Novva and Thunderhead Seek EPA Environmental Rule Exemptions

Data center developers Novva and Thunderhead Energy Solutions applied for presidential exemptions from Clean Air Act pollution rules through a process established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the administration of Donald Trump. Both companies claimed the reprieves were essential for national security and maintaining AI supremacy in the United States.

Novva sought a two-year exemption to operate 96 diesel generators at its campus in Salt Lake City to power an undisclosed hyperscale customer while a natural gas plant is completed. Thunderhead Energy Solutions requested exemptions for 11 data centers across Illinois, Montana, and Texas, which included a proposal for a 5,000-megawatt gas-fired plant in West Texas.

Novva CEO Wes Swenson confirmed the company was not granted the exemption. While the EPA and White House did not disclose the specific decision-makers for these requests, an analysis by the Environmental Defense Fund found that approximately one-third of more than 500 such applications were approved.