Trump admin tries to block Clean Air Act lawsuit over xAI's gas turbines

The Trump administration is attempting to intervene in a Clean Air Act lawsuit against Elon Musk's xAI Corp., seeking to dismiss a case brought by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The US Department of Justice argued in a court filing on June 12 that the NAACP's lawsuit poses a threat to an xAI data center crucial for powering Grok systems utilized by the military. The NAACP initially filed suit in April, alleging that xAI and its subsidiary MZX Tech violated the Clean Air Act by operating 27 gas turbines without the necessary air permit at their facility in Southaven, Mississippi. This number of unpermitted turbines reportedly increased to 57 by mid-May, with plans for two additional installations, according to the NAACP's filing. The lawsuit identifies the "Colossus Gas Plant" as the power source for xAI's "Colossus 2 data center," which in turn supports the "Grok" chatbot. The operation of these gas turbines has reportedly led to both health concerns and noise complaints from local residents.