Currently, if you want to construct a facility that will pollute the air, you have to let the surrounding communities weigh in first. That’s the law. Yesterday, 11 Moms from across the country testified virtually before EPA about the recent proposal to gut current law. It would redefine what it means to “begin actual construction” in order to let polluters break ground on major new pollution sources before communities can weigh in. This shameful proposal would put so many people’s health at risk and make it nearly impossible to stop harmful facilities, from hyperscale AI data centers to toxic chemical manufacturers to dirty fossil fuel power plants.
Of all the reckless, corrupt deregulatory actions Trump’s EPA has taken, this one feels especially heartbreaking. If finalized, this proposal would put the health of hundreds of thousands of children in my home state at risk. I live in Virginia, the global hub for data center development, where 680 data centers, primarily powered by polluting methane gas, are planned, under construction, or in operation. People here deserve a voice in Big Tech’s unrelenting development that is locking us into decades of dangerous pollution.
Tell EPA: Families Deserve a Voice Before Polluters Break Ground
Virginians aren’t the only ones under threat from this proposal, as the Moms who testified yesterday illustrated so clearly. Here are a few of our most powerful and relatable testimonies.
Patrice Tomcik, Pennsylvania
“As a mother living in a community with fracked gas wells, I have seen firsthand how industrial development can affect communities and create lasting concerns about air pollution, health, traffic, and quality of life. I am deeply concerned about the growing number of industrial projects being proposed across the region, including gas processing facilities, fossil fuel-powered data centers, and petrochemical facilities that all rely on fracked gas from wells drilled in communities like mine. Families living near these developments deserve meaningful opportunities to understand the cumulative health and environmental impacts before construction begins—not after projects are already financially and politically entrenched.”
Read Patrice’s full testimony.
Isabel González Whitaker, Tennessee
“I know firsthand that trying to get a company or facility to alter its pre-existing infrastructure is nearly impossible. I live in Memphis, less than 10 miles from the ever-expanding xAI data centers that were constructed without community input and are being sued for illegally operating dozens of large-scale poison-spewing gas turbines. The air quality in Memphis gets an F grade from the American Lung Association every year due to freight traffic, industrial pollution, tons of railyards, and fossil fuel plants. Now add to this the unpermitted gas turbines at xAI, which are operating despite community protest. It’s a nightmare scenario for families like mine whose children have respiratory issues and for sure shouldn’t be breathing NOx, formaldehyde, and other toxic chemicals that are coming from these power sources.”
Jayne Black, Wisconsin
“In light of several community battles over data centers that would have caused significant pollution from dirty fossil fuels coming to the town and village near my home, I know that if this protection were taken away it would amplify this threat greatly, making it far too easy for companies to pollute the air we breathe. The current permitting process gives communities an opportunity to consider the expected increase in local air pollution and, most importantly, look at ways to control or offset excess emissions and consider alternatives.
“As a mom with two children whose health is impacted by dirty air, a son with asthma and a daughter with multiple sclerosis, this protection is one of the very few I have for them because it is intended to protect human health and account for cumulative pollution burdens.”
Laurie Anderson, Colorado
“Allowing companies to excavate land, build foundations, and install site infrastructure before they have even applied for air pollution permits sends a clear message that community input does not matter…
“Globeville-Elyria-Swansea, known as GES—the most polluted zip code in Colorado—continues to bear a high burden of pollution from the Suncor Refinery, the most polluting refinery in the nation. It is unfathomable to think that additional industrial development could be greenlit without pre-construction air pollution review, further harming families who are already facing medical impacts and financial costs from pollution. And GES is not the only community at risk. Colorado is seeing increasing development proposals from oil and gas operations, data centers, and the need for more new power generation facilities to meet the growing energy demand of these operations. Weakening pre‑construction protections now would expose many more communities to long‑term harm.”
Tell EPA: Families Deserve a Voice Before Polluters Break Ground