Big Tech data centers are the new frontier in environmental fight to protect Black communities

The proliferation of data centers, especially those powering artificial intelligence, is sparking new environmental justice concerns, disproportionately affecting Black and low-income communities across the United States. Deregulations enacted by the Trump administration and massive investments by tech giants are enabling the rapid expansion of these facilities, often sited in areas already burdened by pollution. A. Prince Albert III, executive director of The Culture Keepers Circle and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, highlights that data centers are driving the largest surge in American electricity and water demand in a generation, often built in "sacrifice zones" without adequate environmental oversight. Specific examples illustrate the issue: xAI's Colossus data center in Boxtown, Memphis, a 90% Black neighborhood, has been linked to increased nitrogen dioxide levels and elevated cancer risks. Tennessee State Rep. Justin Pearson is a leading voice in Memphis against xAI, citing unpermitted operations and pollution risks, and advocating for a nationwide moratorium on new data center developments. Pearson champions legislation requiring tech companies to utilize renewable energy and to establish Community Benefit Agreements, ensuring equitable distribution of facilities and tangible benefits for affected neighborhoods. The environmental burden extends beyond Memphis. The article notes a similar situation in South Carolina's Lowcountry, where a large data center campus was routed into a Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Area after being rejected by a white-majority Georgia county. In Virginia, data centers are projected to cause significant increases in energy bills, with utility companies like Dominion allegedly subsidizing Big Tech. The fight is escalating, with the NAACP recently filing a lawsuit against xAI for "illegally operating" 27 gas turbines without an air permit at its Colossus 2 data center in Southaven, Mississippi. This facility, powering xAI's chatbot Grok, is situated near homes, schools, and churches, raising significant health risks and violating the Clean Air Act. Abre’ Conner, NAACP director of Environmental and Climate Justice, asserts that communities should not be sacrifice zones for "innovation" and that the right to clean air is non-negotiable.