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The Trump administration's AI action plan aims to bolster US dominance in artificial intelligence
It aims to do this by by removing regulatory barriers and building AI infrastructure
Experts warn it could jeopardise water and energy security and facilitate fossil fuel exploitation
Plan has sparked concerns among environmental advocates about its potential impact on natural resources
The Donald Trump administration released an artificial intelligence (AI) action plan July 23, 2025 aimed at cementing US dominance in artificial intelligence.
The action plan Winning the AI Race: America’s AI Action Plan was in accordance with Trump's January 23, 2025 executive order on 'Removing Barriers to American Leadership in AI’.
The 28-page document pledged to remove red tape and onerous regulation, and build AI infrastructure which include energy infrastructure. Recommended policy actions included revising the National Institute of Standards and Technology AI Risk Management Framework to “eliminate references to misinformation, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and climate change”.
The plan clearly stated that US’s environmental permitting system and other regulations make it almost impossible to build the infrastructure required for AI with the speed that is required.
The plan recommended expediting environmental permitting by streamlining or reducing regulations promulgated under the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, and other relevant related laws.
“We need to build and maintain vast AI infrastructure and the energy to power it. To do that, we will continue to reject radical climate dogma and bureaucratic red tape, as the Administration has done since Inauguration Day. Simply put, we need to Build, Baby, Build!” stated the action plan.
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios said the plan aimed to “turbocharge our innovation capacity, build cutting-edge infrastructure, and lead globally, ensuring that American workers and families thrive in the AI era”.
The plan’s three pillars — accelerating AI innovation, building more American AI infrastructure and leading international AI diplomacy and security would “ensure America sets the technological gold standard worldwide, and that the world continues to run on American technology”, in the words of Secretary of State and Acting National Security Advisor Marco Rubio.
Technology gaints Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Amazon welcomed the move.
Antonio Neri, president and chief executive of Hewlett Packard, applauded the action plan and said, “We are especially encouraged to see the emphasis placed on enhancing AI infrastructure and promoting American-made AI technology around the world. This is vital for maintaining America's leadership in the global AI arena and ensuring that the United States continues to set the standard for innovation, security, and technological advancement”.
David Zapolsky, Amazon’s chief global affairs and legal officer, said that the initiatives closely align with Amazon’s ongoing efforts and investments. “To maintain global leadership in AI, the US must prioritise the deployment of energy and infrastructure to support data center growth”.
The plan has sparked outrage from environmental advocates. Research from Food & Water Watch, a human welfare non-profit, detailed the immense and potentially catastrophic impact on water and energy resources an unfettered AI industry could have on communities. Among the report’s findings, by 2028, AI in the US could consume 720 billion gallons of water annually just to cool AI servers — enough water to meet the indoor needs of 18.5 million American households. It would also require 300 terawatt-hours of energy annually — enough electricity to power over 28 million American households.
Mitch Jones, managing director of policy and litigation at Food & Water Watch, said, “At its core, President Trump’s AI agenda is nothing more than a thinly veiled invitation for the fossil fuel and corporate water industries to ramp up their exploitation of our environment and natural resources — all at the expense of everyday people”.
Final summary: The Trump administration’s AI action plan, aimed at solidifying US dominance in artificial intelligence, has raised alarms among environmental experts. By removing regulatory barriers and building AI infrastructure, the plan could jeopardise water and energy security and facilitate fossil fuel exploitation. Environmental advocates express concerns over the potential impact on natural resources, fearing increased consumption and exploitation.
