NAACP Urges Memphis Officials to Shut Down xAI's Polluting Data Center Near Boxtown

The NAACP has called on Memphis officials to cease operations at Colossus, a supercomputer facility run by Elon Musk’s xAI in South Memphis. In a letter sent Thursday to the Shelby County Health Department and Memphis Light Gas and Water, the civil rights organization criticized the lackadaisical approach to regulating the facility and urged the authorities to issue an emergency order to halt operations. If such an order cannot be issued, they are demanding that xAI be cited and stopped from violating clean air laws. The primary concern raised by the NAACP centers on the gas turbines used to power Colossus. xAI has applied for a permit to operate 15 turbines, but according to the NAACP, the company has been running at least 35 gas turbines without the necessary permits over the past year. City officials have previously stated that permits were not required during the facility's first year of operation. These gas turbines are suspected of emitting hazardous air pollutants, including formaldehyde, at levels that exceed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limits. The NAACP’s letter also highlighted the nitrogen-oxide emissions from the turbines, which pose significant health risks. The location of the Colossus facility in the historically Black Boxtown neighborhood of South Memphis is a source of additional concern. The NAACP argues that situating the facility in this area perpetuates the pattern of industries contributing pollution to communities that are already disproportionately affected. They noted that residents in this neighborhood face health issues, including cancer risks that are four times higher than the national average. "Instead of working to reduce health issues known in the area, the Shelby County Health Department has allowed xAI to operate above the law," the letter stated. The NAACP directed its letter to Michelle Taylor, the director of the Shelby County Health Department, and the commissioners of Memphis Light Gas and Water. Taylor is set to leave her position in Shelby County to become the commissioner of the Baltimore City Health Department. TechCrunch has contacted both the NAACP and xAI for comment. In response to NBC News, a spokesperson for Memphis Light Gas and Water mentioned that they had not yet received the letter from the NAACP. The situation underscores the ongoing tension between technological advancements and environmental justice, particularly in communities already burdened by health disparities.