surface of what AI could do for the agency's core work. The same technologies that power large language models could help flag dangerous chemicals earlier, identify pollution hotspots more precisely or focus inspections where problems are most likely to occur. Instead, AI is largely being treated as a productivity aid, not a mission-critical tool."

The EPA has shifted toward clearing regulatory pathways for data centers, chip factories and other AI infrastructure to help the U.S. become a global AI leader. Under Administrator Lee Zeldin, the agency has facilitated tech and fossil fuel interests by rushing chemical reviews, lowering hurdles for air pollution permits and streamlining approvals in the name of competitiveness. Simultaneously, the EPA has been slow to deploy AI for core environmental and public health functions, limiting use to basic office tasks. The same AI could flag dangerous chemicals earlier, identify pollution hotspots, and better target inspections, creating a growing risk as private adoption accelerates.

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