Principal Steve Jawetz (Washington, DC) recently spoke with Bloomberg Law on President Trump’s recent Executive Order (EO) No. 14318, “Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Center Infrastructure,” which directs agencies to support development of data centers, including instructing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to identify formerly contaminated sites that could be repurposed for data center development.

In “Trump’s Plan to Speed Permitting for AI Criticized Over Land Use,” Steve explained that this redevelopment push is similar to the efforts of past Administrations to repurpose contaminated sites for renewable energy, warehousing, retail, and industrial purposes. The question is whether expedited permitting, without more, will be a sufficient incentive to encourage data center development on contaminated sites.

B&D explored this EO and its opportunities for stakeholder engagement in our recent alert, “Trump Administration Issues Executive Order to Facilitate Data Center Development.”

For nearly four decades, Steve has helped clients manage and resolve complex remediation and natural resource damages matters under CERCLA and similar state laws that hold parties liable for hazardous substance releases.

Beveridge & Diamond advises on environmental, project development and construction, energy procurement and efficiency, related operational and sustainability matters, and occupational health and safety issues relevant to the data center industry. Our deep bench of attorneys across subject areas helps clients navigate the rapidly evolving regulatory and sustainability landscape, both in the U.S. and internationally. We support clients across every stage of the data center lifecycle, from site selection and permitting to operations, compliance, enforcement defense, decommissioning, and litigation. For more information on the EO, please contact the authors.