Pollution from Musk’s unpermitted xAI power project hits hardest in Black communities: Reuters
Reuters found the turbines could emit nearly 2,500 short tons of nitrogen oxide a year, far above a federal permit threshold.
- On Tuesday, Reuters reported that Elon Musk's company xAI installed 59 natural gas turbines near Memphis, Tennessee, to power its Colossus 2 data center without securing federal clean air permits.
- Although xAI argues the mobile units are exempt from permitting, at least 57 turbines in Southaven, Mississippi, create an unprecedented level of off-grid power generation exceeding Clean Air Act thresholds.
- Reuters analysis found the 30 turbines at Southaven could emit nearly 2,500 short tons of NOx annually, disproportionately affecting Black communities. Victoria Nelson, an independent environmental engineer formerly at EPA, warned, "additional NOx exposure could exacerbate public health issues."
- The NAACP and Southern Environmental Law Center sued to halt operations in April, while the Justice Department intervened in June citing national security. Resident Ervin Laws said, "I can't do anything about it, because he's got more money than me."
- This infrastructure buildout reflects a widening environmental justice battle as AI demand surges. Parent company SpaceX plans to spend roughly $2 billion more on mobile gas turbines, potentially creating long-term pollution burdens for communities nationwide.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Mississippi homeowners blame a noisy data center plant for sleepless nights. The mayor's advice? "Consider selling."
Noise from a Mississippi plant powering Elon Musk's xAI data centers in the area is causing migraines, ringing ears and sleepless nights, residents say.
Musk’s AI Power Play Chokes Black Memphis Neighborhoods With Unpermitted Turbines
Elon Musk moved fast. In the summer of 2024 his artificial intelligence venture xAI broke ground on what it called Colossus. The project promised the world’s largest supercomputer cluster. It delivered something else too. Dozens of natural gas turbines. No permits. And a fresh layer of toxic air over South Memphis. Residents there had seen this pattern before. Decades of industry had already turned Boxtown and surrounding blocks into one of the …
xAI's illegal facilities in Tennessee are affecting African-American communities - They are illegal and unlicensed, citizens say about Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company. The post Revelations about illegal pollution from Musk's huge data center appeared first on in.gr.
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