EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on Monday issued a proposal that would clarify permitting requirements to make it far easier to begin construction and facilitate reshoring of manufacturing, Breitbart News has learned exclusively.
“Today’s proposal works to provide solutions to issues that have held up critical American infrastructure and advance the next great technological forefront,” Zeldin said in written statement. “Through commonsense permitting reform, the Trump EPA is fixing the broken system of government interference, while continuing to uphold our core mission to protect human health and the environment.”
Zeldin issued a proposal that would clarify preconstruction permits and allow for more flexibility for building non-emitting components or structures, such as cement pads, wiring, piping, and associated support structures.
The EPA believes that, for years, the agency’s definition of “Begin Actual Construction,” has imposed onerous constraints on economic development by slowing down various aspects of construction projects that do not impact human health and the environment. If the proposal is finalized as presented, Americans would be able to start building non-emitting components or structures for essential power generation, data centers, and manufacturing prior to obtaining a major New Source Review (NSR).
The EPA’s proposal would bolster the development of AI infrastructure and power generation and serve as a major step forward in the Trump administration’s mission to provide affordable baseload power for Americans and advance the construction of data centers to ensure that America continues to lead in technological innovation.
The Clean Air Act’s (CAA) NSR program is a preconstruction permitting program that requires stationary sources to obtain permits before beginning construction. The NSR permitting program applies to new construction and to modifications of existing sources. There has often been ambiguity about what types of construction are permissible before obtaining an NSR permit.
President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14179, “Removing Barriers to American Leadership in AI,” calls for American to lead in technological innovation through the creation of the 2025 “America’s AI Action Plan.”
Last year, the EPA launched a website that would serve as a resource to learn more about CAA regulations, guidance, and technological tools to assist with modeling, air quality permitting, and regulatory interpretations pertaining to data centers and AI facilities.
The onerous permitting system is reported to costs businesses billions of dollars every year.
The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the Foundation for American Innovation (FAI) found in March that the country’s “broken” permitting system costs manufacturers $7.9 billion every year. Manufacturers most commonly cited Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act permits as the most burdensome approval processes.
NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons said in a statement at the time:
Manufacturers are investing across America, but permitting roadblocks are holding projects back. It takes the U.S. up to 80% longer than our peer nations to move projects forward. Manufacturers want ribbon cuttings, not red tape—that means modernizing our laws to streamline regulations and eliminate duplicative reviews and a regulatory regime to support timely permitting and give manufacturers the certainty to invest, build and create jobs.
In February 2025, early into the second Trump administration, Zeldin told Breitbart News Washington bureau chief Matthew Boyle that the administration would work to unleash energy dominance and reshore manufacturing by, among other things, streamlining permitting.
“President Trump has pledged to do everything in his power to unleash American prosperity throughout this country and we have an important role to play to make sure the EPA is accomplishing its mission in a manner that doesn’t lose sight of the strong desire by the American public to unleash American prosperity. In order to do so, we need to become energy-dominant,” he told Boyle. “We need to bring back American auto jobs. We have to make the United States the AI capital of the world. We need to pursue permitting reform that can allow more investment into the American economy. The EPA has to do its part here. Our mission here at the EPA is to protect human health and the environment. That mission absolutely can be accomplished while tapping into American innovation, creating jobs, and being accountable to the public and to Congress. We want to hit the ground running.”
“Building an energy-independent future capable of powering the next generation of artificial intelligence requires a strategy that is expansive, innovative, forward-looking, and grounded in abundant energy. Under President Donald J. Trump, this administration is accelerating that vision by investing in reliable, affordable energy and streamlining permitting processes to ensure we meet the speed of AI-driven demand, while securing a future that every American can afford to be a part of,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told Breitbart News last week.