GoKawiilThe top Democrat on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce is demanding that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk provide a tour of his company's xAI data centers and power plants in and around Memphis, Tennessee.
"Americans are concerned about what data centers and Big Tech's push for more AI means for their communities, jobs, property values, and future," Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) wrote in a letter to Musk on Wednesday. "Electricity prices are skyrocketing, the electric grid is strained, our clean air and water are being polluted, and noise is wearing on communities' health and patience."
Public opposition to data centers is rising in the U.S. after xAI's buildout in Memphis, and with others underway from OpenAI, Meta , Microsoft and Google . Gallup found in a survey published in May that seven in 10 Americans oppose the construction of an AI data center in their local area, with 48% strongly opposed.
Pallone has demanded information about Musk's facilities by Aug. 11.
SpaceX didn't respond to a request for comment.