Tag: Elon Musk

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Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Considers Permit for Colossus Plant

Photo by D koi on Unsplash

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s (TDEC) Division of Water Resources held a public hearing for a Water Quality State Operating Permit for the Colossus Water Recycling Plant.

The hearings, which were preceded by information sessions, were held on June 25th and 26th virtually and in-person. Participants were able to ask questions and make public comments in regards to the permit.

TDEC said they would respond to each comment, before issuing a decision on the permit.

“This specific Water Quality State Operating Permit is for operation of a reclaimed wastewater treatment plan and non-potable reuse water distribution system for restricted urban reuse,” a fact sheet on the project said.

TDEC officials said this will minimize use of potable water from the Memphis Sand Aquifer for “industrial purposes.” 

Colossus plans on pumping 13.5 million gallons of treated wastewater daily from the T.E. Maxson Wastewater Treatment Plant. xAI, Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Allen Combined Cycle Plant, and Nucor Steel will all use cooling water from this non-potable reuse water distribution system.

According to TDEC, project discussions began in September of 2024, and TDEC received the permit application in February. Officials issued a draft permit in April.

Several citizens cited their concerns and questions during the question period, where TDEC officials provided answers. Participants questioned the department on transparency, community impact, aquifer usage, and more.

Pamela Moses, president of the Hollywood Neighborhood Association and Rise Up America, questioned why members of the community were not informed about the xAI project. She also voiced concern over the limited supply of groundwater and wastewater.

“Everybody knows — well, they should know — that Memphis has the most precious water in this country,” Moses said. “It is a limited supply, so why is it that the community wasn’t involved in this?”

Ronné Adkins, deputy commissioner for the Bureau of Environment, said when they receive applications, updates are posted on the agency’s database. Adkins said though there was not a public announcement of the application, the documents were accessible to the public.

Moses went on to state that she wishes for the permit to be denied saying that the company “could not be trusted.”

“[xAI] is not coming here to uplift or invest in our community,” Moses said. “They are here to exploit it. This is a distress and is a historically neglected area. Instead of bringing opportunities, Colossus is bringing pollution, secrecy, and broken promises.”

Sarah Houston, executive director of Protect Our Aquifer, asked if a smell would be associated with the plant, and if so, how it could be addressed.

“Generally speaking, biologically treated wastewater that’s treated at a biological plant might smell a little bit musty,” Wade Murphy, a TDEC official, said. “Odor is very subjective. There shouldn’t be any smell that you don’t smell already.”

Wade said if there is a smell, it’s not something that they regulate, but the owner can “chemically mask” the scent at “their discretion.”

Bobby White, chief government affairs officer for the Greater Memphis Chamber, voiced the chamber’s support of the project during the public comment period.

“The unfortunate long-standing standard [of] how good drinking water from the aquifer is something that has been used for industrial purposes because a project like this has been thought about but never strategically entered into or thought about how it would get paid for,” White said. “I wanted to voice the interest of citizens who are concerned about drinking water and how this project is a game changer in terms of saving about 4.7 billion gallons of water.”

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Southern Environmental Law Center Threatens Lawsuit Against xAI Data Center

Photo: Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash

Environmental justice advocates are demanding xAI officials be held accountable for the operation of gas turbines at the Memphis data center.

Today, the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) sent a letter to xAI notifying the company of their intent to sue over the data center’s permitless gas turbines. The letter was sent on behalf of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Both organizations have been vocal about their concern for the facility, as well as the harm it poses to the community — specifically those in South Memphis. 

The NAACP sent a letter to the Shelby County Health Department and Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) requesting they cease operations on the facility.

SELC has long monitored the project, sending a letter in April to Dr. Michelle Taylor, director and health officer for the Shelby County Health Department. The organization said they obtained aerial images in March that showed that xAI has 35 gas turbines.

“xAI’s decision to install and operate dozens of polluting gas turbines without any permits or public oversight is a clear violation of the Clean Air Act,” SELC senior attorney Patrick Anderson said. “Over the last year, these turbines have pumped out pollution that threatens the health of Memphis families. This notice paves the way for a lawsuit that can hold xAI accountable for its unlawful refusal to get permits for its gas turbines.”

Officials sent a 60-day notice of intent to sue to xAI saying the gas turbines violate federal guidelines, stating the project is required to “obtain appropriate air permits before operating its polluting gas turbines.”

They say the company also hasn’t confirmed if they would be installing more turbines to power the facility.  The letter noted the environmental impact, saying the turbines emit formaldehyde and other chemicals linked to respiratory diseases.

“xAI’s South Memphis data center is located near predominantly Black communities that are already overburdened with industrial pollution from dozens of industrial facilities, including an oil refinery, a steel mill, and a TVA gas plant,” the SELC said.

NAACP president Derrick Johnson said xAI is taking advantage of communities and families in order to advance its corporate interests.

“We cannot afford to normalize this kind of environmental injustice — where billion-dollar companies set up polluting operations in Black neighborhoods without any permits and think they’ll get away with it because the people don’t have the power to fight back,” Johnson said.

Other local leaders have promised to push back against xAI by activating people power.

On Monday, Representative Justin J. Pearson and Memphis Community Against Pollution (MCAP) hosted an environmental justice “dinner and learn” at Mount Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church. Organizers said this event was to keep the public updated on xAI’s while also empowering people to get involved in the environmental justice movement.

“Facts matter and it’s time for the fictions of elected leaders and the chamber to be made clear so we can coordinate our fight even better,” Pearson said prior to the event.

On his social media platforms, the representative recently called out the Greater Memphis Chamber for sending out “misinformation and disinformation” about xAI. He referenced informational sheets from the Chamber, along with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA); Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW); and more.

“We feel that it is important to share with you that xAI — and the supercomputer launched in Memphis in the spring of 2024 — has operated in full compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations and oversight,” a screenshot of the sheet read.

Pearson called this “propaganda,” said the project had not followed federal regulations, and referenced violations of the Clean Air Act.

“We have a responsibility as elected officials — as people — to tell the truth,” Pearson said. “We have to have a baseline of information by which we can be activated and advocates.”

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‘Young Folks Rally’ Set to Oppose xAI for Environmental Justice

An aerial view of xAI's South Memphis Colossus shows gas turbines running to power the facility. (Photo: Southern Environmental Law Center)

Young people are set to rally Saturday against Elon Musk’s xAI project in the name of environmental justice.

Two groups — Young Minds United and Tigers Versus Musk — are hosting a Young Folks Rally at the Kukutana Museum Ballroom located at 1036 Firestone Avenue on Saturday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

“While many city leaders, including Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, believe that xAI is ‘not a threat’ and ‘monetarily good for Memphis,’ as citizens and the people who have to live with the consequences of these short-term decisions, we beg to differ,” Young Minds United said in a statement. 

Historically, young people have been at the heart of social justice and resistance  movements. A survey of 1,000 Americans from the United Way of the National Capital Area found that a third of Gen Zers are involved in activism work.

While the numbers are there, Jasmine Bernard, co-founder of Young Minds United, feels like history books intentionally don’t reflect this.

“Systems like adultism make it seem like youth don’t have as much say, when in reality we’re one of the strongest bodies in our country,” Bernard said. “As youth, we know the power that we have and we know how much people try to limit that.”

Bernard has always been interested in climate change, which prompted her to get involved in social justice. However, as someone living in South Memphis for a majority of her life she’s personally experienced how these injustices have plagued marginalized communities.

The rising high school junior noted that groups like Tigers Versus Musk are filled with college-aged people. While Bernard became involved in the group, she realized that she could engage youth and young people by starting Young Minds United.

“I was able to connect with other youth who felt just as passionately about these areas and share expertise,” she said. 

Bernard’s first time being able to publicly engage in conversation about xAI was during a fireside chat hosted by Memphis Community Against Pollution (MCAP) with Memphis Mayor Paul Young. 

In a video that went viral, Bernard can be seen telling Young and the crowd, “All money is not good money.”

A major criticism of the xAI project has been the lack of transparency about the project. Public officials have touted these chats and other public forums as moves towards transparency around xAI.

“It’s hard to see the people who are supposed to protect you not do that, especially when it’s not just the police,” Bernard said. “Your Black mayor, your Black county mayor, you see them as people who are supposed to care about their constituents. So, when you see them talk — like Mayor Lee Harris — [saying] xAI isn’t a threat, but it’s physically causing health side effects to the people in South Memphis, it’s kind of disappointing.”

Bernard said she’s still grappling with how to work with officials, but notes it can be hard to, specifically for those coming from oppressed and disadvantaged backgrounds. While she said some of these systems weren’t made for groups like women, Black people, and youth, strides can be made from the outside.

“If we come together as a force, that makes people intimidated,” Bernard said. “Youth decisions are so important, and you can’t make decisions for youth without youth. Nothing about us can be without us.”

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Temporary xAI Turbines To Be Removed in Coming Months

Photo Credit: Southern Environmental Law Center

As the xAI project prepares to enter its second phase, some of the temporary gas turbines will be removed over the next two months.

An announcement from the Greater Memphis Chamber said the project reached “full operational capacity” on Thursday, May 1st, as it is now receiving 150 megawatts of grid power from Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

The chamber said an additional 150 megawatts of Megapack Batteries have been added and will be used in case of an outage or “peak grid demand.”

Prior to connecting to the grid, the company used natural gas turbines as a source of power, which the chamber said are now being demobilized. As the project prepares for Phase II, half of the turbines will remain until a second substation is completed and ready to connect to the electric grid.

Officials said the substation is already in construction and is planned for fall 2025, to which the remaining turbines “will be relegated to a backup power role.”

“xAI is committed to Memphis through their sustainable environmental practices,” the chamber said in a statement. “The company is participating in the Demand Response program as outlined by MLGW and is exploring ways to provide energy to the grid for the benefit of the community, especially in emergency situations or other times of need.”

The gas turbines have been a source of controversy for community members and advocacy groups. Groups such as the Southern Environmental Law Center have criticized xAI for the amount of power these turbines have generated.

“Our analysis shows these turbines together have a power generating capacity of 421 megawatts — comparable to an entire TVA power plant — all constructed and operating unlawfully without any air permit in Southwest Memphis, a community that is profoundly overburdened with industrial pollution,” SELC said in a statement.

The Shelby County Health Department is currently in the process of deciding whether or not they will grant air permits for the gas turbines. Officials said the decision could take weeks, as their next steps are responding to comments made during their official public comment period.

Health department officials have noted that the permit is for 15 permanent turbines, and not 35, which SELC brought attention to in a letter to Michelle Taylor, director and health officer for the Shelby County Health Department.

The announcement of xAI’s connection comes after a resolution was passed on Monday by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners for an update to be given from both TVA and MLGW for the “remaining steps and time necessary to connect xAI to the local utility grid.”

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Greater Memphis Chamber Addresses xAI Concerns During Webinar

Ted Townsend, Kontji Anthony, and Shannon Lynn

The Greater Memphis Chamber attributes their “lack of transparency” regarding the xAI project to market stability and competitive advantage.

“Confidentiality is actually really important when it comes to economic development projects,” Bobby White, chief government affairs officer for the Chamber, said. “We have unfortunately experienced this in the past where projects and information about them have slipped and become public knowledge, and we’ve lost projects.”

These comments were made Wednesday during a webinar hosted by the Greater Memphis Chamber to address community questions about xAI’s turbines, water usage, and more. Media personality Kontji Anthony moderated the conversation and called xAI the biggest economic development project in Memphis history and noted the controversy looming around it.

Residents and elected officials, such as Councilwoman Yolanda Cooper-Sutton and Representative Justin J. Pearson, have criticized the city and company for the absence of public input and knowledge. Many have voiced concern about the effects it will have on citizens in Southwest Memphis.

Anthony said the purpose of Wednesday’s forum was to clear up misconceptions around the project.

White said some of these misconceptions had been heard repeatedly — specifically those surrounding water usage. He clarified that the company is not using 1 million gallons of water a day to cool the supercomputer. Instead, it is operating on a closed loop system, with no water from the aquifer being used for industrial use.

“Essentially water comes in and cools the supercomputer,” White said. “That closed loop system is why xAI is paying a water bill that’s probably comparable to what you’re paying at your house.”

He estimated that xAI is paying less than $1,000 every month because it is recycling water. He also said the company is building Memphis’ first-ever wastewater recycling facility, marking an $80 million investment.

The Chamber wanted to bring in experts to engage in conversation about gas turbine usage. Recently, the Southern Environmental Law Center ( SELC) found that 35 turbines had been operating near the facility — 20 more than previously reported.

Shannon Lynn, a principal consultant for Trinity Consultants, located in Little Rock, Arkansas, said both the temporary and permanent turbines have sparked concern. Lynn said only 15 are set to be permanent, which the company has submitted permits for.

Lynn noted concerns about formaldehyde, nitric oxide, and dioxide emissions. He said the turbines are natural gas fired and “simple products of combustion.”

“If you burn gas, you’re going to get products of combustion, and that’s what you have with these turbines,” Lynn said.

A viewer asked Lynn if he would feel safe living in close proximity to the turbines. Lynn said he has had experience with this in Arkansas, as a data center was built within two miles of his home. He said if the control technology, equipment, and programs were in place along with working with a regulatory body he would feel safe.

Ted Townsend, president and CEO of the Chamber, said the city is already seeing the positive effects of landing the “world’s largest supercomputer,” representing a “tremendous investment.”

He said this deal has attracted other companies to Memphis, creating more jobs and investments into the Memphis economy.

“Success is now,” Townsend said. “I think over the next five, 10, 20 years you’re gonna see a higher concentration of this tech innovation and we’re really the epicenter of AI computing if you think about having the power of a supercomputer localized right here in Memphis.”

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At Large Opinion

Turdus Migratorius

Photo: Petar Kremenarov | Dreamstime.com

I’m sitting on the deck, sipping a fresh-brewed cup of early coffee. It’s Easter, and the air is clear and bright and alive, offering the promise of another glorious Memphis spring day. The earth has resurrected itself and donned its finest vestments: Azaleas, dogwoods, irises, shamrocks, lantana — all manner of flowers large and small are in full bloom, turning the city, and my own backyard, into a celebration of color.

There is a mixed chorus of birdsong coming from the trees above. I listen for awhile and recognize the chirpy stylings of our resident Carolina wrens, cardinals, and mockingbirds, but there’s one persistent call I should know and can’t place. After a check of my Merlin Bird ID app, the mystery is soon revealed. It’s the cheery morning song of a — wait for it — Turdus migratorius, probably the commonest bird of all in these parts, better known as the American robin. Merlin says it’s a “fairly large songbird with round body parts. … Gray above, with warm orange underparts.”

Turdus migratorius? Round body parts? Warm orange underparts? C’mon. How can it be that even Latin bird names are conspiring to divert my brain on this lovely morning and send my thoughts to the unlovely news all too easily located elsewhere on my phone? 

There’s no escaping it. Every day brings a new horror as President Turdus deconstructs our government and tightens his control over We the People. He’s intentionally crippling the pillars of our republic, cutting funding for Social Security, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the IRS, the Department of Energy, our national parks, NPR, Voice of America, the NOAA, the FDIC, Veterans Affairs, the National Science Foundation, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Just last week, he tossed FEMA onto the bonfire of his vanities. Federal disaster relief is now going to be defunded. Cool. 

And it’s not just the government. Trump’s putting the squeeze on law firms, universities, the media, nonprofits, students, and immigrants of every color except white, should they dare to stand up to the mighty American Robbin’. And it gets worse.

As I write this, the president has ignored at least one Supreme Court ruling for more than a week, with more SCOTUS cases to come. A genuine constitutional crisis is brewing, one which stems from the fact that the chief executive of the United States has literally seized power from the other two branches of government before our very eyes — in less than 100 days.

To control the judiciary, Trump began by ignoring the long-standing tradition of appointing an independent attorney general in favor of his pal Pam Bondi, the same woman who engineered a sweetheart “home confinement” deal for known pedophile Jeffrey Epstein when she was Florida’s attorney general. She’s also the woman who declined to prosecute Trump for his Trump University scam after receiving a $25,000 campaign donation from Trump’s “foundation.”

Toss in six conservative Supreme Court justices, three of whom were appointed by Trump, and the odds of the Justice Department stopping Orange Underparts are slim. Plus, they have no enforcement powers except for the U.S. Marshals, which are controlled by Bondi.

And when it comes to the GOP-controlled Congress, it appears Trump has only to breathe the threat of primarying a Republican politician with Elon Musk’s billions and they line up like good little soldiers and head over to Fox News to spew the latest White House drivel.

And lest we forget, there are the incredibly foolish and soon-to-be-costly tariffs and the impetuous destruction of relationships with long-standing allies. Worst of all is the realization that we live in a time in the United States of America where masked, non-uniformed agents are literally abducting people — throwing them into vehicles, taking them from their families and friends, and sending them to prisons here and abroad. No attorneys, no judges, no juries, no court appearances, no sentences. Welcome to the new USA.

Back in Memphis, Turdus migratorius is still singing sweetly above me as I scroll my phone and see that on the Fox News app, the top story on this beautiful Easter Sunday is: “Trump shreds Biden, ‘Radical Left Lunatics’ in Easter message.” Just as Jesus would have done, no doubt. Lord, help us. 

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Southwest Memphis Residents Receive xAI ‘Propaganda’ in Mailboxes

Photo Credit: Rep. Justin Pearson

Residents in Southwest Memphis have reportedly received “fact sheets” from an anonymous organization regarding the xAI turbines operating in their community.

This information comes from Representative Justin J. Pearson’s newsletter “People Power Times”. According to Pearson, a group called “Facts Over Fear” has placed “propaganda” in residents’ mailboxes that claim that the company’s gas turbines are “minor polluters.”

The mail said the turbines are designed to protect the air with “air quality levels similar to those from a neighborhood gas station. It cited that the Environmental Protection Agency refers to facilities like the xAI plant as “minor contributors” to air quality.

 While the group said there are only 15 turbines operating, Pearson said this is false.

“Thanks to the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), we know the truth – there are actually 35 gas turbines on site,” Pearson said. “The misinformation being sent to our neighbors conveniently leaves out the 20 additional gas turbines xAI failed to report.”

Pearson referenced an April 9 letter from SELC to Dr. Michelle Taylor, director and health officer for the Shelby County Health Department. The organization said they obtained aerial images in March that showed that xAI has 35 gas turbines.

Photo Credit: Southern Environmental Law Center

“Our analysis shows these turbines together have a power generating capacity of 421 megawatts – comparable to an entire TVA power plant – all constructed and operating unlawfully without any air permit in Southwest Memphis, a community that is profoundly overburdened with industrial pollution.”

The turbines have been linked to emitting an “estimated” 16.7 tons of formaldehyde.

“I am both disgusted and furious that anyone would downplay the harmful impact this plant is having on our air, our health, and our future,” Pearson said.

Southwest Memphis residents have been vocal at town halls, meetings of elected bodies, and on social media about the lack of transparency regarding the project, as well as the impact on their community.  Pearson said many officials have “signed non-disclosure agreements promising to keep xAI’s plans a secret.”

These comments come as the Shelby County Health Department collects public comments from ahead of the Air Pollution Control Permit Application Public Hearing on April 25.

Pearson said he and other residents will continue to hold community leaders accountable for this “shameful legacy of environmental injustice.”

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Politics Politics Feature

Bonfire!

Official portrait of President Donald J. Trump, Friday, October 6, 2017. (Official White House photo by Shealah Craighead)

It’s been a matter of weeks since President Donald Trump single-handedly deprived the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) board of its quorum, and the giant semi-public utility may come to figure in crucial decisions regarding Elon Musk’s controversial Colossus xAI project in Memphis.

When Trump issued walking papers to two members of an already truncated TVA board, he effectively deprived the board of its ability to vote on policy shifts and other matters of consequence. 

The utility’s rules require the presence of five active and voting members to constitute a quorum. At full strength, the board would number nine directors, but attrition of various kinds over the years had previously reduced the board’s membership to five.

That membership now stands at only four after Trump, in successive acts, fired both Michelle Moore, a well-known “clean power” advocate, and Board Chairman Joe Ritch. The president gave no reasons for either firing, but coincidentally or not, his actions came in the immediate wake of public prodding from Tennessee’s two Republican senators for changes in the Authority’s leadership.

In an op-ed that appeared in the industry periodical Power magazine on March 24th, senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty had expressed doubt that the TVA leadership, as then constituted, was up to the need, as they saw it, of jump-starting a new era of reinvigorated nuclear power.  

“With the right courageous leadership, TVA could lead the way in our nation’s nuclear energy revival, empower us to dominate the 21st century’s global technology competition, and cement President Trump’s legacy as ‘America’s Nuclear President,’” the senators wrote. 

Within days of the op-ed’s publication, the TVA board, then still at quorum strength, if only barely, named the utility’s chief operating officer, Don Moul, to serve as the CEO of TVA. (For what it’s worth, the two senators had wanted a new CEO from outside the Authority’s ranks.) Almost immediately after Moul’s appointment, Trump would fire the two board members, thereby stalling any immediate initiatives on TVA’s part beyond matters of basic maintenance. That would include oversight activity vis-à-vis the energy situation of Memphis.

Ultimately Trump will have the prerogative of restocking the board to quorum strength, with his nominations in theory drawn from all reaches of the Authority’s operating area, which comprises all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. Members, subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate, serve five-year terms. 

Created under FDR, TVA is no longer taxpayer-funded but is still federally owned. One way or another, politics plays a major role in its operation, and critics of Musk are increasingly conscious that the contours of the Trump ally’s giant xAI program are rapidly expanding, with its demands on available energy from MLGW mounting well beyond what the original estimates were when Musk acquired the vacant Electrolux property to house the supercomputer last year.

Memphis Mayor Paul Young is now finding himself under fire for his apparent acquiescence with the Musk project. In a blistering letter to Young, Shelby County Health Department Director Michelle Taylor criticized the mayor for not imposing stricter air-quality controls on the Colossus project, which is requiring the use of even more gas turbines — potentially as many as 35.

Amid an upsurge in various forums and ad hoc opposition groups, one leader of a burgeoning citizen revolt is Representative Justin Pearson, immersing himself in anti-xAI activities in the manner of his successful 2021 opposition to a gas pipeline. 

More and more obviously, the xAI matter is rising to a potentially dominant status politically, almost on a scale with the city’s No. 1 bugaboo, crime. And uneasiness about the Trump-Musk alliance could be a major part of that concern. 

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Health Department To Hold Public Hearing for xAI Air Permits

Elon Musk. Photo by Trevor Cokley / Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A resolution for the Shelby County Health Department to host a public hearing regarding xAI’s air permits has been passed by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners.

The resolution, sponsored by Commissioner Britney Thornton, urged the Shelby County Health Department to host a public meeting “prior to the approval or denial of the permit submitted by CTC Property LLC, an affiliate of xAI for the long-term operations of 15 methane gas turbines in South Memphis.”

Keshaun Pearson, executive director of Memphis Community Against Pollution, said this resolution would suspend the air-permitting process as the permit is not for the “current pollution” but “more pollution,” as xAI intends to bring more turbines in.

Groups such as Young, Gifted, and Green, MCAP, and Black Voters Matter along with several community members have openly condemned the project — with the news of the turbines operating for almost a year further amplifying outrage.

“Elon Musk holds nothing but malice for the people of Memphis [and] Shelby County,” Brandy Price said during the public comment section of the meeting. “To vote in favor of anything that aids Elon Musk will be a stain on yourself.”

Several people have spoken about the environmental risks that the project poses. Jonathan Reid, a resident of South Memphis, urged the commission to not only vote in favor of public hearings, but to “bring science to the table” when evaluating the project.

“I would like to know down the road when Elon Musk do[es] all this gas stuff what’s going to happen to the health of South Memphians?” Barbara Denton, a 72-year resident of South Memphis said. “Health is not being considered. All y’all want is money. It’s all about politics and money when it comes to South Memphis. Why does South Memphis have to get the neglect of being Black – mostly 90 percent? If y’all want to move something, move it Downtown. Let’s move it Downtown and see how it works for you.”

Dr. Michelle Taylor, director of the Shelby County Department of Health, acknowledged the community’s comments and said the public comment period is open now through April 30th. Residents can review xAI’s permit application and leave comments through the department’s website.

“We only can do as much as current legislation allows us to do,” Taylor said. “We did request an EPA community assessment. We requested, twice, in two letters to the EPA in August.  We received a response on November 1 of 2024 saying they could not do the report.”

Taylor assured that the Health Department is committed to being held accountable by both the commission and the community.

The resolution passed 8-3 with one abstaining from voting.

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Organizers Urge County Officials Be Held Accountable for xAI Project

Photo: Black Voters Matter

While many residents have criticized Memphis Mayor Paul Young for the city’s role in Elon Musk’s xAI project, community organizers say Shelby County officials should not only be held responsible, they should intervene as well.

On Monday night, the group Black Voters Matter facilitated a virtual conversation called “Stop the xAI Shelby County Takeover” where KeShaun Pearson of Memphis Community Against Pollution said the Shelby County Health Department is responsible for regulating environmental concerns — which have been at the center of the xAI controversy.

To address this, Pearson met with Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris last week about the presence of xAI’s gas turbines — which many did not know had been operating for about a year.

In June 2024, Harris released a statement commending the Greater Memphis Chamber for “leading” the xAI project into fruition and called it a “monumental opportunity for Memphis and Shelby County.”

While Pearson addressed the “atrocity” of the situation, he said Harris is in support of a resolution that is headed to the Shelby County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday before the Commission’s Hospitals and Health Committee.

The resolution, sponsored by Commissioner Britney Thornton, urges the Shelby County Health Department to host a public meeting “prior to the approval or denial of the permit submitted by CTC Property LLC, an affiliate of xAI for the long-term operations of 15 methane gas turbines in South Memphis.”

Pearson said this resolution would suspend the air-permitting process as the permit is not for the “current pollution” but “more pollution,” as xAI intends to bring more turbines in.

“The damage here on a human level in an ecosystem that is trying to flourish, that is so beautiful — it’s so dangerous,” Pearson said. “It’s incumbent, and it’s a responsibility of the people who have signed the paperwork to say they ‘will be employed here and work for the people’ to show up and do that.”

Amber Sherman, local political strategist, said it’s important for people to know “who the power players are” and how these processes work. Sherman’s comments come after MCAP hosted “A Fireside Chat with Mayor Paul Young” on Saturday, March 22nd.

Pearson said the conversation was “representative of what people are feeling,” noting that many people felt “left out of the entire process.” He said he was glad citizens were able to challenge Young on his “positive position” regarding xAI.

Sherman noted that several people wondered why Young “wasn’t doing anything” and felt like Young should have emphasized how “the power works.”

“You’re not throwing someone under the bus to make sure people know who’s responsible,” Sherman said. “Saying that the Shelby County Health Department is the one who issues permits doesn’t throw them under the bus — it just points out the direct target who we should be talking to, so everyone isn’t pissed off at you all the time.”

Pearson noted that while Young may not have all the authority citizens expect him to, he isn’t “absolved” from working on the city’s end.

“What we can’t allow is for people to scapegoat other organizations,” Pearson said. “It is a bit of standing in your power and really using the authority that has been given to you in ways that exist, and not to perform this kind of learned helplessness that ‘we can’t do anything’ [or] ‘I can only do so much.’ Do everything and then get innovative on how to do more.”