A supercomputer owned by billionaire Elon Musk under construction in Memphis has touched off a full-scale war of words. That’s because of revelations that the company had violated a temporary environmental permit. The Shelby County Health Department gave xAI — the Musk-owned company that owns the computer — to install 15 portable methane gas turbines, but xAI actually installed 35 of the machines.

Musk is the wealthiest man in the world and head of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. The information about the supercomputer violations was brought to light by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), which released an infrared aerial photograph showing the violation.

The information hit the city like a slap in the face, especially in the overwhelmingly Black 38109 zip code, where xAI is located. Led by state Rep. Justin Pearson, the Black Democrat who made national news two years ago when he demonstrated for gun control, and brother KeShaun Pearson, head of Memphis Citizens Against Pollution (MCAP), residents and environmental activists have been repeatedly calling out Memphis Mayor Paul Young and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, who are Black, and SCHD Director Michelle Taylor to block xAI from using the machines. The Pearsons say their use marks a case of environmental racism of the worst kind, and say the company cannot be trusted to continue.

SCHD sponsored a community forum last month with xAI representative Brent Mayo that turned confrontational and led to Mayo’s walking out after delivering prepared remarks. Later in April, opponents protested in front of SCHD’s headquarters demanding that the health agency deny any use of the turbines.

“The people in power in this building and downtown can do something,” Justin Pearson said. “It’s up to you Director Taylor, it’s up to you (Shelby County) Mayor Lee Harris. You have to deny this permit. The history that has got us here is problematic, and we will deal with that later, but we have to demand to be heard.”

The protestors also allege that the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce has been helping xAI shield the total truth from the public and is downplaying the health risks for the residents in the Black neighborhoods who will be neighbors to the xAI facility.

“We are being shackled to this pollution and these fossil fuels yet again,” Keshaun Pearson of MCAP said. “When will things change for clean air, clean energy and things that we know we need for us all? There is no reason why Shelby County has so many people with asthma or allergies. We should not allow this to be normalized.”

Bobby White, chief public policy officer of the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce, responded to the protests during an interview with Stan Bell of WDIA 1070 AM.

“You’ll start to see more and more what investment looks like from this company,” White said. “Keep in mind that the turbines are temporary. XAI is in Memphis and are here to stay. It’s just a matter of how they power their operation.”

He continued, “They didn’t get any public incentive. They’re not members of the PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) program where you don’t pay property taxes for some period of years. They came and they made investment in us. It hasn’t necessarily been us investing in them.”

The Tennessee Tribune is a BNV partner. The original version of this piece appeared here.