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South Memphis residents demand halt or review after XAI-related turbines raise permitting, health concerns
Summary
Residents from Boxtown and nearby neighborhoods told the Commission they learned XAI had filed permits for far fewer turbines than they say are operating, and urged Shelby County health officials to pause operations and hold a robust public process ahead of a scheduled April 25 County Health Department meeting.
A sustained wave of public comment at multiple Shelby County committee sessions focused Thursday on community alarm about an XAI-related facility in South Memphis, where residents and neighborhood activists said they had learned the company was operating more turbines than permits showed and called for stronger county oversight, a public hearing the community can participate in and, if necessary, operational pauses.
"We learned that XAI is using 35'35 methane gas burning turbines. They have submitted a permit to our Shelby County health department for 15, yet they are using over double that amount with no permit," Keyshawn Pearson of Memphis Community Against Pollution told the Commission. Pearson and other speakers said they received notice of a Shelby County Health Department public meeting on April 25 and asked that community representatives be included in planning the event.
Community members described long-standing health and environmental burdens in ZIP code 38109 and adjacent neighborhoods. "Our children miss more school than anybody else because of asthma related and respiratory issues," Pearson said. Several speakers, including Pamela Moses and Easter May Knox, described personal or family respiratory illness they and relatives associate with local industrial pollution and urged commissioners to require legally enforceable, community-centered protections before more industrial equipment is sited.
"If you allow him to do this without any benefit to the community, it will be to the detriment," Pamela Moses said during public comment. Multiple speakers asked for a formal community benefits agreement, stronger local permitting review and clear, frequent monitoring of air quality in the area.
County staff and commissioners discussed procedural next steps. Committee members said they had invited an XAI representative to appear in committee but had not received confirmation; committee chair told the room she had sent three emails and a LinkedIn invite but did not receive a reply. Several commissioners asked the Shelby County Health Department and legal staff to explain what authority the county has to require extensions of public-comment deadlines or to set local standards if federal or state rules do not give adequate protection.
Public-safety and public-health authorities have scheduled a Shelby County Health Department event for April 25 to discuss the facility's permit and community concerns; organizers told attendees they should plan to make public comment and to request that the department include community representatives on the meeting agenda-setting process. Residents and advocates asked commissioners to demand a stronger, more formal public process and to explore immediate steps the county can take, such as additional air monitoring and formal enforcement steps if operations are found to exceed permit allowances.
The committee did not take formal action on the facility during Thursday's sessions. Advocates said they intend to press for an ad hoc oversight group combining county officials and neighborhood representatives and for more transparency from both the company and permitting officials. "At some point, operations have to stop," Pearson said. "At some point, we have to prioritize clean air, clean water, clean soil for the people of Boxtown, just like we do in Lakeland, Collierville."
