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Re: by ksenzee on Wednesday June 11, 2025 @01:15PM (#44249689)
They’re restarting coal-fired power plants to run AI datacenters. I don’t know what your personal threshold is for “massive” environmental harm, but that meets mine.
Re: by baggy_trough on Wednesday June 11, 2025 @01:23PM (#44249787)
What's a specific example of that?
Re: by svnt on Wednesday June 11, 2025 @01:48PM (#44250033)
It has been widely reported. Here is an example not of a coal-fired but diesel and gas mobile power sources. If you spend time looking you will have no trouble finding sources.

> Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a rule clarification allowing the use of some mobile gas and diesel power sources for data centers. In a statement accompanying the rule, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin claimed that the Biden administration's focus on addressing climate change had hampered AI development.

> "The Trump administration is taking action to rectify the previous administration's actions to weaken the reliability of the electricity grid and our ability to maintain our leadership on artificial intelligence," Zeldin said. "This is the first, and certainly not the last step, and I look forward to continue working with artificial intelligence and data center companies and utilities to resolve any outstanding challenges and make the U.S. the AI capital of the world."

https://www.newsweek.com/ai-race-fossil-powered-generators-a...

Re: by baggy_trough on Wednesday June 11, 2025 @01:50PM (#44250056)
I spent some time and could not find a specific example. You haven't shown one here, either.
Re: by coryrc on Wednesday June 11, 2025 @02:59PM (#44250673)
trump stooge activities cannot be blamed on data centers. The relevant technical authorities did not want this.
Re: by svnt on Wednesday June 11, 2025 @03:09PM (#44250765)
What are you talking about? This is literally the only mechanism to allow coal-fired plants to avoid sunsetting on schedule.

Who are the “relevant technical authorities”?

Re: by coryrc on Wednesday June 11, 2025 @04:34PM (#44251511)
"DOE issued the emergency order without a request from the plant owner, transmission provider or grid operator"
Re: by svnt on Wednesday June 11, 2025 @07:07PM (#44252765)
Without getting in to the fact that none of those people operate datacenters, what does that mean to you? You think Trump and Co are doing this as a purely political move to irritate environmentalists?
Re: by yencabulator on Wednesday June 11, 2025 @06:14PM (#44252413)
Oh yes environmentalism is clearly why the data center owners themselves are running generators 24/7.
Re: by coryrc on Thursday June 12, 2025 @01:36PM (#44260418)
"All of the electricity consumed by Amazon’s operations, including its data centers, was matched with 100% renewable energy in 2023."

https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/sustainability/amazon-renew...

Re: by yencabulator on Thursday June 12, 2025 @01:47PM (#44260557)
AWS is perhaps the most established vendor in this space. They if any should have their architecture sorted out and have great execution on their growth.

Meanwhile,

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/06/elon-musk-xai-memph...

https://www.newsweek.com/ai-race-fossil-powered-generators-a...

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intell...

Re: by baggy_trough on Wednesday June 11, 2025 @02:12PM (#44250251)
Sorry, but they simply are not.
Re: by jimstr on Wednesday June 11, 2025 @03:09PM (#44250764)
Re: by svnt on Wednesday June 11, 2025 @03:10PM (#44250768)
FTA:

> In another move, DOE on Tuesday said it was offering loan guarantees for coal-fired power plant projects, such as upgrading energy infrastructure to restart operations or operate more efficiently or at a higher output.

Please elaborate.