# Amazon Data Center Tied to One of Worst Polluting Power Plants in US

Amazon is reportedly behind a data center project that would be powered by a new natural gas plant, which experts say could become the most polluting power source in the country. The facility underscores the growing tension between surging AI and cloud-computing energy demands and emissions reduction goals. Critics are calling on Amazon to prioritize renewable energy instead of fossil fuel backup.

**Importance:** 3/5

## Sources

### Technology
- [The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/977124/amazon-data-center-worst-polluting-power-plant) — 2026-08-08T13:53:34-04:00
- [Hacker News](https://newrepublic.com/post/214111/amazon-data-center-biggest-pollution-source-entire-country) — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 17:27:52 +0000