Democratic State Rep. Justin Pearson Leads Charge Against xAI in Memphis as State House Honors Elon Musk for Saving Astronauts

State Representative Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) on Saturday spoke at a Memphis town hall event in opposition to the plan by xAI, the artificial intelligence (AI) company owned by Elon Musk, just two days before his colleagues in the Tennessee State House passed a resolution honoring the “brilliant businessman” for his successful effort to return astronauts stranded at the International Space Station.

The AI company is currently building the world’s largest supercomputer in Memphis. xAI has said it will request no state or local tax breaks and recently asked the Shelby County Commission to approve plans to install new gas turbines to help power the facility.

Pearson reportedly claimed during the Saturday event that xAI is “destroying the community” and later, in a post to social media, accused Musk’s company of “polluting our air with toxic chemicals from gas turbines. ”

The Democrat, who has vowed to oppose the company’s development in Tennessee, additionally asserted that recent plans by the Tennessee Valley Authority to increase energy production are solely aimed at meeting Musk’s energy needs and urged local leaders, including Shelby County Health Services Director Michelle Taylor and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, to stop the massive development from xAI.

On Monday, lawmakers in the General Assembly passed House Joint Resolution (HJR) 486 by House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville), recognizing Musk for his recent accomplishments at SpaceX, the billionaire’s space exploration company.

First recognizing Musk as “a brilliant businessman who is saving lives and helping to restore America as a valuable ally of President Donald J. Trump,” HJR 486 then expresses gratitude for Musk’s role in securing the return of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the astronauts who were left aboard the International Space Station for months after the Boeing vessel that delivered them was deemed unfit to transport humans during the trip back to the surface.

“Captain Wilmore and Captain Williams were stranded on the ISS for more than nine months, awaiting transport back home,” the resolution notes, until, “President Trump asked Elon Musk to facilitate the return of the astronauts as soon as possible,” resulting in their return less than two months later.

According to the resolution, “Mr. Musk’s expeditious action in launching this rescue mission is indeed commendable and reflects his ongoing commitment to serving this nation and the American people through common-sense leadership,” justifying commendations by the General Assembly to Musk and SpaceX.

The resolution passed in the State House on Monday with 74 votes in favor and 22 against. It has been added to the Senate calendar for consideration on Thursday.

Video of Pearson lunging at State Representative Andrew Farmer (R-Sevierville) over a disagreement over gun control legislation went viral earlier this month. One post, including a clip of the incident, received more than 1 million views on Musk’s social media platform X.

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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].