Donald Trump's AI Order Could Cost Iowans & Georgians Big Time - CleanTechnica

The article discusses a recent executive order issued by former President Donald Trump aimed at limiting state-level regulations on artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, particularly data centers. The order seeks to override state protections designed to ensure transparency, privacy, and environmental safeguards related to the significant power, water, and pollution impacts of AI data centers. The Sierra Club criticizes the order for potentially shifting the financial burden of increased energy and infrastructure demands from AI companies onto everyday Americans, while also allowing increased pollution and environmental degradation. Specifically, the executive order threatens to dismantle state standards that protect against water pollution, water depletion, and toxic fossil fuel emissions from data centers. This rollback could expose communities to higher levels of pollutants and increased costs. The Sierra Club highlights the risks for residents in states like Iowa and Georgia, where data centers operated by major tech companies such as Google and Microsoft could impose significant costs and environmental harms on local populations. The organization condemns the order as federal overreach that undermines state rights and protections without