In a significant move, tech companies have lobbied against proposed stricter regulations on gas-powered data centers that could have drastically reduced CO2 emissions. According to a report by The Financial Times, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) opted not to recommend a protocol that would have made it harder for companies to offset fossil fuel pollution through clean energy investments. Major tech firms, including Amazon and Meta, have been expanding their data center operations across the United States, often relying on gas turbines due to insufficient local electricity supply. To mitigate pollution charges, these companies claim to offset fossil fuel usage by investing in renewable energy projects, despite the projects being located in different regions and generating power at different times. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GGP) has suggested that both fossil fuel and offsetting renewable energy should be produced in the same market and timeframe to ensure accurate emissions reporting. However, a coalition of tech companies, collectively earning nearly $5 trillion, argued that such regulations would be burdensome and could hinder clean energy investments. In contrast, Google has advocated for time-based energy matching, highlighting a divide within the industry on how best to address emissions.