Memphis Town, previously a Superfund site, is being rewritten into a story of hope and renewal.
How big can you dream? Pretty big, you say? How big can a community dream? The possibilities are endless when you envision together. Pastor Leach, of Memphis Town Community Action Group (CAG), understood this truth and is on a mission to unlock the potential of Columbus, Mississippi. Memphis Town, designated a Superfund site, was a home of a former wood treatment plant that left toxic levels of creosote, the known carcinogen, in the soil.
After decades of living with the blight left behind, Memphis Town Community Action Group seeks to transform the site into a place of promise.
“After so many years of disinvestment, it is time to invest in the people, homes, and communities that have been left behind time and time again,” observed Pastor Leach.
Pastor Leach and his team, along with a spectrum of stakeholders from the community, spanning from Columbus, Mississippi Mayor Keith Gaskin to residents impacted by the Superfund site, have a plan to turn the site into a hub for vibrant community living and economic development. They envision a multi-pronged approach with many partners.
Housing: First, community members want to start where they live: their home. By definition, a home is a place that provides shelter and safety. This definition of a safe shelter includes access to safe water and sewage systems. This isn’t the case for the residents of Memphis Town, where approximately 120 homes in the Public Housing Authority and many additional single-family homes are affected by clay pipes causing wastewater issues during heavy rain events. CAG will work with local housing authorities to update these homes so families can live safely. The CAG is committed to ensuring that every home in the community is also climate resilient. That includes access to new energy-efficient windows and doors, and cool roofs to stave off extreme heat events. Finally, all new HVAC units installed will be electric heat pumps so that homes will meet weatherization standards.
Economic Mobility: Employment is also a critical part of community revitalization. Recognizing the high rate of people without high school diplomas in this community, CAG is partnering with local businesses, colleges, universities, and high schools to initiate an apprenticeship program to enter the green workforce. The program will offer installation and maintenance training services in solar, heat pump, and other technologies. Additionally, CAG wants to partner with local high schools and colleges to teach students to engage their public officials to make meaningful change in their community.
Community Spaces: At a community level, CAG aims to bring solar into a community park. From benches to charging stations, lighting, electric buildings, EV charging stations and more—they will partner with the Parks and Recreation department to see this vision come to fruition, all so that the people can enjoy the benefits of outdoor recreation in the absence of harmful pollution caused by traditional energy sources.
The cornerstone project, and the most long-term vision, is the transformation of a 40-acre Superfund site. Pastor Leach, an engineer by training, originally wanted to further contain the site by layering on top a parking lot and then possibly adding green technology, like solar lights and a microgrid. But after engaging with several community members, stakeholders and local officials, CAG is now planning to turn this $8 million investment into a multiplex—for sports, concerts, and storm sheltering. It will also create jobs for local community members, from construction to concessions. Across the road, CAG envisions erecting a shopping plaza to bolster local economic development. The possibilities for the multiplex are endless, and will take a countless number of partners, investors, and stewards to see this vision to completion.
Pastor Leach and his team became members of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice’s (DSCEJ) Justice40 Accelerator Program in 2023. It was at a convening hosted by DSCEJ where they learned about the Capacity Building Roadmap, and then were able to fully articulate their vision to Columbus Mayor Keith Gaskin using the roadmap as a metaphor. Since then, Pastor Leach says Mayor Gaskin has fully committed to the vision. Today, the CAG is part of the DSCEJ’s Technical Assistance for Thriving Communities program, also called the Community Investment Recovery Center (CIRC). Through their participation, the CAG team has had opportunities to hear directly from federal funders and received helpful insights into the application process they might not have received if applying without being part of the TCTAC.
Now Pastor Leach and his team are waiting to hear back from the Community Change Grant (CCG) they submitted for a whopping $20M. Projects under CCG aim to significantly improve environmental, climate, pollution, and resilience conditions affecting disadvantaged communities. They will continue to submit a handful of grants in the coming weeks. As excited as they are about the opportunity the submitted grants hold, they are equally eager to share what they’ve learned along the way with others. They see their success as a win not just for their community, but for environmental justice movements in communities across the nation.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 30, 2024
Press Contact: Maria Langholz, maria@team-arc.com
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is set to vote on the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, introduced by Sen. Manchin (I-WV) and Sen. Barrasso (R-WY). This bill is a blatant effort to cater to the fossil fuel industry’s demands, as outlined in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, while masquerading as a measure to advance renewable energy and transmission infrastructure development.
Ahead of the expected vote, environmental justice leaders issued the following statements. All leaders quoted below are available for an interview. Please email maria@team-arc.com if you want to be put in touch.
Dr. Bob Bullard, Director of the Bullard Center for Environmental Justice at Texas Southern University: “It would be a colossal mistake for the US Senate to pass this so-called permitting reform bill. While it contains some important provisions to accelerate the deployment of needed clean energy and transmission infrastructure, at the same time, it contains a giant giveaway to the fossil fuel industry to keep doing what got us into this environmental and climate crisis. Rolling back environmental and legal protections will hurt our most vulnerable populations and communities and is a step backward in our quest for communities to achieve environmental, climate, energy, and health justice.”
Dr. Beverly Wright, Founder & Executive Director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, New Orleans, Louisiana: “Louisiana communities pay the price for this kind of legislation that puts oil and gas polluters over people, as called for in Project 2025. Justice delayed is justice denied and this bill by Senators Manchin and Barrasso is designed to do both. It would delay our transition to an equitable and renewable energy economy and deny our rights to restore communities and build sustainable livelihoods. We urge President Biden to dump this bill which threatens the progress made toward advancing environmental and climate justice.”
Richard Moore, Co-Coordinator of Los Jardines Institute and Co-Chair of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council: “Dirty industries have long put their profits over our communities. The Manchin-Barrasso permitting bill may have a new name, but it’s the same old polluter priorities that will silence our voices and undercut our efforts to advance environmental justice. Communities like mine need real solutions like the Environmental Justice for All Act to help give us a voice in the projects built in our neighborhoods, hold bad actors accountable, and incorporate environmental justice concerns into the project decision-making process.”
Peggy Shepard, Co-Founder and Executive Director at WE ACT for Environmental Justice: “We need a permitting process that protects public health, especially of communities of color and of low-income who bear the brunt of pollution and the disproportionate impacts of the climate crisis. This legislation fails to do that. It aims to make it easier for the fossil fuel industry to continue polluting our communities. And transmission buildout is critical for the clean energy transition, but must never be done at the expense of communities. A better pathway is possible, one that secures a just transition and safeguards the most vulnerable communities.
Following the recent announcement that President Joe Biden has ended his campaign for re-election, Dr. Beverly Wright, Founder and Executive Director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ), released the following statement:
The DSCEJ expresses its heartfelt gratitude to the continuing work of President Joe Biden and his unprecedented commitment to environmental justice and climate action. No administration in history has done more than President Biden’s to ensure that all people—regardless of race, income, or ZIP code—live in healthy, safe and sustainable communities.
President Biden is the first U.S. President to call-out “Cancer Alley” from day one of his term, and directed the US Environmental Protection Agency to take action that includes holding industries accountable for endangering the health of residents and requiring them to lower pollution to significantly reduce cancer risks.
In August 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law, delivering historic investments to support the most ambitious climate and clean energy plan in U.S. history. The IRA invested roughly $55 billion to reduce local pollution, as well as improve public health and economic security in Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian and Pacific Islander, and low-income communities.
Additionally, President Biden signed into law the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which provides $93 billion for pollution cleanup and lead pipe removal. This combined funding supports the Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver at least 40 percent of federal climate, clean energy, and other infrastructure investment benefits from more than 500 federal programs to low-income communities and communities of color. This Biden-Harris policy led the DSCEJ to launch its Justice40 Community Engagement Project to build the capacity of communities through education and training. We were able to directly impact 240 Hub Leaders and Hub Members of community-based organizations throughout the United States.
Thank you President Biden for your unwavering and continuing commitment to the environmental health of our communities, our nation and our world. We look forward to a future with VP Kamala Harris’ leadership in carrying the torch to advance Environmental Justice.
About the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice: Families in the Gulf Coast deserve to live in communities that are free from deadly air and are more resilient to climate change and extreme weather. The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) works to empower and engage communities to put environmental justice and equity at the center of all climate action. Led by environmental justice scholar and advocate, author, civic leader and professor of Sociology Dr. Beverly L. Wright, the DSCEJ uses research, education, and community and student engagement to advocate for policy change, lead health and safety training for environmental careers, develop social and emotional community wellness programs, and create new and environmentally healthy opportunities for the residents of communities disproportionately impacted by historic environmental injustice.
July 10, 2024 – The Energy Future New Orleans Coalition (EFNO) has sent a letter to the New Orleans City Council calling upon the Council to address the utility debt crisis that has left New Orleanians powerless. Through the discovery process under docket UD-23-02, we have learned that Entergy New Orleans’ (ENO) residential disconnection rate for 2023 was 19%, meaning nearly one out of every five residents was disconnected last year for inability to pay ENO’s unaffordable bills.
The letter urges the Council to allocate funds from the recent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) settlement to establish a standing arrearage management program for ENO ratepayers. The terms of the FERC settlement (as established by R-24-194) included a $98M lump sum payment by System Energy Resources, Inc. to ENO.
Of that $98M, $32M were designated to be held by ENO as a credit for customers, to be distributed at the direction of the Council in the amount of up to $10M per year.
EFNO has previously urged the Council, under docket UD-23-02, to implement an arrearage management program that pairs incremental debt forgiveness with energy efficiency improvements in ratepayers’ homes. This approach will not only help residents escape utility debt but also ensures they remain debt-free in the future.
We, the members of EFNO, once again call upon the Council to relieve the significant burden of utility debt by devoting this FERC settlement money to the establishment of this crucial arrearage management program. Given the extreme heat that we have experienced already this summer, and the likelihood of an active tropical storm season, it is imperative that the Council act now to protect vulnerable ratepayers from being disconnected from a vital service.
Members of EFNO will be at the regular Council meeting on Thursday, July 11 to urge the Council to act on this proposal and will be available to speak to members of the press.
About Energy Future New Orleans: EFNO is a coalition of diverse people and organizations dedicated to making New Orleans an equitable and renewable energy city for present and future generations. The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice is a member of the EFNO Coalition
About the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice: Families in the Gulf Coast deserve to live in communities that are free from deadly air and are more resilient to climate change and extreme weather. The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) works to empower and engage communities to put environmental justice and equity at the center of all climate action. Led by environmental justice scholar and advocate, author, civic leader and professor of Sociology Dr. Beverly L. Wright, the DSCEJ uses research, education, and community and student engagement to advocate for policy change, lead health and safety training for environmental careers, develop social and emotional community wellness programs, and create new and environmentally healthy opportunities for the residents of communities disproportionately impacted by historic environmental injustice.
Following today’s announcement on the federal approval of Venture Global’s LNG project in Cameron Parish, Dr. Beverly Wright, Founder and Executive Director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ), released the following statement:
Most people in Louisiana have never heard of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in Washington, DC, but its decisions significantly impact our everyday lives. The recent approval of Venture Global’s enormous liquefied natural gas facility in Cameron Parish follows a series of unjust decisions by FERC that have unleashed serious problems for Gulf Coast communities.
Residents are dealing with the disruptions brought on by constructing these facilities, which include draining the local water supply to the point that the water level is inadequate to put out a fire. LNG is ripping apart the livelihoods of fishing families. Air pollution has increased with LNG operations, which also contribute to the climate crisis that whips up super storms in our region. Through all of this, FERC has neglected the important work of establishing standards for decision-making that ensures environmental and climate justice.
We’re left with a FERC decision that will make our communities more polluted and our planet hotter.
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About the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice
Families in the Gulf Coast deserve to live in communities that are free from deadly air and are more resilient to climate change and extreme weather. The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) works to empower and engage communities to put environmental justice and equity at the center of all climate action. Led by environmental justice scholar and advocate, author, civic leader and professor of Sociology Dr. Beverly L. Wright, the DSCEJ uses research, education, and community and student engagement to advocate for policy change, lead health and safety training for environmental careers, develop social and emotional community wellness programs, and create new and environmentally healthy opportunities for the residents of communities disproportionately impacted by historic environmental injustice.
