Tag: Elon Musk

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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.”

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At Large Opinion

Social Insecurity

Photo: Pojoslaw | Dreamstime.com

On the fourth Wednesday of each month, a four-figure amount from the U.S. government gets deposited into my bank account. I wouldn’t want to try to subsist solely on my Social Security check, but it’s an invaluable source of income for me in my semi-retirement, and it’s a fund I’ve contributed to since I was in high school, working as a pharmacy stock boy. 

President-Select Elon Musk said on Joe Rogan’s podcast recently that Social Security is a “Ponzi scheme” and spouted several statistics that were quickly debunked. “We’ll make mistakes,” Musk said, when asked about it. That didn’t stop President Trump from repeating Musk’s statistical lies in his address to Congress last week. Trump added that Social Security suffered from “shocking levels of incompetence and probable fraud.”

Let’s look at their claims: A Ponzi scheme is a system in which the con artist tricks a lot of people into investing in a scam. If investors want to withdraw their money, the scammer pays back the early investors with money he’s gotten from more recent investors.

In a broad sense, that is the case with Social Security; the people paying into it now are covering the checks of those who are retired or disabled. If, as is happening now, the birth-rate goes down and people are living longer, there can be a funding problem. But, as many economists have pointed out, the solution is simple: Americans contribute to Social Security up to an annual income of $176,000. Raising the top salary level for paying into Social Security to $200,000 would fix the issue for years to come. Another Social Security Administration (SSA) analysis says that an “increase in the combined payroll tax rate from 12.4 percent to 14.4 percent” would make the program sustainable for the next 75 years. That’s not a Ponzi scheme or a crisis. It’s an amendable budget line-item that Congress could address tomorrow.

Regarding Trump’s statements about incompetence and fraud? As hard as it is to believe, he’s lying. Trump told Congress and the American public that 16 million people over the age of 100 received Social Security payments, including 130,000 supposedly over 160 years old. As several media outlets reported after Musk first made these allegations, the SSA’s beneficiaries chart shows that just 89,106 people over age 99 are receiving retirement funds. That number (which includes my own dear mother) is a long way from 16 million. As for fraud, the SSA inspector general reported in 2024 that .84 percent of benefits paid between 2015 and 2022 were improper.

So why are the two most powerful men in the country spewing disinformation about the SSA? Simple. They are attempting to soften up the public for cuts in services. DOGE, Musk’s stealthy pseudo-government agency, is cutting 7,000 SSA workers for starters, and the number of regional SSA offices has been trimmed from 10 to four. Will that mean those of us who receive SS checks should worry? I’m going to go with “yes.”

Here’s what former SSA chief Michael O’Malley told CNN: “Ultimately, you’re going to see the system collapse and an interruption of benefits. … I believe you will see that within the next 30 to 90 days.”

This is speculation, of course, and O’Malley is a Democrat, but here’s what Leland Dudek, the man Trump appointed to head SSA, said in a recent meeting, according to The Washington Post: “DOGE people are learning and they will make mistakes, but we have to let them see what is going on at SSA. I am relying on longtime career people to inform my work, but I am receiving decisions that are made without my input. I have to effectuate those decisions.” Reassuring, eh? 

Here’s the bottom line on all this: The “DOGE people” have access to the personal and financial information of every American citizen — living or dead — who has paid into Social Security. What they will do with that private intel is anybody’s guess because they sure aren’t going to tell us. I do know this much: If DOGE screws up with the SSA as badly as they’ve screwed up with some of the other government agencies they’ve defenestrated, our social security benefits could very well be interrupted. If that happens, it will be torch-and-pitchfork time among the citizenry. And it won’t be pretty.  

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xAI Buys 1M SF Facility for Expansion in Whitehaven

Credit: Greater Memphis Chamber via X

Elon Musk’s xAI will further expand its Memphis operations with the purchase of a 1 million-square-foot facility in Whitehaven, the Greater Memphis Chamber announced on Friday.  

The acquisition builds on xAI’s December 2024 announcement regarding the expansion of its Colossus supercomputer facility and the attraction of major tech partners. The facility at the former Electrolux building in Southwest Memphis, which opened last year, powers “Grok,” the company’s artificial intelligence system.

“xAI’s acquisition of this property ensures we’ll remain at the forefront of AI innovation, right here in Memphis,” stated Brent Mayo from xAI. “We’re committed to expanding alongside this community and doing what’s best for the city. As we transform this property and enhance our facility, we’ll bring more employment opportunities and economic growth to the area.”

The expansion announcement follows news of an $80 million water recycling facility to be in Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park. The facility will process up to 13 million gallons of wastewater daily, eliminating the need to draw from the Memphis Sand Aquifer for industrial use. This facility is expected to save about 4.7 billion gallons of water in the aquifer annually, a 9 percent reduction in demand as it will serve other major industrial users in the region.

The new facility also features the world’s largest Tesla Megapack system, designed specifically for supercomputing and data center operations, ensuring the facility won’t draw from the grid during demand response periods, prioritizing the energy needs of Memphis residents and surrounding communities, according to the Chamber.

The price tag of the investment on the new facility was not given by the Chamber.  

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At Large Opinion

Big Boss Man

Elon Musk (Photo: Frédéric Legrand | Dreamstime.com)

I’ve been the editor of several publications in my career. I managed teams of writers and editors — and did my best to empower them, motivate them, and get them to work together to produce newspapers and magazines we could all be proud of. I was, to use the term loosely, a “boss.” I made my share of mistakes, but I always tried to treat my employees with respect and compassion.

I’ve also been an employee for most of my career, working for publishers in Missouri; Washington, D.C.; Pittsburgh; and Memphis. Almost all of my bosses were great people, but I’ve had a couple of stinkers, and they had something in common: They had no idea what their employees did to create the product and didn’t really care to learn. They’d never written, edited, interviewed, researched, reported, or had to meet a printer’s immoveable deadline. They were bottom-line guys who treated their employees as though they were working in a widget factory. 

One of them (in a city that shall remain nameless) called a staff meeting in the conference room on his first day. (This, I should mention, was after we’d watched for a week as the publisher’s office underwent a massive redo: plush Oriental carpet, gleaming teak desk, sleek lamps, cushy couch and chairs.) Anyway, our new boss looked around at the 15 or so writers, art directors, and editors gathered in front of him and said: “You’re probably asking yourselves, ‘What does this dude know about magazines? He’s a real estate guy.’ Well, let me tell you, folks, I read lots of magazines and I know a good one when I see one. And we’re going to put out a great magazine and we’re going to add 25 percent to the bottom line. And if you’re not ready for some big changes, you should leave this room right now.”

Nobody left the room, but everybody knew one thing: We were now working for an asshole. His first directive was to have everyone write down what they did each week and how many hours it took. (If you think anyone’s response didn’t add up to 40 or more hours, you’re pretty naive.) A month later, he called me into his office and told me he was firing our popular food writer, the senior copy editor, and an associate art director. We didn’t need them, he said. The remaining staff could pick up the slack. He didn’t bother to ask how I thought we might be able to save some money on editorial costs; he just made an arbitrary decision.

Any of us who has had to deal with that kind of capricious overlord should be able to relate to what hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been going through recently, as Elon Musk, a man with little understanding of (or respect for) what any of them do, runs a chain saw through their agencies, eliminating people who inspect and direct our airplanes, protect our food from contamination, provide disaster relief, run our national parks, and administer Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid funds. 

Most horrifying of all, Musk has fired 6,700 people at IRS and is seeking access to the financial information of every taxpayer, business, and nonprofit in the country. Giving that kind of power to anyone, let alone an erratic South African billionaire with no official government title, is incredibly foolish. 

Speaking of which: On Saturday, Musk sent the following email to more than a million federal employees at the F.B.I., State Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Personnel Management, Food and Drug Administration, Veterans Affairs Department, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: “Please reply to this email with approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished this week and cc your manager.”

Sound familiar? This kind of directive is so utterly stupid. Who thinks any employee would be unable to come up with five things that they did at their job? And who’s going to review the hundreds of thousands of responses? It’s pointless busy work, meant only to intimidate and induce fear. It’s the tactic of a weak man, someone who thinks he’s running a widget factory, someone with no idea of how to be a real leader. Unfortunately, the Democratic party hasn’t found the courage to call out this reckless deconstruction of our public agencies in any organized or meaningful way. That window is rapidly closing, and it’s time to stand tall. Like a boss. 

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Public Concerns Grow as City Moves Forward With xAI Project

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

Members of the Memphis community have continuously voiced their opposition to Elon Musk’s xAI supercomputer project, and the approval of a land deal along with recent news of the city’s investment into the Colossus Water Recycle Plant have amplified public dissent.

When the xAI deal was announced, community leaders and advocates openly opposed the project due to its negative environmental impact and disproportionate effect on minority communities.

Groups such as the Southern Environmental Law Center; Young, Gifted & Green; and Memphis Community Against Pollution (MCAP) have written letters openly opposing the project, and these concerns have only grown louder.

Today, Mayor Young posted on Facebook that city council approved land acquisition for the future Colossus Water Recycle Plant, an $80 million “investment in green infrastructure to protect our aquifer and safeguard our water for the long term.”

“This is a big win for our entire community,” Young said.

According to the group Protect Our Aquifer, the Colossus Water Recycle Plant will be used to “reduce aquifer usage” of the Colossus supercomputer and “other nearby industries.” The plant will be placed in Southwest Memphis at the former Electrolux facility.

The mayor went on to say that environmental concerns were a “top priority” from the beginning, and that when the electrical grid is experiencing high demand, xAI will move to “100 percent battery power.”

“We have an opportunity to position Memphis as a leader in AI and technology, but we have to do it responsibly,” Young said. “Together, we’re charting a path towards a sustainable future that protects our aquifer and ensures this investment benefits all Memphians for generations to come.”

While the mayor’s post seemed to address the looming environmental concerns, citizens are still not satisfied with the city’s decision.

“This is a very bad business decision,” a Facebook user by the name Richard Faulkner said. “This was blatant disrespect to all Black people in this city.”

Local drag performer and community activist Moth Moth Moth (aka Mothie) is encouraging people to write to Mayor Young regarding “urgent concerns” on the project through an email campaign. Mothie has provided an email prompt on their social media account.

“We stand at a critical apex of our city’s history, ” Mothie said.  “As the world changes all around us, let’s future-proof Memphis against authoritarianism and environmental ruin. The people of Memphis are bigger and more powerful than a lame computer will ever be. Invest instead with the incredible people of Memphis and you will see this city blossom.”

These comments come a week after the Memphis City Council approved an $820K land deal for the xAI facility, which is projected to use over 10 million gallons of wastewater a day.

Over the weekend, The Tennessee Holler posted a video of last Tuesday’s council meeting showing the discussion between xAI representative Brent Mayo, who was joined by Mayor Paul Young during the presentation.

The video shows Councilwoman Yolanda Cooper-Sutton saying that she wanted more transparency for the citizens of the city.

“We want to do good business with people,” Cooper-Sutton said. “Your boss doesn’t do good business.”

Councilman JB Smiley Jr. immediately intervened, advising Cooper-Sutton to stop and saying he would mute her microphone — which he eventually did. He said his reasoning was because the council’s rules of decorum do not allow “personal attacks from members of [the] body.”

“We have a situation here,” Councilwoman Pearl Eva Walker said. “I say this kindly and respectfully, but there is a lot of pushback in the community. Nobody says to us as a body how we should address that or handle that.”

The video, which was reposted by Memphis social media account @unapollogeticallyMemphis, allowed space for more users to echo these sentiments in the comments.

“Memphians, DO NOT TRUST ELON MUSHHEAD,” a user by the name @Randy.booktravel commented. “I do not remember any public information provided for this project he all of a sudden decided to put here.”