We celebrate this victory – our work remains unfinished
Memphis must stay vigilant to prevent another Byhalia Pipeline
Plains All-american announced it will no longer pursue the Byhalia Connection Pipeline, the 49-mile high-pressure crude oil project traveling from Southwest Memphis to Mississippi.
The proposed route for the pipeline, a joint venture of Plains All-american and Valero Energy Corporation, traveled through predominantly Black neighborhoods in South Memphis and represented the latest example of environmental racism and social injustice crisis impacting communities of color.
Defeating this big oil project wasn’t easy
In this fight, we, the people, had the power. We came together as a critical cross-section of policymakers, nonprofits, environmental groups, faithbased organizations, and resilient – predominantly Black – community members calling on city officials to intervene to stop construction and to make it difficult for similar future projects to come online.
If history is any indication, what we witnessed in South Memphis wasn’t new. Time and time again we’ve seen firsthand how fossil fuel polluters poison Black and Indigenous communities, treating us as the path of least resistance.
The Byhalia project was the exact type of infrastructure that is fueling our climate crisis while polluting Black communities. While we celebrate this hard-fought victory over Big Oil, we know that the battle is not over and that the fight continues.
The culture has its eyes on Memphis and will take note whether the city council will act to protect Black lives or aid in their demise. The problems we seek to solve are bigger than just Byhalia.
The stakes couldn’t be higher
The City of Memphis gets all of its drinking water from an underground aquifer, the Memphis Sand Aquifer. Memphis residents’ drinking water would be at serious risk of contamination if a leak or spill occurred in a pipeline. Not to mention toxic gases like hydrogen sulfide and heavy metals, including nickel and mercury that will be released into the air if the oil combusts.
The Memphis City Council was set to vote on the Memphis Sand Aquifer protection ordinance before Plains All-american announced it would terminate the Byhalia project.
The proposed ordinance would create a review board to determine if projects similar to the Byhalia pipeline are safe and environmentally just, and it would prevent oil pipelines from being built within 1,500 feet from parks, churches and schools.
We urge the city council to pass the ordinance and any other necessary regulatory legislation without delay.
Jarnell Stokes is a former Memphis Grizzlies player and a native of Memphis.
Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr. is President and CEO of Hip Hop Caucus.