The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) called xAI’s plans to construct and operate 41 methane-gas turbines in Southaven a “civil rights issue” as opposed to a permitting one.
The advocacy group asked the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) to deny MZX Tech, an affiliate of xAI, to deny the permit for the turbines in question. NAACP sent the letter, signed by Abre’ Conner, director of the NAACP Center for Environmental and Climate Justice, in the wake of a public hearing held by the department as they consider xAI’s permit application.
“It is imperative that the Permit Board disapprove the Permit because both MDEQ and the community must understand the full impact of the MZX Tech and xAI site’s operations on air quality and address that impact as required by the Clean Air Act and Mississippi law,” the letter said.
Conner said the decision to expand the company’s reach across state lines would disproportionately affect Black communities. They noted that while they have continued to challenge these types of decisions, the state of Mississippi has continually upheld decisions that caused “environmental burdens on its most vulnerable residents.”
If the permit is approved, the NAACP said the state would continue a pattern of “prioritizing development over the health, safety, and civil rights” of residents.
”In addition to the lived experiences of Memphis residents who organized and pushed back for over a year due to turbine operations, after getting a glimpse of the unpermitted yet already operating data center, DeSoto County residents have raised similar concerns regarding air pollution,” the letter said. “Operation of the turbines would result in increased
emissions of nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and other hazardous air pollutants known to exacerbate cardiovascular disease, asthma, and other respiratory conditions.”
Though MDEQ hosted a public hearing on Tuesday and welcomed public comment through February 17, the NAACP argued they could not expect residents to evaluate and understand the risks associated with granting xAI an air permit. They said the community is owed full transparency, and should be able to make comments based on that.
The NAACP noted that many have asked for an extension of the public comment period, yet MDEQ “has denied [these] requests.
Conner also raised concerns about 27 “temporary” turbines that are at the site, which they said do not have permits. This concern comes months after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reiterated that even temporary turbines needed a permit to operate.
Not only did the NAACP highlight concerns with environmental regulations, but noted that the power plant is near residential neighborhoods and an elementary school. The letter said that the projected impact will extend outside of the immediate neighborhoods.
“The 41-turbine MZX Tech and xAI power plant alone is estimated to cause millions of dollars of health damages each year nationally, with the greatest effects centered in Shelby and DeSoto counties,” the letter said. “This estimate likely understates the near-term health damages , since it does not consider the 27 turbines already installed at the site, nor does it reflect the cumulative health burden imposed on communities already overexposed to air pollution.”
Conner closed by asking MDEQ to order MZX Tech and xAI to stop the operation of the 27 unpermitted turbines, withdraw their draft permit and to revise the draft permit to “include all of the turbines on the site before seeking public comment.”
“The NAACP has stood in solidarity with Memphis residents who raised serious concerns about
the first xAI data center, and we do so again here,” the letter said. “Consistent with our mission, the NAACP will continue to advocate for communities asked to bear disproportionate environmental burdens without corresponding protections, safeguards or benefits.”