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Air Permitting Is Moving Closer to the Front of Project Planning As data center development expands, onsite power generation is becoming a larger part of the air permitting conversation. Projects that include combustion turbines, diesel generators, or other emissions-producing equipment need to evaluate air permitting earlier in the planning process. Recent public concern around aRead more

EPA recently finalized revisions to narrow technical portions of the 2024 oil and natural gas methane rule, commonly referred to as OOOOb and OOOOc. The revisions focus on temporary flaring and net heating value monitoring for certain flares and enclosed combustion devices. EPA also issued guidance clarifying limited circumstances where associated gas flaring may continueRead more

EPA recently issued two actions aimed at reducing air permitting delays: new Title V guidance and a proposed change to how “begin actual construction” is interpreted under New Source Review. These actions may help permitting authorities and project teams move faster, especially for data centers, power generation, manufacturing, and industrial expansions. However, faster review doesRead more

What the AI infrastructure surge signals for power, permitting, and emissions The next wave of data center development is not just a technology story. It is increasingly a power infrastructure story. For developers and operators, that changes the conversation in a meaningful way. Reliable generation is only part of the equation. As projects scale, teamsRead more

CERAWeek 2026 brought together 11,000 participants from more than 2,350 companies across 90 countries under the theme “Convergence and Competition: Energy, Technology and Geopolitics.” The size of the event was impressive, but the real takeaway was the direction of the conversation. This year’s discussions reflected an energy market being shaped all at once by AI-drivenRead more

Biofuel Growth Raises the Stakes for Emissions Compliance and Operational Efficiency EPA’s newly finalized Renewable Fuel Standard “Set 2” rule sends a clear signal to the biofuels market: domestic renewable fuels are expected to play an even larger role in the U.S. fuel mix over the next two years. Finalized on March 27, 2026, theRead more

Emerging Legislation at Federal, State, and Local Levels Create New Challenges and Risks for Data Center Air Permitting Emerging legislative trends affecting data centers across federal, state, and local levels in the U.S. are complicating the permitting of new projects and compliance for existing centers. As of November 2025, the United States leads the globalRead more

Illinois raises the permitting bar, while Virginia debates when “backup” can run Data centers rely on backup generators for resiliency, but the scale of new development is pushing states to look harder at the air and noise impacts of those engines. Illinois and Virginia are now moving in the same direction under a shared theme:Read more

What the xAI Decision Signals for Future Data Center Development On January 16, 2026, CNBC reported that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has updated its interpretation of Clean Air Act requirements in a move that directly affects how data centers can power rapid expansion projects. The update follows scrutiny of how xAI, the artificial intelligenceRead more

EPA Clean Air Act Data Center Resource Hub: Permitting & Compliance Takeaways On December 11, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched a new online resource: Clean Air Act Resources for Data Centers. The goal is to make it easier for data center developers and permitting authorities to navigate Clean Air Act requirements asRead more