{
  "id": 525733,
  "title": "Memphis AI data center fuels pollution fight in Black neighborhood",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/11/memphis-ai-data-center-fuels-pollution-fight-in-black-neighborhood",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-08-11T02:17:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Economic Times Tech",
    "slug": "economic-times-tech",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/artificial-intelligence/memphis-ai-data-center-fuels-pollution-fight-in-black-neighborhood/articleshow/133140455.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Boxtown, a predominantly Black neighborhood in Memphis, is plagued by the stench of rotten eggs and burning debris. Nearby, a power plant fuels one of SpaceXAI's data centers, part of the global artificial intelligence race. Teenager Jasmine Bernard, who lives in a bordering neighborhood, has been fighting for two years against the gas turbines powering the data center and releasing emissions into the air. The people of South Memphis have long suffered through pollution from factories in Boxtown, a community founded by freed slaves after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. Cancer risk in this area is four times higher than the national average, highlighting the community's history of environmental neglect. KeShaun Pearson, co-founder of Memphis Community Against Pollution, has traveled the country raising awareness about the dangers of data centers in marginalized communities. He criticizes Elon Musk's Colossus I facility, describing it as a textbook case of elected officials making promises about economic mobility while ignoring community input. Despite promises of advanced emission control technologies, the facility pumps 1.2 million gallons of groundwater daily from the aquifer that supplies Memphis with drinking water for cooling, causing concerns about water quality. The company also faces accusations of erecting illegal turbines without permits, violating the Clean Air Act. SpaceXAI claims the turbines are temporary and will be replaced, but opponents argue they negotiated a deal allowing the firm until 2027 to comply with regulations. Other data centers near Colossus II have also been built without community consultation. Residents and advocacy groups hope to prevent further data centers in the area, drawing parallels to the scrapped pipeline project in Boxtown.",
  "summary": "The stench of rotten eggs and burning debris fills the air in Boxtown, a predominantly Black neighborhood in Memphis. Teenager Jasmine Bernard, who lives in a neighborhood bordering Boxtown, has been fighting for two years against the gas turbines that power the data center and spew emissions into the air.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}