A new online resource is intended to make it easier for data center developers, local communities, and Tribal governments to understand how the Clean Air Act can apply to data centers and AI-related facilities.

The Office of Air and Radiation has launched a webpage called Clean Air Act Resources for Data Centers, positioned as a central hub for guidance, technical tools, and regulatory information tied specifically to air permitting and compliance. The basic idea is straightforward: data centers are expanding fast, and many projects rely on onsite or backup power sources like stationary engines and combustion turbines. Those power systems can trigger air permitting requirements, and the new page is meant to help people navigate them.

Supporters of the move argue that clearer guidance can reduce confusion and speed up permitting decisions. They say a single, organized library of past guidance, permitting interpretations, and modeling tools could help developers plan better and help regulators and communities evaluate projects with the same information in front of them.

At the same time, the launch is framed around a broader push to streamline permitting for data centers and lower costs. That approach is likely to be welcomed by companies racing to build computing infrastructure, but it can raise questions for residents and environmental advocates who worry that faster permitting could mean less scrutiny, especially in places already dealing with air quality challenges.

The webpage is organized into three main sections:

1. Regulator resources, focused on rules tied to common data center power equipment such as stationary engines and combustion turbines, including standards that limit certain emissions and hazardous air pollutants.
   
   
2. Air permitting resources, which compile guidance documents, agency letters responding to permitting questions, and interpretations meant to show how permitting rules have been applied.
   
   
3. Modeling guidance documents, which point users to recommended air quality models and methods used to demonstrate compliance with Clean Air Act standards, including tools often used in Prevention of Significant Deterioration permitting.

Officials also say staff will be available to consult with permitting authorities and individual facilities on a case by case basis, and that the webpage will be updated as regulations and guidance evolve.

For developers, the practical value is predictability: knowing which rules and modeling expectations might apply before a project is too far along. For communities and Tribes, the value is transparency: having a clearer view of what standards apply and what information a facility may need to provide during permitting.

What critics are likely to watch:

Critics of efforts described as “streamlining” often argue that the biggest risk is not the creation of a resource page itself, but how it gets used. They may worry that guidance designed to speed up permitting could, in practice, pressure regulators to move faster than community review processes can keep up. In areas already facing poor air quality or heavy industrial activity, opponents may also question whether expanding data centers that rely on combustion-based backup generation adds emissions in places that can least afford it.

Others may point to the political framing around cutting “burdensome” rules and argue that it signals a priority shift toward rapid buildout, potentially at the expense of rigorous oversight. From that perspective, the key question is whether the new tools lead to clearer compliance and stronger permits, or simply faster approvals.