Mississippi family says Musk's data-center build-out is forcing them off land farmed for generations

A family in Mississippi says nearby development tied to Elon Musk's growing data-center presence has made it hard for them to remain on land their relatives have worked for generations.

According to CBS News, the conflict involves a two-acre parcel in Southaven, close to the Tennessee line.

Krystal Polk said her family used the property to raise livestock, grow food, and host holidays and milestone celebrations. She said those conditions have been replaced by nonstop noise and concerns about air quality from a power plant that serves Musk's SpaceXAI data centers.

Here's what to know

For Polk, the property is more than real estate. She said it has remained in her family for four generations, obtained "before people of color were allowed to have land."

She made ice cream there as a child, celebrated her rehearsal dinner there, and had once hoped to spend her retirement there.

She said those plans unraveled when a power plant was constructed across the street to support data centers in the Memphis area.

Polk described the plant's "constant roaring" as similar to standing near airport runways, "but they never take off."

The project is one piece of a much larger regional expansion by Musk. Work on the Colossus 1 data center started in 2024, and two additional data centers were announced by January 2026. Musk also said in July that another nearby site called "Minihard" was coming.

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said the developments represent more than $20 billion in investment and will "bring amazing opportunities to its residents for generations."

More background

Polk said the sound is not her only concern. Several people in her family, including Polk herself, have asthma, and she fears fumes from the plant's gas turbines could worsen the danger.

"I'm afraid that we're going to be those casualties," she said.

Those worries have already reached the courts. In April, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and other organizations sued xAI and its subsidiary, MZX Tech, alleging that the plant "emits significant amounts of harmful pollutants."

Then, in June, SpaceXAI asked that the lawsuit be dismissed, while the Department of Justice separately sought to intervene and have the case thrown out, arguing that the matter touches on national security and Mississippi's legal permitting process.

A separate review by EmPower Analytics Group concluded that swapping 69 temporary turbines for 41 permanent ones would still increase local air pollution and disproportionately affect Black communities in the area.

What's being done?

Neighbors have started organizing. More than 1,400 people have signed a petition from the resident-led Safe and Sound Coalition demanding that the plant be closed, and the group's director, 27-year-old physician assistant Shannon Samsa, has addressed city meetings about what she sees as the health risks for residents and future patients.

SpaceXAI said in a July press release that it intends to invest millions in sound walls and silencers using "advanced quieting technologies."

Residents, however, said that the single sound wall installed so far has not meaningfully reduced the noise.

State officials said MZX Tech was required, during permitting, to demonstrate that the planned facility would remain within air-quality limits.

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality also said it remains committed to protecting public health and the environment, although it declined to discuss outside reports and active litigation.

Polk also said she has repeatedly been approached about selling the property. She said real estate company Cushman & Wakefield contacted her several times for an unnamed client, leading her to submit a Better Business Bureau complaint accusing the firm of harassment and manipulation. The company said it did not use pressure tactics.

For Polk, the dispute is still rooted in family history and memory.

As she put it: "He asked me to please keep it as much as I could within reason. I'm not sure if you could offer a value."

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