Members of the Westwood and Boxtown communities rallied last Saturday as they begin more vigorous push-back against All-Plains American’s proposed Byhalia Connection Pipeline.
“This meeting was called by the Memphis Community Against the Pipeline (MCAP),” said Justin J. Pearson, the organization’s leader. “We came together after the Oct. 17 meeting. Various individuals in the community united under the premises that we don’t wait oil in the soil, property values reducing, and the future of this community endangered by the pipeline.”
The rally was held outside of Mitchell High School. Speakers included landowners in litigation with All-Plains American and Valero Energy Corporation, as well as those opposed to the pipeline.
“The only reason the pipeline was routed through these communities is because they are not viewed as having the political, economic, and social capital to fight back,” said Pearson
Marie Odum accused All-Plains American of trying to take her family’s land.
“In October of last year, one of the company representatives asked my father to sign a piece of paper giving them permission to survey his land,” said Odum. “He told them ‘no.’
“My father inherited that land from his cousin in 1989 when she passed away. My father has working our family property for 64 years. Now, he has to go to court just to keep his land.”
Jeff Cosola, public relations advisor for All-Plains American, said he could not talk specifically about court cases but did say the litigation does not involve taking land from any landowner.
“We are committed to designing, constructing and operating the Byhalia Connection pipeline in a safe, reliable and responsible manner,” said Cosola. “Court cases involve negotiations with landowners to proceed with easement acquisitions.”
Cosola said easements involve constructing a 50-ft. right-of-way.
“We have purchased easements needed for the pipeline, making offers above market value,” he said. “We have reached agreement with landowners covering 93 percent of the required right-of-way.”
Odum said after her father rejected a $2,000, he was given 24 hours to think about an $8,000 final offer. “He said ‘no.’ So now, he’s got to go to court to fight for his land.”
In an interview following the rally, Kizzy Jones, an MCAP organizer, spoke of historical instances in which African Americans were “tricked out of our land. The laws were not written for us. What All-Plains American is doing is no different.”
The Byhalia Connection is a common carrier pipeline with the option to use eminent domain, which refers to the power of the government to take private property and convert it for public use, Cosola said.
“Although it has been necessary to initiate eminent domain proceedings in some rare situations, we are still working to find mutually agreeable compromises with all remaining landowners.”
As for area residents’ environmental concerns, Cosola said All-Plains takes every precaution for safe construction and maintenance.
“We do not expect the pipeline to contribute to health issues,” he said. “When the pipeline is in operation, most of it will be underground with no emissions. … We’ve spent over 10,000 hours studying the unique conditions along the route to design a safely operating pipeline within the local environment.”
Construction is set to begin early this year and Pearson said MCAP will continue to rally around landowners who do not wish to sell.
“Friday morning, Feb. 5, we will be downtown to support landowners in court,” said Pearson.
Cosola said the All-Plains team will continue to “share information, answer questions, listen to the community’s experiences and expectations and continue the ongoing dialogue with our neighbors.”
The pipeline is expected to be in operation nine months from the beginning of construction.
(For more information, visit https://byhaliaconnection.com/tdec/.)
