BREAKING: The US DOJ just declared Elon Musk's AI data center a national security asset and blocked an environmental lawsuit against it. The NAACP filed a lawsuit against xAI in April 2026 under the Clean Air Act, alleging the company is operating dozens of gas turbines without the required air permits to power its Colossus 2 data center. The turbines are located in Southaven, Mississippi, just across the state line from the data center in South Memphis, Tennessee. Since the lawsuit was filed, the number of turbines has grown from 27 to 57. xAI says that the turbines are legally exempt from Mississippi air permitting requirements because they are mounted on trailers and classified as temporary mobile equipment. On Monday, the Department of Justice intervened in the case, filing court papers arguing that shutting down the turbines would “threaten American national, economic, and energy security.” The DOJ stated that the power supply supports U.S. military AI operations. Cameron Stanley, the Defense Department’s Chief Digital and AI Officer, submitted a declaration stating that Grok is one of only four AI models currently cleared for mission critical operations across Secret and Top Secret classified government networks, and that it has been used in recent U.S. military operations against Iran. The DOJ, xAI, and the state of Mississippi are jointly asking the court to dismiss the case.