DOJ Backs xAI

The Trump administration’s Justice Department asked a federal court in Mississippi to dismiss a lawsuit by the NAACP and other groups accusing Elon Musk’s xAI and subsidiary MZX Tech of illegally operating dozens of natural gas or methane turbines to power a massive AI data center. The lawsuit, filed in April, alleges xAI violated the Clean Air Act by running 27 or more turbines without required permits, creating pollution risks for nearby communities around Memphis and north Mississippi. DOJ argued the facility supports AI systems, including Grok, with national, economic and energy security implications, and warned that shutting off its power supply could harm U.S. interests. The move marks an aggressive federal intervention in support of Musk’s company and aligns Mississippi officials with xAI’s defense against environmental and civil rights claims.