‘A different set of rules’: thermal drone footage shows Musk’s AI power plant flouting clean air regulations

The Guardian • February 13, 2026 • nation

Key Points:

Elon Musk’s AI company xAI is operating unpermitted gas turbines at its Southaven, Mississippi datacenter, violating EPA rules that require state permits for such pollution sources under the Clean Air Act.
State regulators in Mississippi claim the turbines are exempt from permits because they are mounted on trailers, but the EPA has reaffirmed that permits are mandatory, warning that exemptions could bypass emission standards.
Thermal drone footage and expert analysis confirm that over a dozen unpermitted turbines remain in operation nearly two weeks after the EPA ruling, raising serious health concerns for local residents due to pollutants linked to asthma, lung cancer, and heart attacks.
xAI’s expansion includes plans for dozens more turbines, potentially making the facility one of the largest

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