Planned Amazon data center could become the biggest climate polluter in the U.S.

According to The New York Times, Amazon is investing in an on-site power plant for a planned data center in Pecos County, Texas, which could become the largest source of climate pollution in the U.S. The plant would burn natural gas and is permitted to release 33 million tons of carbon dioxide per year, exceeding any other power plant in the country. An Amazon spokesperson confirmed that the data center will be powered by new on-site generation that won't raise electricity costs for Texas families, addressing growing political opposition to data centers due to their impact on electricity costs. Amazon reported a 16% increase in carbon emissions last year, which is the wrong direction for a company that pledged to eliminate its carbon emissions by 2040. The emissions could worsen as Amazon and other tech companies back the development of large natural gas plants to support their power-hungry data centers. The spokesperson said, "The world looks different now than when we co-founded the climate pledge," while also claiming, "Our commitment hasn't changed."