MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Who says grassroots activism is no match against big business? Certainly not the people of south Memphis, Westwood, and Boxtown who organized and mobilized around one common cause: stopping an oil pipeline from running through their neighborhoods. And guess what? Grassroots won. The ultimate victory came late on Friday.
Plains All American announced it is abandoning plans for the Byhalia Connection Pipeline which would have run from the Valero Oil Refinery in south Memphis --through predominantly African American neighborhoods-- before ending near Byhalia, Mississippi.
In the announcement, the company did not mention the opposition. Instead, it said the pipeline is being canceled primarily due to lower U.S. oil production resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Yeah right. The opponents are not buying it, and neither am I.
This is one of those rare cases where persistence paid off. Justin Pearson, Kizzy Jones, Kathy Robinson, and others who launched Memphis Community Against Pollution took their cause to anyone who would listen. They were joined by Protect Our Aquifer, a group convinced that the pipeline could potentially cause immeasurable harm to the city’s drinking water. And when politicians and celebrities got on board, powerful Plains All American was overmatched.
In the end, the affected neighborhoods were anything but the point of least resistance – as one official described those in the pipeline’s path. They fought a powerful oil company and won. How cool is that?! And that’s my point of view. I’m Otis Sanford, for Local 24 News.