Dozens of natural-gas power plants are being approved in weeks for U.S. data centers with little public notice or environmental review, raising air-quality concerns among residents.

What happened: At least 57 off-grid power plants proposed or under construction are set to serve individual data centers across the United States, with a combined capacity of 73,000 megawatts. More than a dozen won approval in under a year with little or no community notice. Ohio recently passed a law allowing certain plants to win approval in as little as 45 days without public hearings, exemplified by Meta's Apollo Generating Station, which was approved by the Ohio Power Siting Board on Feb. 3 — less than three months after plans were submitted.

Why it matters: These plants, mostly fueled by natural gas, emit nitrogen oxides and fine-particulate pollution linked to respiratory illness, along with climate-damaging greenhouse gases. The approval process has been accelerated through reduced transparency—some developers use shell companies or non-disclosure agreements, and Ohio lawmakers recently passed provisions shielding big data-center projects from public records laws. Residents living near these facilities, like daycare owner Breanne Kidd across the street from Meta's Bowling Green data center, are left with little warning about projects affecting their air quality.

What to watch: Data provided by research firm Cleanview shows the 57 plants would generate enough power for tens of millions of homes. Two such plants are already operating, including SpaceX's xAI facility outside Memphis and another in Ashburn, Virginia serving Vantage Data Centers. State and federal officials, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Trump administration, have proposed or adopted policies to speed approval, citing competitive advantage against China.