SpaceX loses bid to toss NAACP lawsuit over Memphis data center air pollution

SpaceX lost a bid to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the NAACP alleging Clean Air Act violations tied to gas-fired combustion turbines used to power AI data centers. The complaint, filed in April against xAI—now owned and operated by SpaceX—advances in federal court in Mississippi, according to a judge’s opinion released late Friday. The suit, supported by the Southern Environmental Law Center and Earthjustice, says that between August and December 2025, xAI and subsidiary MZX Tech installed and operated 27 turbines in Southaven without an air permit, harming nearby residents. SpaceX argued the turbines were “mobile” and challenged NAACP’s standing; the judge rejected both.