In the News
Semiconductor Plant Permit Carveouts Stoke Environmental Worries
The exclusions brought on by the Building Chips in America Act could leave communities worried about heavily polluted water, air, and soil reliant on contract language between chip makers and the federal government—language that doesn’t always materialize, according to Harry Manin, deputy legislative director of policy and trade at the Sierra Club.
November 27, 2024
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November 10, 2025
The Ecological Cost of AI Is Much Higher Than You Think
As the semiconductor industry expands at a breakneck pace in Asia and the United States, it has left behind a long history of extraction and ecological degradation, with no plan to stop the destruction. To the contrary, tech companies have abandoned their sustainability targets in the race to build out the vast, energy-ravenous, carbon-spewing data centers.
October 4, 2025
Advocates raise alarm over Pfas pollution from datacenters amid AI boom
“The US and China are racing to see who can destroy the environment most quickly,” said Lenny Siegel, a member of Chips Communities United, a group working with industry and administration officials to try to implement environmental safeguards. “If we had a sensible approach to these things then someone would have to present some answers before they develop and use these systems.”
September 30, 2025
The Dark Side of the Chip
Semiconductor production is often marketed as “clean” manufacturing because fabs (short for fabrication plants) are supposed to be dust-free and workers wear white suits. But behind the sterile image is a heavy toxic load. Fabs use thousands of chemicals — photoresists, solvents, acids, etchants, and fluorinated gases — many of them carcinogens or reproductive toxins. Most OSHA exposure limits date back to the 1960s and remain far higher than what biomedical research considers safe. In practice, protective gear and training are uneven, and workers are often exposed to multiple hazardous substances at once.