Overview
- The NAACP, which filed Tuesday in federal court in North Mississippi, alleges xAI and its subsidiary MZX operated 27 gas turbines at the Southaven Colossus 2 site without required Clean Air Act permits.
- Plaintiffs ask the court to stop the turbines until permits and pollution controls are in place and to assess civil penalties for each day of violation.
- xAI says the temporary power units comply with all applicable laws and has argued that federal permits were not required for short-term use.
- Earthjustice estimates the on-site plant could emit more than 1,700 tons of nitrogen oxides a year along with fine particles, carbon monoxide, and formaldehyde, which residents in nearby, largely Black neighborhoods would inhale.
- The NAACP sent the required 60-day notice in February, and Mississippi regulators then held a brief March hearing with only a few days’ notice before approving permits that are now a point of dispute.