NAACP Sues xAI Over Unpermitted Gas Turbines in Mississippi

The NAACP filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against Elon Musk's xAI and its subsidiary MZX Tech, accusing the companies of violating the Clean Air Act by operating 27 methane gas turbines without required air permits in Southaven, Mississippi. The turbines power the Colossus 2 data center complex near Memphis, Tennessee, a key facility for training xAI's Grok chatbot.

The suit, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, claims the turbines ran from August to December without permits, emitting pollutants including nitrogen oxides, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and fine particulate matter into nearby predominantly Black communities. According to the complaint, the facility could release over 1,700 tons of nitrogen oxides annually, making it the largest industrial source of the pollutant in the 11-county Memphis metropolitan area. Additional estimated emissions include 180 tons of fine particulate matter, 500 tons of carbon monoxide, and 19 tons of formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. The NAACP argues these operations pose significant health risks, such as respiratory issues and increased cancer rates, to residents in overburdened neighborhoods already...