Drone footage reveals disturbing truth about Elon Musk's AI facility: 'That is a violation of the law'

Despite an Environmental Protection Agency ruling that Elon Musk's xAI data centers require permits for gas turbines, the gas pollution reportedly continues. According to the Guardian, the Floodlight newsroom captured drone footage of the turbines. 

What's happening?

While the EPA's ruling said that gas turbines require permits in advance and that pollution sources like these require permits under the Clean Air Act, local laws in Mississippi said they don't require permits because they are on tractor trailers, according to the report.

There was a public hearing scheduled for Feb. 17 during the ongoing public comment period. 

xAI has two data centers in this region, one in South Memphis, Tennessee, and another in Southaven, Mississippi, with a second one planned in Southaven. 

Last April, the Southern Environmental Law Center also captured drone footage of gas turbines at the Memphis site — 30 of them. The most recent footage showed 15, but public records showed that 18 of 27 turbines had been used since November. 

Former EPA air enforcement chief Bruce Buckheit said: "That is a violation of the law."

After public pushback, the Memphis site did receive permits for 15 of the turbines. 

Why are these turbines concerning?

The reason for the pushback is how damaging this pollution can be for communities. Krystal Polk, a longtime resident of Southaven, said she has had to leave her home and change her retirement plans because the pollution is detrimental to her health — she has asthma. 

She told the Guardian: "We are a casualty of the whole data center race." 

While these turbines are powering xAI's chatbot Grok, they also produce harmful gases that contribute to health issues like asthma, heart attacks, and lung cancer.

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The Guardian reported that "the facility could emit more than 6 million tons of greenhouse gases and more than 1,300 tons of health-harming air pollutants every year, according to xAI's permit application."

In addition to the pollution data centers produce when powered by fossil fuels, they are also putting a strain on the power supply, causing electricity prices to skyrocket, when families are already feeling the crunch of inflation. 

What's being done about data centers?

While Shannon Samsa has decided not to raise a family with her husband in Southhaven, she did help collect "more than 1,000 signatures for a petition demanding Mississippi authorities shut down the plant," according to the Guardian. 

More than 230 environmental groups are also fighting back against data centers, including Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, and Food and Water Watch. The coalition has called for a moratorium on further data center construction. The group feels that people are not seeing the benefit of artificial intelligence, but are feeling the strain on their electric and water bills. 

Samsa felt this sentiment, too. She said of her future kids, per the Guardian: "I don't want them to have to live in a place where their health and their overall well-being is not considered over economics."

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