Federal judge denies SpaceXAI's motion to dismiss NAACP Clean Air Act lawsuit
A Mississippi federal judge rejected SpaceXAI's request to throw out an NAACP lawsuit alleging Clean Air Act violations at its Southaven data center and power plant.
A U.S. district judge in Mississippi denied SpaceXAI's motion to dismiss an NAACP-filed lawsuit, allowing the case to proceed in federal court. The suit, brought by the Southern Environmental Law Center and Earthjustice on behalf of the NAACP, alleges that SpaceXAI installed and operated 27 gas-fired combustion turbines at its Colossus data centers and a power plant in Southaven between August and December 2025 without obtaining the required air permits. The plaintiffs claim the turbines emit smog-forming pollutants and particulate matter that pose health risks to nearby residents.
SpaceXAI argued that the turbines were "mobile" sources exempt from permitting requirements and that the NAACP lacked standing under the Clean Air Act. The judge found the plaintiffs have statutory standing, that the turbines are not classified as mobile sources under Mississippi's State Implementation Plan, and that the citizen-suit provision does not violate constitutional provisions. The decision follows a recent court ruling that rejected a Department of Justice request to end the litigation against the company.
"Because the plaintiffs have statutory standing under the Clean Air Act, because the combustion turbines are not 'mobile sources' under Mississippi's SIP, and because the citizen suit provision does not violate Article II of the Constitution or the private nondelegation doctrine, the plaintiffs' claims will proceed," the judge wrote.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.