“DO YOU SUPPORT XAI IN MEMPHIS?” We Ask All 16 Shelby County Senators & Reps
Since the announcement that Elon Musk’s Supercomputer XAI would be setting up shop in Memphis, there has been a lot of blowback from the community. Locals feel they have been left out of the process, saying they are being exploited and harmed by the project’s pollution and hoarding of resources.
A recent Perfect Union piece about the environmental impacts on the air they breathe and other local resources shows why. Memphis already has extremely polluted air thanks to other companies moving in and taking advantage. The ease of that process and the chamber’s willingness to remove any and all barriers regardless of local health impacts seems to be at least part of the reason Musk chose Memphis as the place to set up shop.
TVA is not going to help protect the people. They are supportive of the project, and Donald Trump already kneecapped the board’s ability to raise prices on XAI.
The County Health Department has not yet stepped in either, despite calls for them to deny XAI’s gas turbine permits after it was discovered they have been operating 33 out of 35 without permits, and lying about it.
The pressure on the health department to take a stand was too much for Dr. Michelle Taylor, the head of the department, who just recently announced she’s going to abandon her post and flee to Baltimore rather than stay and make the tough decision. (Her announcement came one week after County Mayor Lee Harris called her the best Health Department Director in the country… life comes at you fast!)
The Greater Memphis chamber, led by Ted Townsend, has been more than willing to work with them to grease the skids, and was a big part of the recruitment process.
Both Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and Memphis Mayor Paul Young are supportive of the project.
Most county commissioners and city council members have been unwilling to speak up.
But one group we haven’t heard much from is the 16 senators and reps who represent parts of Shelby County/Memphis in the state legislature.
Rep. Justin Pearson has been a vocal opponent, along with his brother Keshaun, who runs Memphis CAP. Their position against XAI is clear, and they have been adamant that the Shelby County Health Department should reject XAI’s gas turbine permits.
But what about the rest?
We asked all 16. So far, only 5 have responded. Their responses are below.
4 Democrats told us they are against the project: Rep. Pearson, Rep. Salinas, Rep. Hardaway, and Senator Kyle.
1 Republican, Senator Brent Taylor, tells us he is for it, and provided a number of reasons why – including claims about the jobs the project is allegedly creating for Memphians. We asked him for evidence to support it, which we have yet to receive, largely because he says he doesn’t have access to specifics himself. (We will share Taylor’s entire response in another separate post)
Rep. John Gillespie (R) posted his support for the project on his twitter feed.
It has been crickets from the other 11 – 8 Dems, 3 Republicans – despite giving them multiple opportunities to weigh in before we posted this. We will update this post if and when more responses come in.
AGAINST XAI:
Rep. Gabby Salinas (D)
FULL RESPONSE: “As a scientist that has studied toxicology and an elected official, I cannot support a project that hurts the health and well being of Memphians. As our country continues to fail to meet deadlines to halt climate change, it is robbing future generations from the basic necessities of life. This project is moving at the speed of light in the wrong direction.
Air and water are our most precious resources here in Memphis. We have worked hard to improve our air quality, and we are all proud of our drinking water. This project puts our most valued resources at risk for the sake of a billionaire winning an ego-driven race. The health of our people is worth more than that.
We know it is black and brown communities who will face the highest burden. The lack of transparency of the project is extremely concerning. Show us the meetings. Show us the permits. And especially, show us the science. Our kids and our families will not be able breathe or drink good profit margins and economic growth.”
REP. G.A. HARDAWAY (D)
FULL RESPONSE: “The awesome power of AI is the motivation behind Elon’s speed. He’s gotta be first out the gate, because whoever comes in second is losing. He had access to all the data in the United States Government. Nobody else has what he has. So when he builds this out, he becomes the most powerful man in the world.
When he develops this superpower, resistance will be futile. He can sabotage any message or policies that regulate him. We won’t get a second chance to regulate him. We need to push back on this before it’s too late. It’s now or never. Elon already told you he only cares about productivity, and couldn’t care less about human beings.”
REP. JUSTIN J. PEARSON (D)
For his FULL RESPONSE about why “we deserve clean air”, watch this press conference with the NAACP.
SENATOR SARA KYLE (D)
FULL RESPONSE: “There is credible evidence that xAI is already violating our clean air laws. Yes, the gas permits should be denied. Memphis doesn’t need Elon Musk’s xAI bringing pollution without accountability.
Our city already bears the burden of some of the worst air quality in the state—and we’re not interested in becoming a testing ground for billionaire science experiments. If XAI wants to operate here, they should meet the same environmental standards as everyone else. No shortcuts. No backroom deals. Memphis families deserve clean air, not corporate smog.”
SUPPORTS XAI:
SENATOR BRENT TAYLOR (R)
Senator Taylor responded quickly and at great length. We will share his FULL RESPONSES in a separate post.
NO RESPONSE:
Again, all other Shelby county reps did not answer, despite multiple messages from us.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Rep. Gillespie (R) is Clearly in Support