MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Several organizations filed a lawsuit in the fight to stop the Byhalia Pipeline project.
Memphian Justin Pearson with Memphis Community Against Pollution has teamed up with other activists in a lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers. The Army Corps approved a permit for the project four years ago, at a time when the plaintiffs say no one knew a pipeline was coming.
They claimed Plains All American considered southwest Memphis “the point of least resistance.” The route will go through predominately Black neighborhoods like Boxtown. The lawsuit said about a third in the area fall below the poverty line.
In the lawsuit, attorneys argued there are already several environmental risks nearby, including an oil refinery, steel mill, a retired coal-fired power plant and a natural gas plant. They claimed the cancer risk for those living in southwest Memphis is four times the national average.
A spokesperson for Plains All American spoke out about the project on CBS News Thursday, saying 97 percent of landowners have agreed to the project and they have been in contact with environmental experts to make sure they are safe.
The new lawsuit asked a judge to toss out the permit for the project.