Artificial Intelligence Environmental Impacts Act of 2024

HR 7197, the Artificial Intelligence Environmental Impacts Act of 2024, requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct a comprehensive study on AI's environmental footprint - including energy use, water consumption, e-waste, and pollution across AI models' full lifecycle - and to solicit public input. It establishes a voluntary reporting system for AI companies (voluntary reporting entities) to share data on their environmental impacts, supported by guidelines developed with a stakeholder consortium focused on creating measurement standards. The bill mandates a 4-year report to Congress detailing the consortium’s findings, the reporting system’s design, and recommendations for future action to address negative impacts or promote positive ones. This legislation does not impose mandatory regulations but aims to build data and standards for informed decision-making about AI’s environmental effects.