Trump Administration Seeks Halt in Air Pollution Lawsuit Against Teslas AI Unit

US Department of Justice Intervenes in Environmental Dispute Over Data Centre

The US Department of Justice has filed a court motion to dismiss a lawsuit against xAI, a subsidiary of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, alleging that the company is operating dozens of natural gas turbines without proper permits. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) filed the lawsuit in April under the 1963 Clean Air Act, citing concerns over air pollution and health risks to local residents.

The Justice Department claims that the NAACP’s efforts to block the power project threaten national security, economic stability, and energy supply. The motion asserts that the executive branch has the authority to decide when enforcement actions are unwarranted or inconsistent with federal priorities.

xAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earthjustice, representing the NAACP in the lawsuit, condemned the intervention as a “massive power grab” by President Donald Trump’s administration. The Justice Department argues that the executive branch can dismiss lawsuits brought by citizen groups without a rationale.

A professor of environmental law at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, described the Trump administration’s argument as a “brazen attempt” to limit the enforcement of the Clean Air Act. The motion is part of a broader effort by the administration to undermine efforts to protect air quality.

The lawsuit alleges that xAI built the turbines without obtaining necessary permits, exposing hundreds of thousands of residents to pollutants linked to health problems and certain cancers. A significant proportion of these residents are Black, according to the NAACP.

Source: Al Jazeera