"The NAACP and its Mississippi State Conference are suing Elon Musk’s xAI, alleging that it did not get a permit before emitting large amounts of pollution into a Memphis-area community.
The suit alleges that xAI and subsidiary MZX Tech violated the Clean Air Act by not getting the permit for their Colossus Gas Plant, which powers its Colossus 2 data center with 27 gas turbines. This data center powers the AI chatbot “Grok” which is used on Musk’s social media site X and operates as a standalone app.
The suit says that the plant emits large amounts of pollution that are linked to asthma, respiratory diseases, heart problems and certain cancers. It also says that the communities surrounding the plant have a disproportionately high Black population.
It says that if the companies had gone through the Clean Air Act process, they could have been required to install technology that cuts down on this pollution."
Rachel Frazin and Julia Shapero report for The Hill April 14, 2026.
