TVA gas project permit faces community opposition, labor union voices support

In their fight against pollution, dozens packed into a downtown community meeting, raising concerns. If the permit is approved, it would allow the TVA to install six large, permanent methane gas turbines at the Allen CT site, replacing 16 older units that were once located there.

“Choose higher poison, less poison, but I prefer to go no poison,” Mel Eleftheriou, a University of Memphis student, said.

The reaction echoed much of what the public expressed in April 2025 when the project was first introduced.

“We’re not here to cut anyone’s throat, but our children all have to breathe this air — whether you’re a union worker or not,” one attendee said.

But union workers also made their voices heard, shifting the conversation from pollution to job creation.

“I’m listening to what my community’s saying, and I’m also knowing what my job is trying to do,” Jon Murray of LIUNA Local 386 said. “With that being said, I just feel like our community needs jobs.”

The Laborers’ International Union of North America, Local 386, argued the new turbines would produce less pollution than the TVA’s former coal-fired Allen site.

“We’re about creating jobs,” Murray added. “So once you get in, you’re able to find a different trade. You’re able to make money. It creates a job for families, not just for communities.”

Still, many residents insist that two things can be true at once — and that clean air should be a universal priority.

“Air quality is a right. It’s a human right,” one resident said. “And guess what? It doesn’t just stand still. It travels. And it is going to impact all of us.”

The Shelby County Health Department says public comment will remain open until July 10, 2025. After that, the department will work with the EPA to review the permit. There is currently no timeline for a final decision.