Judge allows NAACP lawsuit over xAI data center pollution to move forward

A federal judge denied xAI's motion to dismiss an NAACP lawsuit alleging the company installed and operated at least 35 combustion turbines at its Colossus data center near Memphis without required preconstruction or operating air permits, in violation of the Clean Air Act. Judge Debra M. Brown rejected xAI's arguments that the turbines are exempt as mobile sources and that the plaintiffs lacked standing, writing that citizen suit plaintiffs sue on their own behalf and are not exercising federal executive power. The NAACP called the ruling another important victory in holding xAI accountable.