Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Now: Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency verified October 12, 2026 · source (opens in a new tab)
Photo: public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab), cropped.
Checked · How the record reads leaders · Report a change · Corrections
Of 6 statements on the record, 2 were for data centers, 1 was mixed and 3 carry no label.
Labels are applied by the record's published rules: two readings of each statement, and a third that reads its source where the two differ. Every label sits beside its statement and its source, and any label can be challenged through Report a change, with the correction logged on the corrections page.
What they said
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Lee Zeldin, EPA director, said making the United States the artificial intelligence capital of the world is the agency's top priority
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source. Label set by a tiebreak.
Where & When: September 10, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- capitalbnews.org (opens in a new tab), news outlet
Label rationale: A tiebreak: the two first readings differed, and a third reading of the statement and its source decided. The words that set it: "make the United States the artificial intelligence capital of the world".
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EPA Administrator Zeldin called New York's statewide moratorium on large new data centers an easy way to cop out
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source. Label set by a tiebreak.
Where & When: September 3, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- EHSLeaders (opens in a new tab), news outlet
Label rationale: A tiebreak: the two first readings differed, and a third reading of the statement and its source decided. The words that set it: "Zeldin called New York's statewide moratorium on large new data centers an “easy way to cop out,”".
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EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is urging state and local governments to address environmental and infrastructure concerns surrounding data centers without broadly halting development as communities consider moratoriums
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source.
Where & When: September 3, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- EHSLeaders (opens in a new tab), news outlet
Label rationale: Both readings of the statement agreed. The words that set it: "urging state and local governments to address environmental and infrastructure concerns surrounding data centers without broadly halting development".
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EPA does not plan to develop a single national environmental standard specifically for data centers
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source. Label set by a tiebreak.
Where & When: September 3, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- EHSLeaders (opens in a new tab), news outlet
Label rationale: No label: the words support none. The two first readings differed, and a third reading of the statement and its source held it.
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EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin stated plan aims to advance cooperative federalism with states; rule expected to be finalized next year
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source. Label set by a tiebreak.
Where & When: September 3, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- KCRA (opens in a new tab), local outlet
Label rationale: No label: the words support none. The two first readings differed, and a third reading of the statement and its source held it.
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Trump administration pursued policies intended to encourage data center development while addressing concerns about energy demand and infrastructure costs
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source.
Where & When: September 3, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- EHSLeaders (opens in a new tab), news outlet
Label rationale: No label: the words are not clearly the speaker's own. Both readings of the statement held it.
1 statement on file was labeled and is left out of the counts.
How they voted
No vote on a data center measure on the record.
Something missing?
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Data Center Record, "Public statements by Lee Zeldin", https://datacenterrecord.org/speakers/lee-zeldin, last verified October 19, 2026.
Reusing this page
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Last verified: October 12, 2026.