tech
DOJ assists Musk's xAI in NAACP air pollution suit, asks court to toss case
The DOJ is asking a Mississippi federal court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the NAACP against Elon Musk's xAI, now owned by SpaceX.
TL;DR
- The DOJ requested a federal court in Mississippi to dismiss a lawsuit against SpaceX concerning its subsidiary xAI.
- The NAACP sued xAI, alleging the use of methane gas-burning turbines for AI data centers without proper permits, causing air pollution.
- The DOJ claims the NAACP's lawsuit threatens national security by interfering with AI innovation vital for the Department of Defense.
- The NAACP and its legal team view the DOJ's intervention as an attempt to override citizen suits and a "power grab".
- Residents near the xAI facility in Southaven, Mississippi, have filed a separate class-action lawsuit over noise and other nuisances.
- SpaceX recently had its stock debut, reaching a market cap exceeding $2.8 trillion.