{"id":960646,"date":"2026-07-26T15:51:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T15:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/960646\/"},"modified":"2026-07-26T15:51:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T15:51:15","slug":"environmental-groups-contest-san-antonio-data-centers-air-pollution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/960646\/","title":{"rendered":"Environmental Groups contest San Antonio data centers\u2019 air pollution"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Residents attend a public hearing earlier this year about one of Vantage\u2019s San Antonio data centers. Credit: Stephanie Koithan<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News<\/a>, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Two data centers in San Antonio face a looming legal challenge from environmental groups over their air pollution.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The nonprofits Environmental Integrity Project, Sierra Club and Public Citizen sent a notice that it intends to sue<\/a> within 60 days to Vantage Data Centers and VoltaGrid LLC on Wednesday, claiming they are circumventing federal enforcement.<\/p>\n

The letter alleged the companies built diesel generators and natural gas power plants without the proper permits. The groups said the data centers improperly registered as \u201cminor\u201d air polluters under the Clean Air Act, requiring less scrutiny than if they had applied for \u201cmajor source\u201d permits. The Environmental Integrity Project concluded<\/a> in early July multiple data centers across the country have followed the same strategy.<\/p>\n

Mary Greene, the group\u2019s enforcement director, said the two Texas data centers are circumventing the Clean Air Act and threatening San Antonio residents\u2019 health.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no way that anyone could characterize this as a small project. These are massive projects,\u201d said Greene, noting that they operate in residential areas. \u201cThey should have sought a permit that required pollution controls, that required other limits like hours of operation and monitoring and reporting to demonstrate compliance with those requirements.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Before building a major source of new air pollution, companies typically have to obtain a major air permit, a process that includes public meetings, regulatory review and emission monitoring. But the data centers \u2014 on Omicron Drive and Rogers Road \u2014 obtained minor air permits, which are more typically used for stores like dry cleaners and small facilities. Those do not include enforcement mechanisms or an opportunity for the public to weigh in.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The data centers could collectively generate enough energy to power Richmond, Virginia, according to the letter.<\/p>\n

Mark Freeman, a spokesman for Vantage Data Centers, acknowledged the notice and said the company aims to be a \u201cresponsible neighbor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe take our environmental responsibilities seriously and are committed to operating in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations,\u201d Freeman wrote in an email. \u201cWhile we do not comment on pending legal matters, we have worked closely with the appropriate regulatory agencies throughout the development of these projects and will review the allegations set forth in the notice.\u201d<\/p>\n

VoltaGrid did not respond to multiple requests for comment.<\/p>\n

Wayne D\u2019Angelo, co-chair of the law firm Kelley Drye & Warren\u2019s environmental law practice, said most data centers with power generation likely require major air permits.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they have a turbine, they\u2019re making their own power,\u201d said D\u2019Angelo, who is not involved in the planned lawsuit. \u201cAnd my understanding is that a lot of those would probably trigger as major.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 60-day notice of intent to sue<\/a> is a prerequisite for filing a lawsuit under the Clean Air Act. In the notice, the groups accuse the data centers of taking a \u201cpiecemeal approach to Clean Air Act permitting to fast-track these projects.\u201d The data centers applied for permits for the power generation and data centers separately, even though they are located on the same site.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they\u2019re treating these individual units separately so that they don\u2019t trigger that major-source threshold, I think the short answer is they can\u2019t,\u201d D\u2019Angelo said. \u201cI mean, there\u2019ll be multiple generators at a facility, and those are all going to be part of the same project.\u201d<\/p>\n

David Spence, chair in natural resources law at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, said data centers with gas-powered turbines almost certainly meet the threshold for requiring major air permits.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnless it\u2019s operating at a very low capacity factor, it\u2019s probably going to be a major source,\u201d said Spence, who is also not involved in the planned lawsuit. \u201cI don\u2019t know how you could piecemeal that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The environmental groups\u2019 legal challenge comes a week after Floodlight, a nonprofit climate-focused newsroom, reported<\/a> that Texas regulators have granted minor air pollution permits to dozens of data centers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality told Floodlight: \u201cTCEQ only issues air permits that comply with applicable state and federal air permitting rules and regulations including applicable public participation requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n

TCEQ did not respond to Inside Climate News\u2019 requests for comment.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency did not comment beyond noting that it is not a party in the planned lawsuit. The Trump administration wants to accelerate data centers\u2019 permitting processes, including through an executive order<\/a> last summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Greene, with the Environmental Integrity Project, said the minor air permits are merely \u201cpermits on paper\u201d because they lack enforceability.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe permit requires no pollution controls,\u201d Greene said. \u201cThey require no limits on the hours of operation. They do not require monitoring. They do not require reporting, and they provided no notice or opportunity to the public to be heard on their thoughts about these centers coming into their neighborhood and polluting the air that they breathe.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the environmental groups\u2019 letter, the data centers have the potential to release high amounts of lung-damaging nitrogen dioxide, the climate pollutant carbon dioxide and cancer-causing formaldehyde. The Clean Air Act considers emission potential when deciding permitting and enforcement measures.<\/p>\n

For Millie White, who lives in a San Antonio suburb and is opposed to data centers, the risk of air pollution is concerning.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re living in a big hazy mess that we just can\u2019t see because it\u2019s all invisible to our eyes, but I\u2019m sure if we were to see everything that this was emitting, we would be appalled and want to shut it down immediately,\u201d White said.<\/p>\n

Spence, the University of Texas at Austin professor, said air pollution rules were designed to keep pollutants at safe levels \u2014 \u201csafe enough to protect the public health.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCircumventing Clean Air Act rules, of course, poses the risk that that goal won\u2019t be achieved, so I can understand why locals would be worried,\u201d Spence said.<\/p>\n

John Carroll III, an environmental compliance specialist whose clients include energy and fossil fuel companies, said as data centers have grown, the conversation surrounding their regulation has changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are getting so large, environmental groups are looking at them differently than they were five years ago,\u201d Carroll said. \u201cThis is definitely going to become a larger, broader national argument over the next few years.\u201d<\/p>\n

This story was updated July 22, 2026, with a comment from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.<\/p>\n

Sign Up for SA Current newsletters.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Follow us:\u00a0Apple News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>| Twitter<\/a>\u00a0| Or sign up for our\u00a0RSS Feed<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Related Stories<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Texas\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s not the first time Texas Railroad Commissioner candidate Bo French has made wild xenophobic claims. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Gina\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tThe Democratic candidate\u2019s call to action comes as Texans living near data centers report negative health effects, including heart problems and even seizures. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Trump\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tThere are plans for more than 70 gas-fired power plants across the U.S. to privately serve data centers. More than 30 would be in Texas. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t