The NAACP and Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) announced plans Tuesday to sue Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI, alleging the company’s Memphis-based supercomputer facility has polluted surrounding Black communities without proper permits.
SELC attorney Patrick Anderson said xAI has operated methane gas turbines for over a year without obtaining the necessary air permits, violating the Clean Air Act. The Boxtown neighborhood, near the facility, already faces a cancer risk four times the national average, according to the NAACP.
Officials with xAI argue that the turbines operate under a temporary exemption, but SELC disputes that any such exemption applies to turbines. “We cannot afford to normalize this kind of environmental injustice,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson said, vowing legal action.
xAI claims the units are “operating in compliance with all applicable laws” and noted it has invested billions in the Memphis area. The company said it is also deploying emissions reduction technology.
Legal proceedings could begin within 60 days unless the issue is resolved beforehand.
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