Judge rejects xAI bid to dismiss turbine pollution lawsuit

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Published Saturday, October 31, 2026 · 7:06 PM EDT

A federal judge rejected xAI's motion to dismiss an NAACP lawsuit alleging that the company operated gas turbines powering its Colossus data center outside Memphis without required air permits. Judge Debra M. Brown ruled that the plaintiffs have standing under the Clean Air Act and that the turbines are not mobile sources under Mississippi's implementation plan. The lawsuit alleges that xAI installed and operated at least 35 combustion turbines and other pollution sources without necessary permits. The decision allows those claims to proceed; it does not resolve the alleged violations.

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