EPA Outlines New AI Strategy and Governance Framework

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EPA plans to accelerate the development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) throughout the agency’s operations, according to two documents released in October 2025.

The documents—an AI strategy and associated “compliance plan”—come in response to the Trump administration’s Executive Order 14179: Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence and a related memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

“EPA is investing in its overall architecture to deploy more robust AI tools. These investments include data fabric, cloud infrastructure, network infrastructure, and additional security, operational, financial, and post deployment monitoring tools,” the compliance plan states.

According to the AI strategy, EPA is investigating “Expanding a pilot into a coding-focused generative AI tool” for software development, “Procuring more American Generative AI tools,” and “Expanding Generative AI capabilities in its cloud vendors.”

Current AI projects include a machine learning model that predicts pollution exposure pathways, a model that assists with records scheduling, and a model to aid in facility inspections, according to the AI strategy.  In addition, in May 2025, EPA introduced an internal generative AI chat tool for employee use.

Neither document discusses whether AI may be used to speed new chemical or pesticide reviews, though EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin noted that it was a possibility earlier this year.

AI Governance and Risk Management

To comply with OMB’s memo, EPA established a political-level AI Governance Board chaired by the Deputy Administrator, which will oversee and coordinate the responsible use of AI across the agency.  The board is assisted by a subcommittee with “delegates from the many diverse offices across EPA,” the AI strategy states.

EPA says these governance structures will implement risk-mitigation controls for “high-impact” AI use cases.  Additional risk-management efforts include employee training, development of a “Generative AI Rules of Behavior” guide, and ongoing monitoring and feedback cycles for AI systems.

The agency also emphasized its commitment to transparency, pointing to its practice of making code publicly available on platforms such as Data.gov and GitHub.  According to the compliance plan, “EPA’s GitHub site is one of the more popular federal government GitHub repositories for staff development, collaboration, and code sharing.”

More on EPA’s active projects, and other AI use cases, can be found on EPA’s AI Use Case Inventory.

EPA to Fast-Track Chemical Reviews for AI and Data Center Projects

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EPA will prioritize review of premanufacture notices (PMNs) for chemicals tied to artificial intelligence (AI) and data center projects, the agency announced on September 18, 2025.

“We inherited a massive backlog of new chemical reviews from the Biden Administration which is getting in the way of projects as it pertains to data center and artificial intelligence projects,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said.  “The Trump EPA wants to get out of the way and help speed up progress on these critical developments, as opposed to gumming up the works.”

The policy implements President Trump’s Executive Order 14318, “Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Center Infrastructure,” which directs the agency to expedite permitting for qualifying projects under a variety of environmental statutes, including the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

What Projects are Eligible?

Two types of projects can qualify for expedited review:

  1. Data center projects requiring more than 100 megawatts (MW) of new load dedicated to AI inference, training, simulation, or synthetic data generation.
  2. Covered component projects, which include the materials, products, and infrastructure needed to build or operate such facilities—such as energy infrastructure, power plants, semiconductors, networking equipment, and data storage systems or software.

To be eligible, a project must also meet at least one of the following criteria:

  • A commitment of $500 million or more in capital expenditures.
  • An incremental electric load addition of more than 100 MW.
  • Direct relevance to national security.
  • Official designation as a qualifying project by a federal department.
How to Request Priority Review

According to updated EPA guidance, the new priority review process will take effect on September 29, 2025. To request it, PMN submitters must:

  • Attach a cover letter to their PMN submission via EPA’s Central Data Exchange (CDX).
  • Identify the specific data center or covered-component project the chemical will support.
  • Show that the project meets at least one of the executive order’s qualifying criteria.
  • Provide supporting documentation, such as permitting records, project announcements, or letters of support, plus details on how the chemical will be used.

EPA has posted detailed instructions for companies seeking priority review on its PMN guidance webpage.