Local orgs. call for Shelby County Health Department to rescind permits for Colossus facility
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Environmental organizations are calling for the Shelby County Health Department to rescind permits granted to xAI as a public appeal hearing approaches.
Memphis Communities Against Pollution and other environmental groups gathered Monday to push back against the health department’s permit approval for xAI’s Colossus facility in Boxtown. The SCHD granted the permits in July 2025.
“Permitting one of the city’s largest polluters was ridiculous and a slap in the face to our community,” said KeShaun Pearson, president of Memphis Communities Against Pollution.
A health department spokesperson said they are “not granting interviews about that topic at this time” when asked to speak with interim director Dr. Bruce Randolph.
The department later provided a statement explaining its role in the process:
“The Memphis and Shelby County Air Pollution Control Board is an independent panel of subject matter experts and community representatives tasked with reviewing variance requests and other matters related to the Shelby County Air Code,” the statement said. “The Shelby County Health Department does not control or influence the decisions made by the Air Pollution Control Board.”
The Memphis and Shelby County Air Pollution Control Board has scheduled an appeal hearing for Monday, December 15, to discuss xAI’s permit.
The board consists of seven people, including lawyers, physicians, and industry experts who serve four-year terms.
“We are asking the Shelby County Health Department to rescind all permits to xAI,” said Sarah Gladney, a Boxtown resident.
Local organizers said they fought against the permits for months, but the fight continues even after they were granted.
“The Shelby County Health Department has a responsibility to care for our community. It’s time for them to step up. The acceleration of a billionaire’s experiment and exploitation of Black families has to end here,” Pearson said.
“The Boxtown community has endured and been overburdened with pollution for decades,” Gladney said.
The Colossus 1 facility is located in Southeast Memphis. Another xAI facility is being built in Southaven, where some residents have expressed concerns about pollution and noise during construction.
“Chemicals going in the air, people getting sick. The oil, the pollution in the air,” said a Southaven resident who wanted to stay anonymous. “Sometimes you can smell it. You know how burnt oil smells? It smells like that.”
Click here to sign up for our newsletter!
Click here to report a spelling or grammar error. Please include the headline.
Copyright 2025 WMC. All rights reserved.