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US House Democrat asks Musk to answer for polluting xAI data centers
July 29 (Reuters) - U.S. Representative Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, on Wednesday demanded documents and answers from Elon Musk about the environmental and public health impacts of his xAI Colossus data center operations in Tennessee and Mississippi.
• Pallone sent a letter to Musk seeking information on turbines used at the Colossus 1 and Colossus 2 artificial intelligence data centers, emissions data, permitting records and communications with government officials.
• Pallone also requested analyses related to the facilities' emissions, power consumption and water usage, and asked to arrange a visit to the sites with committee staff.
• The New Jersey Democrat said Musk's SpaceX, which owns xAI, had been unwilling to provide sufficient information during a meeting with committee staff last month and accused the company of showing "disregard for the health and well-being of local communities."
• The letter follows growing scrutiny of the energy demands and environmental impacts of AI data centers as technology companies race to expand computing capacity.
• Reuters reported this month that Musk's AI company xAI had installed 59 natural gas turbines for its Colossus 2 project without securing federal clean-air permits, according to communications between regulators and company representatives. Reuters found the turbines were located near predominantly Black communities and that potential emissions exceeded thresholds that would typically require federal permits.
• SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by David Gregorio)