U.S. EPA’s Administrator Zeldin Prioritizes A Clean, American-Made AI Future

This week, U.S. EPA’s new Administrator, Lee Zeldin, pronounced AI investment and development as one of the agency’s “five pillars” of priority. This is consistent with President Trump’s January 23, 2025, Executive Order titled Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence which, among other things, named AI innovation as a policy priority and directed several departments, agencies and advisors to develop an “Artificial Intelligence Action Plan” within the next 180 days.

AI and U.S. EPA’s Five Pillars

Administrator Zeldin’s “Powering the Great American Comeback” initiative establishes five pillars that will guide EPA’s work in the coming months and years. These pillars are:

• Pillar 1: Clean Air, Land, and Water for Every American 
• Pillar 2: Restore American Energy Dominance 
• Pillar 3: Permitting Reform, Cooperative Federalism, and Cross-Agency Partnership 
• Pillar 4: Make the United States the Artificial Intelligence Capital of the World 
• Pillar 5: Protecting and Bringing Back American Auto Jobs 

It is not surprising to see AI as an EPA priority. There are myriad uses for AI systems in the science and data driven environmental field, including delivering more cost-effective site cleanup strategies. AI was also a focus for EPA under the prior administration given the potential environmental and energy impacts of AI systems and the potential governance and security concerns.

EPA’s new leadership, however, has signaled a shift in how the agency may view the role of environmental regulation and enforcement on the AI field. The new priority appears to focus on using environmental regulation to support AI investment and development, which is both land and energy intensive. 

Administrator Zeldin stated in his announcement:

“As we rapidly advance into this new age of AI, it is important that the United States lead the world in this field. Those looking to invest in and develop AI should be able to do so in the U.S., while we work to ensure data centers and related facilities can be powered and operated in a clean manner with American-made energy.“

It warrants watching how EPA’s focus on AI investment and development will play out within the coming months and years.

Artificial Intelligence Action Plan

Yesterday’s Federal Register includes a request from the National Science Foundation for comments on developing the new administration’s “Artificial Intelligence Action Plan.” The notice seeks concrete input on what “the highest priority policy actions” should be under the Plan and includes a long list of potential AI policy topics, including data centers, energy consumption and efficiency, regulations and governance, and technical and safety standards.

Comments are due on or before March 15, 2025 and can be submitted electronically to ostp-ai-rfi@nitrd.gov or by mail to:

AI Action Plan, Attn: Faisal D’Souza, NCO, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22314