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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Technology
Dara Kerr

NAACP lawsuit accuses Elon Musk’s xAI of polluting Black neighborhoods near Memphis

a man in a  black and white suit speaking
The suit alleges Elon Musk’s xAI is violating the Clean Air Act due to toxic emissions from its datacenter in south-west Memphis. Photograph: Nathan Howard/Getty Images

A new lawsuit accuses Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company of illegally spewing toxic pollutants into residential neighborhoods on the border of Tennessee and Mississippi.

The suit, filed on Tuesday in Mississippi federal court, alleges xAI is violating the Clean Air Act due to emissions from its makeshift power plant in Southaven, Mississippi, which powers its datacenter there. The NAACP, represented by the environmental groups Southern Environmental Law Center and Earthjustice, says xAI has been polluting areas with homes, schools and churches, including in historically Black communities, by using dozens of methane gas generators without permits.

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