E.O. 14318: Data Center Permitting

Summary

Makes it faster and easier to get federal permission to build large data centers and the power lines they need for artificial intelligence.

What problem does this solve?

Building large data centers for AI is slow because of many federal rules. This order speeds up the process by cutting down on these rules and making federal land available for building.

Who does this affect?

Technology companies building AI and data centers
Energy and utility companies
Construction industry

What does this order do?

Speeds up environmental reviews

Directs agencies to use and create "categorical exclusions" to bypass lengthy environmental studies for qualifying data center projects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Makes federal land available for data centers

Orders the Departments of the Interior, Energy, and Defense to find and offer federal lands, including on military bases, for building data centers and related infrastructure.

Provides financial support for projects

Creates a program to give financial help like loans, grants, and tax breaks to "Qualifying Projects," which are large-scale data center and infrastructure projects.

Uses a special process for fast permits

Allows large data center projects to be designated as "transparency projects" or "covered projects" under the FAST-41 law, which speeds up the federal permitting process.

Identifies polluted land for reuse

Requires the Environmental Protection Agency to quickly find and prepare "Brownfield" and "Superfund" sites (polluted areas) so they can be used for building new data centers.

Defines what projects get help

Establishes criteria for a "Qualifying Project," such as facilities needing over 100 MW of power, having over $500 million in costs, or being important for national security.

Revokes a previous executive order

Cancels Executive Order 14141, which was also about U.S. leadership in AI infrastructure, replacing it with this new policy.

What is the real world impact?

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Prioritizes tech growth over environmental rules

Speeds up environmental reviews and permitting, which could lead to building large, energy-hungry data centers without fully checking their impact on the environment and local communities.

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Boosts the US tech industry against global competitors

Makes it faster to build AI infrastructure, aiming to keep the U.S. as the world leader in critical technologies. This is seen as vital for the economy and national security.

When does this start?

This order takes effect immediately on July 23, 2025, and sets several deadlines for federal agencies.

Identify existing environmental shortcuts

Within 10 days (by August 2, 2025), federal agencies must report any existing environmental review exemptions that could be used for data center projects.

Designate projects for faster review

Within 30 days of being notified, the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council can add a qualifying data center project to a public dashboard for faster review.

Create guidance for reusing polluted sites

Within 180 days (by January 19, 2026), the EPA must develop guidance to speed up environmental reviews for building data centers on former industrial or polluted sites.

Review water permits

Within 180 days (by January 19, 2026), the Secretary of the Army must review nationwide water permits to see if a new, specific permit is needed to help build data centers faster.