Trump’s Permitting Boss Aims to Deliver on AI Data Center Plans by Stephen Lee
The White House’s new permitting director wants to vastly expand her office’s work in getting projects built—including, for the first time, data centers and artificial intelligence facilities. That would be a boon to President Donald Trump, whose economic policy advocates for the construction of projects like OpenAI Inc.‘s $500 billion Stargate AI venture, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.‘s $100 billion investment in new chip factories, and as many new hardrock minesas possible. Many of those projects will have to secure federal permits under the National Environmental Policy Act before they can break ground, a daunting prospect that can take years. Enter the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council, which shepherds complex projects through the process by harmonizing different agencies’ environmental reviews, anticipating hurdles before they create delays, and holding agencies accountable to deadlines. On average, the 25-person council says it’s able to shave 18 months off a project’s review time. Trump’s Permitting Boss Aims to Deliver on AI Data Center Plans