Judge keeps case alive
A judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi ruled late Friday that the NAACP's Clean Air Act case against SpaceXAI can continue. The Southern Environmental Law Center and Earthjustice filed the lawsuit in April 2026 on behalf of the NAACP, and SpaceXAI sought dismissal in June. The court declined to do so.
Roughly two weeks before, the same court rejected the Department of Justice's attempt to toss the case against Musk's company. SpaceX offered no immediate comment when asked.
What the suit alleges
The suit contends the AI arm of SpaceX violated the Clean Air Act by using gas-fired combustion turbines to power large AI data centers in Greater Memphis. It also claims that during August to December 2025, xAI together with its subsidiary MZX Tech set up and ran 27 gas turbines in Southaven, Miss., "without an air permit or regard for the health and safety of people living nearby."
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According to the complaint, the turbines release smog-forming pollutants and particulate matter that heighten health risks and produce unpleasant odors. The filing also notes that SpaceX's AI division is owned and operated by SpaceX and has been referred to as SpaceXAI or SpaceXSI. Beyond the litigation, residents have for years opposed the Colossus data centers as well as a power plant that SpaceXAI is building in Southaven.
The court's reasoning
SpaceXAI argued the turbines should be treated as "mobile" and therefore exempt from permits, and that the NAACP lacked authority to sue under the Clean Air Act with such citizen suits being unconstitutional. The judge rejected those positions, writing: "Because the plaintiffs have statutory standing under the Clean Air Act, because the combustion turbines are not 'mobile sources' under Mississippi's SIP, and because the citizen suit provision does not violate Article II of the Constitution or the private nondelegation doctrine, the plaintiffs' claims will proceed."
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