Tell the EPA: no building data centers before proving the air is safe

Why this Matters

The salt air coming off the Pacific at Waldport is one of the reasons people love living here. The Clean Air Act has protected air like it for nearly 50 years, in part by requiring data centers, power plants, and other large polluters to prove a new facility will not foul the air before they break ground.

The Natural Resources Defense Council reports that the EPA has proposed a rule that would let these facilities finish major parts of construction before getting the air-pollution permits the Clean Air Act requires. By the time anyone measures the health damage, hundreds of millions of dollars are sunk into the project and there is no turning back. With data centers expanding fast across Oregon, this is not a far-off problem.

The EPA has to read and respond to every public comment before it can finalize the rule, so a short comment is a real lever. ECC is amplifying NRDC's action. The comment window closes June 29, 2026.

Steps to Take

Step 1

Submit a public comment opposing the rule through the NRDC comment form before June 29, 2026. You can send the prewritten letter to EPA Administrator Zeldin as-is or edit it first.

Step 2

Put it in your own words if you can. The EPA weighs comments that speak from personal experience more heavily than identical form letters, so a line about wanting clean air for your kids on the Oregon Coast helps.

Step 3

Forward the action to a neighbor. Every comment is counted, and the agency must respond to all of them before it can finalize the rule.

Sample Text

Option 1

I am writing to oppose the EPA's proposed rule redefining 'begin actual construction' under the Clean Air Act's New Source Review program. For nearly 50 years, large polluters have had to get air-pollution permits before breaking ground. Letting data centers and power plants finish most of their construction first would gut the public's chance to weigh in on the health and air-quality costs, and pile pressure on regulators to approve a half-built project no matter the harm. Communities deserve a say before the concrete is poured, not after. Please withdraw this proposal and keep the preconstruction permitting protections that have safeguarded our air for half a century.

Copy to Clipboard

Option 2

Please withdraw the EPA's proposal to let data centers and other major polluters build before getting Clean Air Act permits. Communities deserve a say before construction, not after. Keep the preconstruction permitting protections that have protected our air for 50 years.

Copy to Clipboard

Type: Submit Public Comment
Organizations: Natural Resources Defense Council