Former Vice President Al Gore returned to Tennessee Sunday to voice his opposition to the Byhalia pipeline at a rally organized by Memphis Community Against the Pipeline. The high-pressure crude oil pipeline proposed by Valero and Plains All American cuts through historic Black neighborhoods in southwest Memphis and threatens a nearby drinking water well field owned by Memphis Light, Gas and Water.
“The plain language of Nationwide Permit 12 does not allow for the construction of pipelines near drinking water intakes,” said the letter. In addition, the letter urged the Corps to determine that the project is contrary to the public interest because it would unjustly burden vulnerable communities like Boxtown, which already is heavily built up with industrial facilities like a Valero Energy oil refinery and a retired coal plant plagued with extensive coal ash contamination.
“We’re alarmed that, so far, no local, state or federal agency is looking out for the groundwater that serves as Memphis’s drinking water,” said Senior Attorney George Nolan. “If this oil pipeline leaks or spills, as many have done before, it could have devastating effects on the residents that live in southwest Memphis and their drinking water source.”