Drone footage showed xAi is fueling its data centers in Mississippi with more than a dozen unpermitted gas turbines, according to a Floodlight visual investigation. Floodlight, a grantee, reports that an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ruling determined burning gas requires a state permit in advance, but Mississippi state regulators have not enforced the regulations which aim to protect health for people who live near the facilities.
Residents near the site have voiced concerns about noise and pollution and lack of oversight, and thermal images confirmed the unpermitted turbines. Southern Environmental Law Center, also a grantee, noted that the xAi facilities that power Grok are spreading in the region, spewing pollution without intervention from state governments in Mississippi and Tennessee.
