SOUTHAVEN, Miss. (WMC) – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) wants a court-ordered stop to xAI’s use of gas-powered turbines at its plant in Southaven, Mississippi, until a decision is released in their newly filed lawsuit.
The NAACP filed a preliminary injunction with the U.S. District Court for Northern Mississippi on Wednesday.
In a lawsuit filed in April, the civil rights group alleges that xAI violated the Clean Air Act by operating dozens of methane gas turbines at its Southaven power plant before an air permit was granted.
The facility powers the Colossus 2 data center in South Memphis.
xAI’s Southaven property on Stanton Road(Action News 5)
NAACP officials say the plant’s turbines “have the potential to emit a staggering amount of smog-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx), likely making the facility the largest industrial source of NOx in the 11-county Memphis metropolitan area.”
“Toxic emissions from the facility threaten to do long-lasting harm to nearby communities. Pollution from gas turbines includes smog-forming nitrogen oxides, fine particulate matter, and hazardous chemicals like formaldehyde. These pollutants are tied to increases in asthma, respiratory diseases, heart problems, and certain cancers.”
A copy of Wednesday’s request for a preliminary injunction can be read in full below:
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