Local authorities should promptly halt Elon Musk’s supercomputer initiative in South Memphis due to non-compliance with environmental regulations, the NAACP declared in a letter sent Thursday to officials in Shelby County.
The civil rights organization directed its appeal to Dr. Michelle Taylor, head of the Shelby County Health Department, and to the commissioners of Memphis Light Gas and Water. The health department’s role is to enforce federal air quality standards in Shelby County, which includes Memphis.
“Being the world’s richest man doesn’t entitle you to pollute Black neighborhoods and risk the health of its inhabitants,” NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson stated to NBC News. “We urge the health department to intervene immediately.”
When contacted, a spokesperson for Memphis Light Gas and Water said it had not received the NAACP letter and could not comment on it. Neither the health department nor xAI immediately responded to questions about the letter, which was also signed by the presidents of the Tennessee and Memphis chapters of the NAACP.
In a previous statement to NBC News, xAI said its “operations comply with all applicable laws” and that it “works collaboratively with County and City officials, EPA personnel, and community leaders regarding all things that affect Memphis.”
xAI has come under scrutiny in recent months for operating methane gas turbines at its Memphis facility to meet the electricity needs of the supercomputer Colossus. The turbines emit pollutants, including nitrogen oxides and formaldehyde, according to their manufacturer.
Environmental groups and the NAACP believe the turbines required permits under the Clean Air Act; the city’s health department, the mayor and the Chamber of Commerce have said permits were not required for the turbines’ first year of use. xAI, which is now seeking a permit for 15 permanent turbines, said those would be equipped with pollution controls and only be used as backup once other energy options are available.
Earlier this month, NBC News reported on a South Memphis neighborhood called Boxtown, about two miles from xAI’s facility, where residents are concerned that Musk’s project will harm the area’s already poor air quality.
“They got money. And they can do what they want to do, you know, without consulting us,” said Easter Knox, who has lived in the area since 1977. Knox told NBC News she and her husband both struggle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which can be exacerbated by pollution.
Health department officials have been limited in their comments about the project. On Friday, news broke that Taylor, the department head, would be leaving Shelby County to oversee the Baltimore City Health Department.
Colossus, which xAI calls the world’s largest supercomputer, came online in September 2024 to train Grok, the company’s chatbot. But critics say the project’s potential economic benefit to the community is outweighed by environmental concerns.
“While we applaud research and innovation,” the NAACP letter states, “there must be limits that ensure that communities are healthy and alive to enjoy the benefits of any potential innovation.”
Shelby County health officials are expected to make a decision on xAI’s application in the coming weeks.
Memphis Mayor Paul Young previously told NBC’s “Nightly News” that the city plans to work with a researcher to implement air monitoring in the months ahead.
