TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Jul 16, 2025

Environmental groups, including the Southern Environmental Law Center and the NAACP, have filed an appeal challenging the Shelby County Health Department’s decision to grant Elon Musk’s company xAI an air emissions permit for 15 natural gas turbines in Southwest Memphis. According to the Daily Memphian, the groups argue the permit, granted July 2, violates federal law and fails to account for 35 unpermitted temporary turbines previously installed at xAI’s Colossus data center. The appeal, filed with the Shelby County Air Pollution Control Board, also contests the department’s interpretation of the federal Clean Air Act and raises concerns over the adequacy of air modeling, existing local smog conditions, and the precedent the permit sets for future turbine installations — including potential developments at xAI’s second Memphis site, Colossus 2.