A public hearing period on xAI’s controversial installation of 15 gas turbines in Southwest Memphis will be held in the coming months, Shelby County’s top health official told county commission members during a meeting Monday.
Environmental Protection Agency officials are currently considering a permit for the turbines. The public hearing is the final step in the approval process.
“The health department will host a public hearing,” said Shelby County Health Department Director Dr. Michelle Taylor.
A federally mandated 30-day period will precede the public meeting, which will be hosted by the health department. A website has been set up where citizens can submit questions to experts. Federal law requires each question to be answered before the public meeting can take place.
“A lot of times with this permitting process, we get everything from a two-line comment to highly technical scientific or legal comments that we have to respond to, point by point,” Taylor said. “We really do look at every single comment, and every comment gets attached to the application.”
The announcement coincided with a resolution under consideration that requested a public meeting on the turbines.
The resolution passed 8-3. Voting in favor were Miska Clay Bibbs, Charlie Caswell Jr., Erika Sugarmon, Edmund Ford Jr., Britney Thornton, Henri Brooks, Mickell Lowery and Chairman Michael Whaley. Voting against the resolution were Amber Mills, Mick Wright and Brandon Morrison. David Bradford abstained
A majority of members, along with the assembled citizens, shared frustrations about a lack of information regarding the project. The 20-year-old turbines have been in operation since the summer, despite the lack of permits. The turbines are used to generate 100 megawatts of electricity to power the nearby xAI “Colossus” data center.
The area is also home to the now-closed TVA coal-burning Fossil Allen Plant, where tons of toxic coal ash remain. The replacement Allen Combined Cycle natural gas power plant has raised additional concerns. All of these facilities are near historic Black communities, sparking accusations of environmental racism.
“The Shelby County Health Department, this commission and all elected officials, myself included, have a responsibility to do everything we can to increase the life expectancy of the people in this community,” said State Rep. Justin Pearson.
Many in the audience came from the affected community. The discussion also included comments from local environmental groups and elected officials. In addition to the rushed process, many expressed fears of future illness due to exposure to hazardous chemicals, including formaldehyde.
“These are the people who expect me not to sell my soul but to listen to their heartbeats and understand where they’ve been for decades,” said Memphis City Council member Yolanda Cooper Sutton. “Most of you are native Memphians, and you say it so proudly. Well, I am a transplant who has now been diagnosed with asthma from breathing this horrible air here in Memphis.”
A lack of publicly available information on the turbines wasn’t for lack of effort. The health department sent two letters to the EPA requesting a study — one in August and a follow-up in November. The latter received a response stating that a report could not be completed.
“So there is no report to give you,” said Taylor.
She also cautioned that an air permit issued under the Clean Air Act does not guarantee “that a project is healthy or of benefit to the public’s interests.” It simply means the application meets the “legal requirements to pollute the environment.”
However, the public comment period creates a caveat.
“I can’t say yes or no whether it will affect the permit. It depends on what comments we get,” Taylor said. “Anything stricter in a local jurisdiction would not work against you when you’re trying to assure air quality for a community.”
Another concern with the project is xAI’s founder, Elon Musk. The wealthiest man in the world, with an estimated $348.5 billion fortune, Musk is part of the administration of President Donald Trump, where he heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The new department is tasked with investigating government waste and corruption.
In a few months, Musk’s team has examined several agency operations, including sensitive departments like the Pentagon and the Department of Justice. Despite claims of uncovering billions in waste and fraud, no evidence has been produced, and no government employees have been charged with crimes.
However, thousands of government employees across a variety of agencies have been fired, and agency budgets have been slashed. These unilateral dismissals and budget cuts have deepened political divisions across the nation, including in Shelby County.
“I can assure you and everyone in this audience that the Shelby County Health Department will do everything possible to stay within the rules and regulations while also providing the technical expertise that this commission requested on Wednesday to make sure we are being held accountable to the community,” Taylor said.
