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As part of a planned data center in Pecos County, Texas, Amazon is investing in an on-site power plant that could become the largest source of climate pollution in the United States, according to The New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n The NYT says the plant would burn natural gas and is permitted to release 33 million tons of carbon dioxide per year \u2014 more than any other power plant in the U.S.<\/p>\n In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed that the data center will \u201cbe powered by new on-site generation that won\u2019t raise electricity costs for Texas families.\u201d (Data centers face growing political opposition<\/a> for a number of reasons, including their effect on electricity costs.)<\/p>\n AI has already had a significant impact on Amazon\u2019s carbon emissions, which it reported were up 16% last year<\/a> \u2014 the wrong direction for a company that pledged to eliminate its carbon emissions by 2040. And that could get worse as Amazon and tech companies back the development of huge natural gas plants<\/a> to support their power-hungry data centers.<\/p>\n The Amazon spokesperson said, \u201cThe world looks different now than when we co-founded the climate pledge,\u201d while also claiming, \u201cOur commitment hasn\u2019t changed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n