The NAACP intends to sue Elon Musk over the pollution caused by artificial intelligence company xAI’s turbines in South Memphis.
The group filed an intent to sue letter Tuesday against Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, citing the public health risks posed by 35 unpermitted turbines and their pollution to nearby Black and minority communities.
The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) is representing the NAACP in raising their concerns to the Shelby County Health Department. The group’s attorneys said that xAI is in violation of numerous prongs of the Clean Air Act and the Shelby County Local Implementation Plan, including constructing and operating a major energy source without acquiring permits, not using best available control technology and failing to comply with regulatory limits on hazardous air pollution.
The turbines, in operation since last year, are located at xAI’s Colossus site and help to power their supercomputer and data center. Their permit application takes into account only 15 of the 35 turbines the SELC and NAACP said are located at the facility, citing a flyover they did of the facility with environmental pilots from Southwings.
