MAHA Activists Push Back Against Trump's Coal-Powered AI Data Centers Plan

MAHA Movement Confronts Trump Over Coal-Powered AI Data Centers

Nearly 200 activists from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again movement have signed a letter challenging President Donald Trump's promotion of coal power for energy-hungry AI data centers1

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. The letter, sent Friday to Trump, Kennedy, and various Cabinet officials including EPA head Lee Zeldin, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, represents the first major MAHA mobilization over fossil fuels and signals escalating tensions between the health-focused movement and the administration's environmental policy1

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Prominent signers include Zen Honeycutt, founder of Moms Across America and former Kennedy campaign staffer, and Charles Eisenstein, who served as a speechwriter on Kennedy's 2024 presidential campaign1

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. Other signatories include Aimee Villella McBride, executive director of the Global Wellness Forum, and David Murphy, founder and CEO of United We Eat2

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Health Concerns Drive Opposition to Coal-Fired AI Infrastructure

The letter directly criticizes a 2025 executive order that designated coal as critical to meeting rising power demand from AI data centers1

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. Activists cite coal's public health toll, pointing to soot pollution, mercury contamination, and coal ash pollution containing heavy metals that threaten communities2

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. The letter states that American AI leadership should not come at the cost of a more toxic burden for American children1

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Honeycutt explained that after researching coal ash impact on communities following Trump's executive order, she became disturbed by the findings and concerned about data center land use and effects on nearby residents1

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. She emphasized that MAHA extends beyond pesticides in food and vaccine safety to encompass preventing toxins from impacting family and community health2

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Renewable Energy Alternatives Proposed for AI Infrastructure

The activists urge the administration to consider renewable energy alternatives including solar paired with energy storage, advanced geothermal energy, and improved energy efficiency1

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. The letter calls for the administration to convene MAHA leaders, farmers, physicians, and others to develop health-first standards for AI infrastructure2

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. It also requests transparent review of data center location and power sourcing decisions while respecting existing environmental review requirements in the permitting process1

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The letter concludes that the U.S. can lead on AI, energy, and security without asking children to carry more mercury in their bodies, more soot in their lungs, more heavy metals in their soil and food, or more contamination in their water2

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Political Tensions Mount Ahead of Midterm Elections

This criticism arrives less than three months before November's midterm elections and could challenge Republicans seeking to win over the MAHA voting bloc in key races1

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. Many in the MAHA movement, which Trump credits with helping him win back the White House two years ago, have grown frustrated with the administration's embrace of pesticides such as glyphosate and its deregulatory environmental agenda1

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. Some activists have indicated they plan to vote on issues over party this fall, raising political stakes1

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Honeycutt stated that the data center push has been overwhelmingly negative for communities, with many in the MAHA movement extremely disappointed, adding that they vote for those who put health and safety first1

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. Honeycutt noted she asked the Kennedy-aligned political action committee MAHA Action to sign the letter but received no reply1

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Trump's Push for Energy-Intensive Data Centers Continues

President Trump has enthusiastically promoted what he calls big, beautiful coal despite environmental concerns about planet-warming greenhouse gases and toxic chemicals from coal-fired power plants1

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. Trump has been a vocal advocate for data centers, framing them as necessary to win the AI race against China1

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. He stated this week that if he were a mayor or governor, he would absolutely want an AI plant or data center because the jobs are enormous and the taxes paid are enormous1

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The Trump administration is moving on multiple fronts to boost coal-fired power, with the Energy Department announcing hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to retain and even expand coal-fired power2

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. Data centers have become a political flashpoint in this year's elections, with voters across the political spectrum criticizing them for increasing electricity bills, draining water supplies, and creating unhealthy amounts of air and noise pollution1

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. The White House and agencies receiving the letter did not immediately respond to requests for comment1

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