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NAACP to Sue over Elon Musk’s xAI Data Center in Memphis

HeadlineJun 18, 2025
Image Credit: xAI

In Memphis Tennessee, the NAACP has announced plans to sue Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence firm, xAI, for violating the Clean Air Act by running a massive data center near a historically Black neighborhood without legal permits. Musk’s facility runs on 35 methane gas-powered turbine generators, which emit significant amounts of nitrogen oxide and other toxic chemicals. NAACP President Derrick Johnson said, “We cannot afford to normalize this kind of environmental injustice — where billion-dollar companies set up polluting operations in Black neighborhoods without any permits and think they’ll get away with it because the people don’t have the power to fight back.”

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