Environmental Groups Call Out SpacexAI and MDEQ Over Agreed Order
Environmental groups are criticizing an Agreed Order between xAI and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), claiming it will allow xAI to continue "illegal air pollution" from its Southaven, MS facility until at least July 2027. The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) and Earthjustice argue the agreement was made in secret and contradicts xAI's previous commitments. This comes amidst an ongoing lawsuit against xAI for Clean Air Act violations related to its gas turbines powering its chatbot, Grok.
Environmental groups, including the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) and Earthjustice, have strongly criticized an "Agreed Order" between xAI and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). They assert that the agreement, negotiated in secret without community input, will permit xAI to continue emitting "illegal air pollution" from its facility in Southaven, Mississippi, until at least July 2027. This contradicts xAI's earlier promise to operate its 69 temporary mobile turbines for only one year.
Laura Thoms, enforcement director at Earthjustice, accused the MDEQ of being "complicit in xAI’s lawlessness." SELC highlighted that the plant is a major source of air pollution, failing to meet American Lung Association standards, and that xAI's actions force surrounding communities to "sacrifice their health" to power its chatbot, Grok.
xAI, meanwhile, claims its mobile turbines are equipped with emission-control technologies, current monitoring shows air quality meets or exceeds EPA standards, and it is investing in sound walls, silencers, and next-generation quieting technologies. The company emphasizes its intention to be "good neighbors."
Earthjustice and SELC represent the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in a lawsuit against xAI, filed due to alleged violations of the Clean Air Act related to the gas turbines at its 2875 Stanton Road site. The groups argue that the agreed order is a "reckless agreement" that undermines the communities' right to accountability.