Elon Musk’s xAI gets permit for methane gas generators | Tennessee

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, XAI, has obtained a license to manage methane gas generators in its huge data center in Memphis, Tennessee. The County Health Department approved the license of the 15 machines on Wednesday evening, a decision that sparked an uproar from the local community and environmental leaders, who say that generators pollute their neighborhoods.

“Our local leaders are responsible for protecting us from companies that violated our right to clean air, but we are witnessing their inability to do so,” said Keshaun Pearson, director of the local community -for -profit Memphis against pollution.

Xai set up its huge data center in Memphis about a year ago. To complete the high use of the energy of the installation, the company has brought dozens of portable methane gas generators. XAI did not have a license for the generators, but seemed to have found an escape in the system which allowed him to use the turbines as long as they were not in the same place for more than 364 days.

In January, XAI asked for a license for 15 generators – even if it had run up to 35 generators on site, according to photographs. After months of public forums and community events, the Shelby County health service issued the permit. A satellite image that the Southern Environmental Law Center, a legal non -profit organization, took Tuesday and shared with the Guardian shows at least 24 turbines still implemented in XAI facilities.

“XAI is hosting today’s decision,” said a company spokesperson in a statement. “Our on -site electricity production will be equipped with advanced emissions control technology, making this installation the lowest emission of its kind in the country.”

Environmental groups dispute if the power consumption of XAI will in fact be at low emission. The Southern Environmental Law Center has conducted studies on pollution that turbines emit and says that they have the capacity to emit thousands of harmful nitrogen oxides, as well as toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde.

“The decision to give XAI an air license for its polluting gas turbines flies to the hundreds of Memphians who have spoken against the request for the company’s license,” said Amanda Garcia, main lawyer for the Southern Environmental Law Center. She added that the health service authorizes “another polluter to settle in this already overloaded community without appropriate protection”.

XAI is in the industrial area of ​​Memphis, which is surrounded by several districts where residents are long treated with pollution. This area is historically black and has higher rates of respiratory diseases and asthma and a lower life expectancy than the other parts of the city. Studies have shown that these districts also have a risk of cancer four times higher than the national average.

Pollution coming out of XAI, as well as its proximity to the black districts, drew the attention of the NAACP civil rights group. He has initiated legal action against Xai alleging that the company violates the clean Air Act by installing and illegally exploiting methane gas generators.

“While the NAACP is happy that 15 of the XAI turbines are now subject to greater transparency and responsibility around their methane gas emissions … This decision ignores the decline in the community,” said Abren ‘Conner, the director of environmental and climatic justice of the NAACP on Thursday. “We are always determined to keep XAI and health accounting.”