Elon Musk memphis – Memphis Flyer

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.”

Environmental Leaders Urge Public Transparency, Input On xAI Project

On Wednesday, community leaders and advocacy groups here called for more transparency surrounding Elon Musk’s xAI project, a project they openly oppose because of its negative environmental impact and disproportionate effect on minority communities.

These leaders gathered in front of the Downtown Memphis Commission office before a planned private meeting between xAI representative Brent Mayo and the Greater Memphis Chamber. Officials from Protect Our Aquifer, Memphis Community Against Pollution (MCAP), and Young, Gifted & Green released a joint statement saying Mayo has “ignored requests for dialogue and demands for transparency from the community.”

In July, the groups asked city leaders to deny an electricity deal for the project and demanded a public review of the project. A letter from the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) outlined community concern and condemned Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW)’s CEO Doug McGowen for approving an electricity deal.

According to SELC, MLGW has requested that the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) provide 150 megawatts of power to xAI. SELC said this demand is enough to power 100,000 homes. MCAP and Young, Gifted & Green joined the Sierra Club Tennessee Chapter and the Sierra Club Chickasaw Group in signing the SELC’s letter.

Many condemned the Chamber for its lack of transparency, specifically towards those in the Black community, and said its decision goes against the 17 principles of environmental justice. LaTricea D. Adams, founder, CEO, and president of Young, Gifted & Green, said the Chamber exhibited exclusionary, experimental, and racist practices.

“As a Memphian by choice and birthright I am deeply troubled by the decision made by the [Greater Memphis Chamber] to bring xAI to a Black community with absolutely no community engagement, particularly from the Black residents who will be directly impacted,” Adams said.

Memphis City Council Member Yolanda Cooper-Sutton, representative of District 3, called the company “monstrous” and said it was disappointing to find this out through the media. She said taxpayers deserve to have a seat at the table like the elite of the city.

“We as a people here in Memphis — a predominantly Black city, the poorest of the poorest — have not been allowed to be engaged in this impact that is going to impact our lives, the future of our children, the future of our children’s children, and the future of our children’s children’s children,” Cooper-Sutton said.

Paul Klein, co-chair of the Memphis chapter of the Climate Reality Project, further outlined how minority communities and those living in South Memphis are disproportionately affected by climate change. He said South Memphis has four times the cancer rate compared to the rest of the city and there were 17 toxic release facilities prior to xAI’s announcement.

“We feel that it is imperative to require that xAI put their promises in writing, such as their commitments to enlarge our wastewater treatment plants and then to use only treated wastewater for cooling,” Klein said. “It needs to be in a legally enforceable community benefit agreement.”

KeShaun Pearson, president of MCAP, said the best case scenario is that the Greater Memphis Chamber uses their influence to change how xAI operates in the community and to include the community to influence more sustainable operation. He added they aren’t against economic development but are proponents of ethical operation.

Pearson said they are used to the city making large-scale decisions without consulting with residents. He said he looks at this as an opportunity for the Chamber to “do something different.”

“Unfortunately, this is business as usual,” Pearson said. “We can no longer do business as usual in the city of Memphis, Tennessee. This way of moving does not move us forward. It continuously connects us to fossil fuels. It continuously oppresses the family and communities that need the most support and help.”

Advocates said they will continue to call out organizations that aided in bringing the project to Memphis without the community’s input.