DESOTO COUNTY, Miss., July 15 — A new report from the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) alleges that the Colossus 2 data center installed 59 natural gas turbines without the required permits. The findings raise specific health concerns for a county where lung cancer mortality already outpaces the national average. The EIP report estimates the unpermitted turbines will release 2,500 tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 1,200 tons of carbon monoxide (CO) annually.
Nitrogen oxides are a key ingredient in ground-level ozone, or smog, which aggravates lung conditions. Carbon monoxide reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen.
Think of it like an idling car in a closed garage — but on an industrial scale, and across an entire county. The practical upshot: these are pollutants that hit the respiratory system hardest.
Local health picture
According to the Mississippi State Department of Health, the lung cancer mortality rate in DeSoto County stands at 45.2 per 100,000 people. The national average is 38.5 per 100,000. That gap — nearly seven extra deaths per 100,000 residents — already exists before any additional emissions from the data center.
DeSoto County’s population is 30% Black, and 15% of residents live below the poverty line. In plain terms, communities with lower incomes and higher minority populations often face greater exposure to industrial pollution, a pattern public health researchers have documented for decades.
Asthma rates in Mississippi are 9.5% among adults, according to the CDC. The national average is 7.7%. That means nearly one in ten Mississippi adults already manages a condition that nitrogen oxides and ozone can directly worsen.
What the numbers mean
Here’s what it means for an ordinary reader: if you live in DeSoto County and have a lung condition — or care for someone who does — these emissions don’t stay inside the data center fence. NOx travels. CO travels.
Both are linked to emergency room visits for asthma attacks and to long-term cardiovascular strain. The EIP report does not claim the turbines caused the county’s elevated cancer rate.
But it does raise the question of cumulative burden: adding 2,500 tons of NOx and 1,200 tons of CO on top of an already higher baseline lung cancer mortality rate.
Regulatory questions
The core allegation — that 59 turbines were installed without permits — puts the data center operator in potential conflict with state and federal air quality rules. Permit requirements exist precisely so regulators can assess whether new emissions will push a region past legal pollution limits. What happens next is unclear.
Enforcement could come from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Neither agency has commented publicly on the report as of today. Consult your doctor for medical advice.
Sources
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