Elon Musk's Colossus 2 Data Center Installed 59 Unpermitted Gas Turbines, Polluting Black Communities in Mississippi
Elon Musk's xAI (now SpaceXAI) Colossus 2 data center, located near the Tennessee-Mississippi border, has installed 59 temporary natural gas turbines without required permits, according to a Reuters investigation. The turbines are releasing thousands of tons of nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, and formaldehyde annually, far exceeding Clean Air Act thresholds. The pollution disproportionately affects predominantly black communities in DeSoto County, Mississippi, and Shelby County, Tennessee, which already suffer from elevated lung disease rates. The NAACP has filed a lawsuit alleging the unpermitted operations caused an 111% increase in nitrogen oxide, 83% increase in PM2.5, and 88% increase in formaldehyde emissions. xAI claims the turbines are exempt as temporary installations, but the EPA recently removed such exceptions. The company has offered Starlink discounts to nearby residents, which critics call a PR stunt.
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