Maha condemns use of coal for ai-powered data centers

Prominent members of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement have issued a joint letter to President Donald Trump, urging him to halt the use of coal to power data centers, which they argue should not be used as a justification for increased coal consumption. The letter highlights the growing concern within the movement about the environmental impact of data centers and their reliance on fossil fuels. It also criticizes the Trump administration's support for coal as a means to meet the energy demands of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. The letter, which is also copied to key administration officials including Senator John Kennedy, Environmental Protection Agency head Lee Zeldin, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, signals an intensifying focus by MAHA on the energy sources powering data centers. The Trump administration has been actively promoting coal-fired power, often citing AI demand as a key rationale for its policies. Honeycutt, a representative of Moms Across America, noted that the rise of data centers has become a new area of interest for the MAHA movement, although she emphasized that she does not speak for the entire group. In response, White House deputy press secretary Taylor Rogers defended the administration's record, stating that greenhouse gas emissions reached their lowest level in nearly three decades during Trump's first term, underscoring the administration's claim that economic growth and environmental protection can coexist. The letter arrives amid a broader backlash against data centers, with politicians from both major parties proposing new regulations on the industry. The letter concludes by asserting that the United States can lead in AI, energy, and security without exposing children to harmful environmental contaminants such as mercury, soot, heavy metals, and water pollution.