Elon Musk's AI Data Center Faces Lawsuit Over Air Pollution Complaints
Source: Newsweek
Published Jun 17, 2025 at 5:30 PM EDT
Elon Musk's artificial intelligence data center in Memphis, Tennessee, faces a lawsuit over air pollution from the fleet of mobile gas-fired turbines the company uses to power the massive computer facility, called Colossus.
On Tuesday, the nonprofit Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) told Musk's artificial intelligence company, xAI, that it will sue on behalf of the NAACP. The 60-day notice of intent to sue is a prerequisite to filing a lawsuit under the Clean Air Act.
As Newsweek reported last August, xAI installed dozens of natural gas turbines rather than wait for a connection to the local electric grid. The SELC said in its legal notice Tuesday that xAI has been operating the turbines without any air quality permits, sending hazardous pollution into a low-income community that already suffers from dirty air.
"We have on four different occasions sent formal requests to the local health department asking for them to use their authority to enforce the law," SELC senior attorney Patrick Anderson told Newsweek. "Obviously, that hasn't happened."
Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/elon-musks-ai-data-center-faces-lawsuit-over-air-pollution-complaints-2087032
Link to SELC PRESS RELEASE - Elon Musk’s xAI threatened with lawsuit over air pollution from Memphis data center
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