Judge rejects Trump’s wild claim EPA can dismiss data center pollution lawsuits
Trump’s EPA can't unilaterally dismiss SpaceXAI pollution lawsuit, court rules.
A recent lawsuit against Elon Musk's SpaceXAI data center in Memphis, Tennessee, has been rejected by a judge due to a claim by former President Donald Trump. The NAACP brought the lawsuit, alleging that unpermitted gas turbines at the center are polluting nearby Black communities. They sought an injunction ordering SpaceXAI to use pollution control technology and face penalties up to $124,426 per day per violation.
However, Trump intervened, claiming the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the authority to dismiss any Clean Air Act lawsuit at his discretion. He argued that allowing citizens to seek massive civil penalties against AI firms delivering data centers quickly to support his AI Action Plan would not serve the public interest. Despite this, the judge ruled against Trump's assertion, maintaining the lawsuit's validity.
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