Fast-Tracking the Future: How the U.S. Plans to Power the AI Era—and What It Means for Us All
By Dr. Vivian Atud
Senior Policy Expert | Founder, American Transformation Forum
👩🏽🏫 A Mother, A Policy Analyst, A Believer in Thoughtful Progress
As a mother, mentor, and policy researcher of over 20 years, I have always believed that true transformation lies at the intersection of vision and responsibility. When I first read the July 2025 Executive Order titled “Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Center Infrastructure,” I paused.
Yes, it’s bold. Yes, it’s timely. And yes—it’s potentially transformational.
But is it balanced?
This Order is about more than data centers and environmental reviews. It’s about how America builds the digital engine for Artificial Intelligence, and who gets to benefit—or bear the burden.
🧠 Context: Why This Executive Order Now?
AI is no longer theoretical. It’s driving real-time language translation, autonomous vehicles, medical diagnostics, missile systems, and global trade decisions. But here’s the challenge: AI runs on massive compute power.
The infrastructure behind today’s AI models like GPT-5 and Gemini Ultra requires huge data centers, powered by hundreds of megawatts of electricity—often more than small cities consume.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global data center energy use is expected to more than double by 2026, with the U.S. leading this surge. In fact, AI data centers could consume up to 12% of all U.S. electricity by 2028, according to recent projections from BloombergNEF and AP News (AP News, 2025).
This Executive Order aims to:
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Cut permitting delays by streamlining federal approvals for AI-scale data centers (100+ MW);
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Unlock federal land—including Department of Energy and Interior holdings—for data infrastructure;
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Revoke previous climate and equity-based barriers under Biden-era rules;
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Mobilize federal grants, loans, and tax incentives to fuel private-sector build-out;
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Treat AI infrastructure as critical to national security and economic competitiveness.
What the Order Gets Right
1. Recognizing Infrastructure as Strategic Power
AI is infrastructure. This Order makes that official. By prioritizing large-scale AI training and inference facilities, the administration is catching up to the reality that whoever builds the data infrastructure owns the future.
“Just like railroads and highways once powered American expansion, data centers now power American innovation.”— U.S. Commerce Secretary, July 20252. Unlocking Federal Land for Innovation
Federal lands—often underutilized—can now host next-generation facilities. The Department of Energy has identified 16 sites across 8 states, including Oak Ridge (TN), Savannah River (SC), and Hanford (WA), ideal for co-located data centers, grid nodes, and modular nuclear power (Reuters, 2025).
3. FAST-41 for Digital America
By expanding FAST-41 eligibility (a program first used to expedite bridges, tunnels, and power lines), the Order allows digital projects to benefit from multi-agency review timelines capped at two years—transforming years of delays into months.
“Time is compute. Every week lost in permitting is a month lost in training frontier models.”— AI Infrastructure Coalition, Policy Brief, July 2025
What We Must Watch
1. The Clean Energy Trade-Off
Many AI data centers today are powered by natural gas, not clean energy. Rolling back previous rules requiring carbon benchmarks may make it easier to build—but at what cost?
Recent investigations by The Verge and Sierra Club show that some upcoming projects could increase regional emissions by up to 8% if built without clean energy commitments (The Verge, 2025).
As someone who cares deeply about our children’s future, I ask: Can we build fast and build responsibly?
2. Community Voice is Missing
This Order removes community consultation requirements baked into Biden’s NEPA reforms. The people who live next to these projects deserve a voice.
Where are the public hearings? The tribal consultations? The community benefit agreements?
As we fast-track permits, we cannot slow-walk justice.
3. Equity Left Behind
There’s no mention of local hiring, small business inclusion, or Historically Black College and University (HBCU) partnerships. If this infrastructure is truly national, it must serve all Americans—not just major tech firms and energy giants.
Implications for Congress and the Senate
This Executive Order shifts power—and federal dollars—toward infrastructure megaprojects with minimal oversight. Congress must:
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Demand transparency in how project sites are selected;
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Mandate clean energy thresholds and climate impact reviews;
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Include workforce provisions to ensure local job creation and equity;
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Establish a national data center registry to track energy, water, and social impacts.
Policy Recommendations
1. Create a Federal “Green AI Infrastructure Code”
A national code that balances speed with sustainability—requiring projects over 100 MW to demonstrate:
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At least 50% renewable energy sourcing within 5 years;
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Proof of grid reliability coordination with local utilities;
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Recyclable or modular cooling systems to reduce water use.
2. Require Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs)
No data center on federal land should be built without a signed agreement outlining:
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Job training programs,
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Infrastructure co-investments (roads, fiber, clinics),
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Ongoing community engagement.
3. Establish the “AI Infrastructure Equity Fund”
A $2B fund seeded by Congressional appropriation and private-sector matches to:
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Support minority- and women-owned contractors,
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Provide grants to HBCUs and tribal colleges for AI infrastructure R&D,
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Fund impact assessments for communities near large builds.
4. Mandate Public Reporting
Congress should require an annual public report covering:
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Number and location of permitted projects,
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Energy and emissions profiles,
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Jobs created,
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Number of CBAs signed.
This is essential for trust.
Final Thoughts
This Executive Order is, without doubt, a leap forward. But transformation without reflection is dangerous.
We must build the infrastructure of the future without sacrificing the values of the past—inclusion, responsibility, and shared prosperity.
Let us remember: the AI infrastructure we build today will shape our children’s world tomorrow. Let it be a world they thank us for.
Dr. Vivian Atud, Ph.D.
Founder, American Transformation Forum
Senior Policy and Strategy Advisor | Research Fellow, UNISA
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