2 days ago
GOP says Clean Air Act must change to keep pace with AI
House Republicans are again pushing legislation to rewrite the Clean Air Act, but with a fresh argument: that a battery of changes are needed to keep up with the explosive demand for data centers and the power plants to run them.
Overly restrictive air regulations 'could jeopardize America's ability to be able to compete in the global artificial intelligence race,' Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) said at the outset of a Wednesday hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Environment Subcommittee that he chairs.
On the table were two draft bills that together would profoundly reshape a critical EPA regulatory task: setting National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for soot, smog and four other pollutants.
Advertisement
Reviews of those standards take years and incorporate sheaves of scientific research. For decades, that framework has helped drive progress towards dramatically cleaner air and huge public health gains. On Wednesday, subcommittee Democrats repeatedly labeled the draft legislation a boon to polluting industries.
