"We are outraged that, despite the community's clear demand to move the Election Day hearing, MDEQ chose to bulldoze through a decision that silenced the very residents most harmed by it. Environmental justice advocates and residents say the approval process steamrolled community voices, pushing to delay the vote arguing it conflicted with Mississippi's primary elections and made it harder for residents to participate."
"The proposed PSD permit in front of the board today not only meets all state and federal permitting regulations, but goes above and beyond what is required by law. MDEQ and the EPA agree that not a single person around our facilities will be exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollution. State regulators say the proposal met all required environmental and technical standards during the permitting process."
Mississippi state regulators approved a permit for xAI subsidiary MZX Tech LLC to construct a natural gas power plant with 41 turbines in Southaven to power AI data centers and the Colossus supercomputer operations. Environmental justice advocates and residents opposed the decision, arguing the approval process marginalized community voices by scheduling the vote on election day, which conflicted with Mississippi's primary elections and reduced resident participation. State regulators maintained the facility meets all required environmental and technical standards, with officials stating the project exceeds state and federal regulations and poses no health risks from air pollution. Legal challenges appear likely despite the permit approval.
#ai-infrastructure #environmental-justice #energy-regulation #community-opposition #power-generation
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