Activist groups appeal Mississippi approval of xAI turbines

The Southern Environmental Law Center, representing the NAACP, Young Gifted & Green, and the Safe and Sound Coalition, has filed an appeal against the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). This action challenges the MDEQ's approval of an air permit for xAI's facility located in Southaven, Mississippi. The permit would allow xAI to operate dozens of methane gas turbines to supply power to its Colossus 2 data center, situated just across the state line in Memphis, Tennessee. The activist groups contend that xAI's proposed power plant will emit substantial amounts of air pollution, including harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde. Abre Conner, Director of Environmental and Climate Justice for the NAACP, stated that data centers should not be built at the expense of at-risk communities and called the project a "violation of the public trust." She emphasized the NAACP's consistent opposition to MDEQ's lack of transparency and urged the prioritization of people over corporate expansion.