Emotions run high at SCHD town hall on xAI environmental concerns
April 26, 2025
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – A town hall hosted by the Shelby County Health Department on Friday night, designed to help ease concerns about the xAI supercomputer’s impact on Memphis’ air, electricity and water, was not what environmental activists and community members expected.
Security was unlike any other town hall in recent memory, with dozens of Shelby County sheriff’s deputies, Memphis police officers and Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers standing inside and outside of Fairley High School.
Strict rules were in place: Once you entered the auditorium, if you had to exit the building for any reason, you would not be let back inside. Attendees also had to go through a metal detector screening to enter.
And when citizens were told they could ask questions but would not receive responses, you could hear the crowd hiss.
That was nothing compared to the noise they made when Elon Musk’s representative in Memphis tried to address the audience.
Citizens at town hall on xAI environmental concerns hosted by the Shelby County Health Department, Friday, April 25, 2025(Action News 5)
Brent Mayo tried to read a prepared statement but was unable to be heard over the roar of those in opposition to the supercomputer.
He quickly left through a side door in a matter of minutes.
The format for the town hall: each person got two minutes at the mic.
The town hall would run from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., no longer.
A retired Memphis fire chief received a thunderous round of applause when he told the health department, “Like Martin said, something is happening in Memphis!” referring to the environmental groups and handful of politicians devoted to getting more information about the project to protect the public.
Retired fire chief who lives in South Memphis at town hall on xAI environmental concerns hosted by the Shelby County Health Department, Friday, April 25, 2025(Action News 5)
An engineer stood up and asked why there hasn’t been an official environmental impact statement about the facility’s impact, since artificial intelligence requires tremendous amounts of water and electricity to operate.
And the turbines being used to supplement power from Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) create potentially-toxic emissions.
“What’s our health department doing about that?” he asked, “What’s our city mayor doing? What’s our county mayor doing? Our chamber of commerce doing? Why aren’t they insisting on that?”
Oceania Gillian, fiance of State Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), a leading figure in the opposition to the supercomputer in Memphis, said, “Shelby County Health Department, prove that you are not bought and paid for by xAI and the Greater Memphis Chamber. Stand up for us. Do something!”
Oceania Gillian, fiancé of State Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), at town hall on xAI environmental concerns hosted by the Shelby County Health Department, Friday, April 25, 2025(Action News 5)
Those against xAI want the health department to deny a permit allowing the company to operate natural-gas-fired turbines to power Colossus, the name Elon Musk gave to the supercomputer, which powers Grok.
The turbines are already in place. There were 15 at first; now, there are more than 30, already operating, says the Southern Environmental Law Center, which provided a thermal image of the turbines.
Stephen Smith with the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, based in Knoxville, also attended Friday night’s meeting.
“They’re bringing in this Silicon Valley mindset, which is ‘go fast’ and break things,” Smith told Action News 5, “That’s exactly what it is. And what they’re now going to do is break this community because they’re not being transparent and they’re not being honest.”
Thermal areal view of the xAI supercomputer’s turbines(Steve Jones)
Smith said community air monitors need to be installed immediately.
Action News 5 tried to talk with SCHD Director Dr. Michelle Taylor, but she and other leaders from SCHD and the Chamber of Commerce were quickly rushed out of the auditorium to an awaiting van surrounded by law enforcement.
xAI said the turbines will have the lowest achievable emission rate, better than any other gas turbines operating in the U.S, a glowing promise few at this meeting believed.
“This is a case study,” said Smith, “of a corporation losing community trust because they’re not being open and honest about what they’re doing.”
Environmental experts say those turbines produce the energy equivalent to an entire TVA power plant with emissions to match.
Here is a copy of the statement Brent Mayo tried to deliver during the town hall:
