SELC petitions EPA to take action over Memphis metro air quality
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – As the summer season heats up, the potential for air quality issues rises, according to the Southern Environmental Law Center.
Now the nonprofit is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to redesignate the Memphis metro as a “non-attainment,” meaning Memphis’ air is unhealthy to breathe.
The designation would kick in some requirements under the Clean Air Act, which could be a life-saving move for the Mid-South.
The Southern Environmental Law Center sent a petition to the EPA Thursday, and that 228-page petition, if accepted by the EPA, could reclassify the Memphis area as “non-attainment.”
They’re urging the agency to take action so Memphians and those across the river, and in Mississippi, can breathe cleaner, safer air.
In their petition, the SELC’s research references the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, which labels Memphis as the “Asthma Capital” of the U.S.
Their data also shows an increase in ozone levels in the area over the past 5 years.
“For the past couple of years the Memphis area has had unhealthy levels of ozone pollution levels in the air,” said Caroline Cress, Senior Attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center.
And, it’s not new problem according to the SELC.
“This is not the first time they’ve been out of compliance with a federal standard for ozone in the air,” Cress said. But it is particularly egregious at this point in time, because the data shows that concentrations are going up and up every year.”
The SELC is also calling out local regulatory agencies, like the Shelby County Health Department, along with state and local agencies in Mississippi and Arkansas, charged with managing air quality and pollution.
Cress says, there’s been slow progress over the past two years.
“They were required to submit a plan now, nine months ago was the deadline for that,” Cress said. That plan was supposed to show all of the measures they would take reduce ozone pollution in the area, and they have yet to develop a complete plan.”
The Shelby County Health Department shared details of its Path Forward plan addressing regional ozone pollution.
The health department sent Action News 5 this statement:
Shelby County Health Department (SCHD) is working to update the voluntary Path Forward plan, which predates xAI’s arrival in the Memphis area. SCHD has had meetings with various industries in Shelby County and has engaged air program managers from Mississippi and Arkansas in ongoing discussions to address regional ozone pollution. The entire Mid-South region would be impacted by non-attainment status. That is why guidance from EPA has been instrumental in assisting the SCHD Air Pollution Control Program with devising ways to reduce the formation of ozone in Shelby County and the surrounding states.
Ongoing ozone reduction projects in Shelby County include the Memphis Area Rideshare Program, to promote alternative ways to commute; the 901 RideChoice Program, to provide transportation options for older adults and people living with disabilities; the Stop at the Click Campaign, to raise awareness about reducing emissions at gasoline pumps; anti-idling zones at schools and among fleet vehicles, to reduce emissions from idling vehicles; traffic roundabouts to improve traffic flow and reduce travel time for drivers; a Department of Energy electric vehicle grant to fund the purchase of electric vehicles for Shelby County Government’s fleet; a Carbon Reduction Program to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure; and the Explore Bike Share network to encourage bicycle commuting and recreational cycling.
However, Cress says, these efforts don’t effectively reduce emissions to make the air healthy to breathe.
“Because it’s a voluntary program EPA doesn’t really have any teeth in being able to enforce any kind of timeline or any specific measures they should implement,” she said. So, the mechanism EPA could use to make it more enforceable would be to designate the area as a non-attainment.”
And while much of the focus on air quality has been on xAI, Cress says Memphis’ ozone issues predate the supercomputer facility.
“It’s just getting worse in the coming months, so, we’re hoping that EPA takes action swiftly and in the mean time we’re also really hoping that the local governments step up and start taking some meaningful action.”
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