Justice Department backs xAI in lawsuit over gas turbines in Mississippi

In short: The US Department of Justice asked a judge to throw out an NAACP lawsuit that aims to stop xAI from running natural gas turbines at an AI data center in Mississippi.

What happened

The Department of Justice filed a court document on Monday in a case about xAI, Elon Musk’s AI company, and a set of natural gas turbines at a data center site in Southaven, Mississippi. Turbines are basically big engines that burn gas to make electricity, like oversized generators.

The NAACP sued in April, saying xAI is breaking the Clean Air Act by running turbines without proper permits at the site, which xAI calls Colossus 2. The NAACP also asked the court for a preliminary injunction, meaning an early court order that would temporarily stop xAI from using the turbines while the lawsuit continues. The group argues the pollution could raise risks of asthma attacks and heart disease in nearby communities.

In its filing, the Justice Department sided with xAI and said stopping the turbines would threaten “national, economic, and energy security.” The filing also says the power supports AI work tied to US military operations.

A declaration from a US Department of Defense official said the military relies on a version of xAI’s chatbot model, called Grok Gov, for “vital national security missions.” It said Grok was used as part of recent strikes against Iran, and that shutting off power to the data center would threaten ongoing national security interests.

Why it matters

This case shows a direct clash between local air pollution concerns and federal claims about military need. If courts accept the government’s argument, similar data center power disputes could become harder to fight, even when neighbors say the health risks are immediate.

Source: Wired