Press Conference: Sterilization Services of Tennessee's Closure
Join MCAP for a press conference at SST to celebrate the departure of this industrial polluter and discuss what's next!
Day at the Hall
MCAP invites you to MICAH, Stand, and Memphis for All for a transformative Day at The Hall, where community leaders, policymakers, and advocates come together for a day of collaboration. This is also a chance to meet with your elected city council officials, let them know the issues that are important to you, and request their support.
Areas of Focus include: Public Safety, Environmental Justice, Housing & Transit, Energy Affordability, The Moral Budget, and more.
Can we count on you to join us on April 25th from 10 AM to 3 PM at Memphis City Hall?
RSVP here: https://bit.ly/halls2024
Please share and bring a friend or three.
Civic Engagement Workshop
Join MCAP and Memphis for All next Wednesday at 4 PM at the South Branch Library for an opportunity to learn how local government works and how you can make it work for you. Workshops on district mapping and engaging with city council representatives will be held.
Public Meeting: T.O. Fuller State Park Strategic Plan
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), Tennessee State Parks will conduct an in-person public meeting April 20th from 10am to 12pm at the T.O Fuller State Park Bluff Center to seek input on the individual Strategic Management Plan for T.O. Fuller State Park as part of the Tennessee State Parks Comprehensive System Planning Process. This meeting will seek public input on the draft Strategic Management Plan for the park and will help guide TDEC as it maps out a long-term blueprint for best serving visitors.
The individual site plan can be reviewed at www.tn.gov/environment/parks-conservation/ppp.
The department will accept written and oral comments regarding the individual site plan at the meeting and online at https://stateoftennessee.formstack.com/forms/t_o_fuller_site_management_plan_spring_meeting through May 20th, 2024. After the feedback, TDEC will review comments and adjust the individual site management plan as needed. The final plan will be made available at www.tn.gov/environment/parks-conservation/ppp.
TDEC Hosts Allen Fossil Plant Remedial Action Open House
Join MCAP on March 26th at 6 pm CST to discuss TVA’s progress on hauling toxic coal ash through our communities for the next 8-10 years.
MCAP Community Meeting
Join MCA for the first community meeting of the new year to get an update on the ethylene oxide (EtO) campaign, TVA's gas buildout at the Allen Plant, Lobby Day, and more.
Velsicol Chemical Public Meeting
Velsicol Chemical is one of the most infamous polluting sites in Memphis, TN with a long, toxic legacy in North Memphis. The company formerly produced harmful pesticides like DDT, chlordane, dieldrin and endrin - all known to cause cancer and other serious health ailments. For decades, Velsicol dumped in Cypress Creek. There is still known soil pollution throughout the area and in our groundwater.
The cleanup has been slow and secret. This public meeting is the beginning of a permit renewal process - the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permit only comes up for comment every 10 YEARS! We need all the eyes, ears, questions, and demands we can fit into the Hollywood Community Center to get this site cleaned up once and for all!
Read the in-depth article about the site from Tennessee Lookout: https://tennesseelookout.com/.../velsicol-closed-its.../
TDEC's Permit Hearing Posting: https://www.tn.gov/.../hw/ppo_sw_hw_velsicol-preapp.pdf
New Gas Plants in South Memphis? | TVA hosted public meeting
Statement from MCAP: ”Enough is enough,” KeShaun Pearson, president of Memphis Community Against Pollution said in a statement. “Memphis families shouldn’t be forced to foot the bill for TVA’s fossil fuel spending spree. The utility should instead invest in cheaper energy options, like solar power and energy efficiency programs that meet our energy needs while lowering monthly bills.”
(EtO) Shelby County Air Pollution Control Hearing Board
On February 7, 2023, Memphis Community Against Pollution (MCAP) filed a petition for an emergency air pollution order under Memphis Code section 9-12-9 requiring Sterilization Services of Tennessee to cease operations to protect the South Memphis community’s health. Shelby County Health Department officials denied our request to prioritize South Memphis residents' health and safety.
On February 23, 2023, MCAP appealed the decision.
After months of back and forth with Shelby County Health Department officials and attorneys, our appeal will be heard on Thursday, August 24, 2023, at 9 AM.
This is a public meeting, and we are urging community members to attend.
Sterilization Services of Tennessee cannot be allowed to continue polluting the South Memphis air with the cancer-causing toxin ethylene oxide (EtO). More so, SCHD officials have a duty to protect the health and well-being of the community from industrial polluters.
Read more about the ethylene oxide campaign at memphiscap.org/eto.
Memphis Mayoral Candidate Forum
Candidates for Memphis Mayor will engage in a forum format to answer questions about the environment, sustainability, and infrastructure concerns and ideas. Questions range from clean water, energy, transit, and environmental justice. Voters will hear Candidates express their views.
Forum moderator: Darrell Greene, Fox13 Memphis
Confirmed candidates: Michelle McKissack, Van Turner, & Paul Young
Online viewing: http://www.fbcbroad.org/
Parking: Enter from the parking lot in "the rear," which is accessible from Carpenter St, which intersects Broad and is East of the parking lot. There will be security in the parking lot and inside as well.
Co-sponsors - Our great list of co-sponsors collectively represents the diverse range of Memphis voters and includes- Black Millennials for Flint, MCAP-Memphis Community Against Pollution (formerly Memphis Community Against the Pipeline), MICAH-Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope, Protect Our Aquifer, Sowing Justice, Green, Healthy Homes Initiative, Climate Reality Project: Memphis and Mid-South Chapter, 21st Century Memphis or Bust, Wolf River Conservancy, First Baptist Church on Broad, and the Sierra Club: Chickasaw Group.
Memphis City Council Candidates Meet & Greet
Join MCAP as we co-host the Memphis City Council Candidates Meet & Greet.
The focus of the evening will be environmental and conservation issues affecting our communities.
A list of example questions will be available, and residents are encouraged to ask candidates their views.
See you there and bring a friend!
EPA Public Meeting on Proposed EtO Rules (PM)
The EPA will host a community meeting in person and via Zoom to provide residents an opportunity to learn more about EPA’s proposed actions and how to submit comments on the proposed rules.
Register for this meeting below:
Community Meeting: 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. CST
Call-in No: (833) 568-8864
Webinar ID: 161 735 9312
Register: https://bit.ly/3Myq82h
EPA Public Meeting for Proposed EtO Rules (AM)
The EPA will host a community meeting in person and via Zoom to provide residents an opportunity to learn more about EPA’s proposed actions and how to submit comments on the proposed rules.
Register for this meeting below:
Community Meeting: 10:00 a.m. – noon CST
Call-in No: (833) 435-1820
Webinar ID: 160 332 1079
Register: https://bit.ly/3N3YTyh
EtO Community Meeting
Join us to discuss ethylene oxide (EtO), a flammable gas and cancer-causing toxin, being released into the South Memphis air by Sterilization Services of Tennessee located at 2396 Florida St., 38109.
Register for the EtO Community Meeting here: https://forms.gle/h6XZ8X3FeFsKrCwe8
Learn more about EtO at memphicap.org/eto.
Ethylene Oxide (EtO) Public Comment Writing Campaign (Copy)
Memphis Community Against Pollution (MCAP) is partnering with the Mallory Heights CDC to host a public comment writing campaign this Saturday.
We will be available to help you draft your written testimony for the EPA's public commenting period for its proposed new requirement for 86 commercial sterilizers across the U.S., including Sterilization Services of Tennessee, located at 2396 Florida St., 38106.
If implemented, these requirements will reduce the amount of EtO that comes out of commercial sterilizers by 80 percent and reduce risk in nearby communities, i.e., Mallory Heights.
To learn more about EtO and the work we have been doing, please visit MemphisCAP.org/eto.
Ethylene Oxide (EtO) Public Comment Writing Campaign
Memphis Community Against Pollution (MCAP) is partnering with the Mallory Heights CDC to host a public comment writing campaign this Saturday.
We will be available to help you draft your written testimony for the EPA's public commenting period for its proposed new requirement for 86 commercial sterilizers across the U.S., including Sterilization Services of Tennessee, located at 2396 Florida St., 38109.
If implemented, these requirements will reduce the amount of EtO that comes out of commercial sterilizers by 80 percent and reduce risk in nearby communities, i.e., Mallory Heights.
To learn more about EtO and the work we have been doing, please visit MemphisCAP.org/eto.
Ethylene Oxide (EtO) Public Meeting
The Shelby County Health Department will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, March 28th, from 6 PM to 8 PM at Monumental Baptist Church, 704 S. Parkway E., 38106, regarding ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions coming from the Sterilization Services of Tennessee facility at 2396 Florida St., 38109.
MCAP is still fighting to get the Shelby County Health Department to take emergency action against Sterilization Services of Tennessee by requiring the company to discontinue emitting toxic EtO pollutants in Southwest Memphis or cease operations at this location.
Since the 1970s, Sterilization Services of Tennessee has been pumping ethylene oxide into the air in South Memphis. Ethylene oxide (EtO) is a toxic gas that causes increased risks of cancers, including lymphoma, leukemia, and breast cancer. Because the toxin is colorless and odorless, many people living near facilities emitting EtO don't know when they are being exposed to it.
Watch online: https://tinyurl.com/EtOMeeting
We can't afford to wait for the Environmental Protection Agency to update the regulations for facilities that use EtO. These changes may not happen for years. In the meantime, South Memphis residents deserve to breathe clean and healthy air now.
Memphis LED Streetlight Conversion Program in Boxtown
On Monday, March 20th, at 7:30 PM, MLGW & The City of Memphis will officially kick off their plan to convert nearly 77K streetlights in Memphis to LED bulbs at Fire Station #37, located at 3950 Weaver Rd.
Mayor Strickland, Memphis City Council members, and the MLGW Board of Commissioners are scheduled to attend this community event.
County Commission Meeting (EtO)
The Board of Shelby County Commissioners is scheduled to vote on a resolution supporting our efforts to reduce EtO emissions in Memphis and Shelby County on Monday, March 20th, at 3 PM at the Vasco A. Smith Jr. County Administration Building at 160 N. Main St., 38103.
Meet us at the commission meeting and speak against this injustice happening in South Memphis. Let’s tell our County Commissioners to prioritize the People and pass this resolution.
TDEC Hosts Allen Fossil Plant Remedial Action Open House
Join MCAP on February 23rd at Oakhaven High School at 6pm CST to discuss TVA’s plan to haul toxic coal ash through our community for the next 8-10 years.
Mallory Heights CDC Community Meeting
Join Mallory Heights CDC for a community update regarding lifetime cancer risk, TVA Allen Fossil Plant remidial action plan and Ashland, Inc.