The NAACP and environmental organizations asked a judge Wednesday to order Elon Musk\u2019s xAI Corp. to stop operating dozens of natural gas turbines powering a Memphis-area data center project until it has permits and \u201cpollution controls\u201d to protect locals.<\/p>\n
In their request for a preliminary injunction, the NAACP said the gas plant is not a \u201cmobile\u201d power source and is actually a \u201cstationary\u201d one, which are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. Collectively, the turbines could power a city and individually, they\u2019re 200,000 pounds and over 100 feet long each, the plaintiffs allege, arguing \u201cthere is nothing \u2018mobile\u2019 about the\u201d plant.<\/p>\n
The company could say the plant is \u201ctemporary\u201d and that it already has a permit to build a 41-turbine gas plant, the NAACP said, but the organization argues that \u201cintentions aren\u2019t grounds for an exemption\u201d and that the permit in question is for a facility that hasn\u2019t been constructed.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefendants\u2019 impatience is paid for by NAACP and NAACP MS members who live near the Colossus Gas Plant,\u201d the NAACP alleges. \u201cMembers are now losing sleep, spending less time in gardens, hosting family less often, and worrying about the pollution aggravating their respiratory conditions.\u201d <\/p>\n
The NAACP argues the pollution could raise the risks of heart disease and asthma attacks for communities close by, and that the company is \u201cirreparably\u201d harming the well-being of Black residents.<\/p>\n
xAI didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n