SpaceX Loses Bid to Toss NAACP Lawsuit Over Memphis Data Center Air Pollution
The Colossus data centers and a power plant that SpaceXAI is also building in Southaven, Mississippi, have faced community backlash for years.
TL;DR
- SpaceXAI's bid to dismiss an NAACP lawsuit has been rejected by a federal judge in Mississippi.
- The lawsuit alleges that SpaceXAI violated the Clean Air Act by operating gas-fired combustion turbines without a permit for its data centers in Greater Memphis.
- The turbines reportedly emit smog-forming pollutants and particulate matter, raising health concerns.
- SpaceXAI argued that the turbines were 'mobile' and exempt from permitting, and that the NAACP lacked standing to sue.
- The judge ruled that the plaintiffs have statutory standing, the turbines are not 'mobile sources,' and the citizen suit provision is constitutional.