Senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) spearheaded two recent letters to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin and the heads of nine data center companies demanding answers on a proposed elimination of the mandatory 30-day public notice period for the construction of data centers.
The Context
In late August, the New York Times reported that the Trump Administration was planning to eliminate the public notice period, where communities provide input on proposed federal projects, for the construction of data centers.
Their construction has been controversial over the past year, alongside concerns that artificial intelligence could threaten humanity.
The Letters
As a result, Sens. Gallego and Kelly, along with several other Senators, wrote to Zeldin, writing, "We agree that permitting should be efficient, predictable, and capable of supporting the infrastructure our country needs. But faster permitting should not come at the expense of transparency or communities' ability to shape the decisions that affect them."
Similarly, in a letter to the heads of xAI (Grok), OpenAI (ChatGPT), Anthropic (Claude), Microsoft, Meta (Facebook, Instagram), Google, Fermi, Joule, and AWS, Sens. Gallego and Kelly wrote, "Data center companies like yours also have a responsibility not to use weaker requirements to limit public participation or communities' ability to meaningfully shape decisions that affect them."
"America can build the infrastructure needed to compete and innovate while keeping communities informed and involved in the decisions that affect them," the Senators concluded.
Previous AI Concerns
Both Arizona Senators have been vocal about their concerns surrounding artificial intelligence, with Gallego recently calling for the formation of a Senate Select Committee on the technology, saying, "The rapid development and deployment of Artificial Intelligence is akin to Dr. Frankenstein saying, 'The monster is loose. Help me stop the monster.'"
Kelly, meanwhile, has introduced legislation ensuring AI's integration into American life and infrastructure is both safe and beneficial.
In June, he introduced the twin Ultimate Human Responsibility in Defense Systems Act and the Warfighter AI Readiness and Preparedness (WARP) Act, which address integrating AI into the military; in July, he introduced the Senior Chatbot Protection Act.
Most recently, Kelly introduced the Make AI Work for Americans Act, which creates a new National Service for America's Future program that helps workers earn credentials, certifications, or apprenticeships and expands existing workforce development, education, research, economic development, and labor market programs.
