Air pollution from power plants and generators built to serve AI data centers could add at least $20 billion a year in US health care costs by 2028, according to a report from the Environmental Protection Network, a nonprofit staffed by former Environmental Protection Agency officials.
The group examined emissions from gas-fired plants, gas turbines and diesel generators needed to meet the electricity demand of data centers, and listed 30 federal actions it says will increase pollution-related health risks.
Powering the AI boom
More than 1,300 data centers already operate in the United States, and more than 2,000 additional facilities are planned. Utilities have delayed coal retirements and proposed new gas plants to keep up with load growth that the industry had not forecast a few years ago.
Public debate has focused on electricity prices, water use, noise and jobs. The report argues that local air pollution has received far less attention, even though the facilities producing the power are often located near communities.
Costs counted in asthma and deaths
The report builds on academic modelling that projects data center-related pollution could contribute to roughly 600,000 asthma symptom cases, 1,300 premature deaths and more than $20 billion in annual public health costs by 2028.
The authors say the true toll could be higher, because the estimates do not account for recent regulatory rollbacks. Those include policies that make it easier to run certain diesel generators and restart long-idled fossil fuel plants, plus a proposed rule that could allow construction to begin before air pollution permits are approved.
Researchers note that technology companies typically report energy use and greenhouse gas emissions but say much less about local air pollution, which is harder to compare across sites.
Enforcement questions
The former officials also warn that reduced agency staffing and enforcement capacity could make emissions harder to monitor as the industry expands. Permits, monitoring and reporting all depend on people to check them.
Industry groups dispute the framing, saying gas generation is cleaner than the coal it replaces and that new plants must meet existing standards. Public health researchers counter that the comparison should be against a baseline of no added emissions, not against the dirtiest alternative.