The top Democrat on the US House Energy and Commerce Committee has sent a letter to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, requesting access to tour the xAI data centers and power stations located in and around Memphis, Tennessee.
Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey wrote in the letter, dated Wednesday, that "the American people are worried about the impact data centers and the massive expansion of artificial intelligence by tech giants will have on communities, jobs, property values, and long-term development. Skyrocketing electricity prices, strained power grids, pollution of clean air and water, and persistent noise harming residents' health are steadily eroding public patience."
Following xAI's launch of construction projects in Memphis, combined with similar data center initiatives from OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, and Google, public opposition to data center development in the US has intensified.
A Gallup poll released in May found that 70% of Americans oppose building AI data centers in their local areas, with 48% of respondents expressing strong opposition.
Pallone has requested that Musk provide documentation on the relevant facilities by August 11.
SpaceX's artificial intelligence facilities, named Colossus and Colossus 2, include three data centers equipped with cutting-edge Nvidia processors. These facilities were built by xAI, which has since been integrated into SpaceX. The facilities are central to SpaceX's AI ambitions, as the company seeks to compete with firms like OpenAI and Anthropic and ultimately build orbital data centers.
In his letter, Pallone accused SpaceX and Musk of "disregarding the health and well-being of local community residents." He noted that the company relies on "transporting off-grid gas turbines" to power the facilities, posing "significant health risks" to surrounding residents, and that the entire process was carried out without obtaining the necessary permits or implementing pollution control measures.
The Trump administration's Department of Justice has filed a motion to intervene, effectively supporting xAI in a lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed by environmental groups and the NAACP in Mississippi, seeks to halt the company's use of gas turbines, which are alleged to produce air pollution in violation of the law.
Pallone wrote, "The Trump administration is essentially claiming that only it has the authority to decide whether SpaceX AI and other companies can pollute without restraint. Even if the Trump administration tries to favor tech companies, allowing them to freely occupy the community's air, water, and land resources, that does not make your actions legal."
New Jersey Democratic Governor Phil Murphy signed a bill earlier this month requiring data center operators to bear reasonable electricity costs, preventing the transfer of these costs to ordinary residents and businesses.
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