SpaceX loses bid to toss NAACP lawsuit over Memphis data center air pollution
The Colossus data centers and a power plant that SpaceXAI is also building in Southaven, Mississippi, have faced community backlash for years.
A federal judge has allowed an NAACP lawsuit accusing AI company xAI of pollution and Clean Air Act violations over its Colossus data center in Memphis to proceed. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center, alleges that xAI installed and operated at least 35 gas turbines without obtaining the necessary air permits, violating environmental laws.
Despite xAI's claims that the turbines are exempt from permitting due to their mobility and that the plaintiffs lack standing, Judge Debra M. Brown ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, stating that citizen lawsuits seeking penalties for harm to themselves are constitutional. The NAACP's director of environmental and climate justice, Abre’ Connor, hailed this as a "victory in our effort to hold xAI accountable."
The case comes amid growing public concern over data center pollution, with recent state-level moratoriums and corporate pledges to avoid NDAs with government agencies.
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