In the midst of our battle to stop the Byhalia Oil Pipeline from its proposed route atop the Memphis Sand Aquifer, founding Board members—Ward Archer and Jim Kovarik—made this video in February 2021. After a two-year tussle with billion-dollar oil interests, Byhalia pulled its permits and canceled its pipeline in July 2021.
We used this same video to conduct a series of interviews with Thought Leaders in Memphis and Shelby County. We played the video and spent an hour with over two dozen local leaders discussing the needs and necessities of aquifer protection.
After working as an all-volunteer group for over four years, we hired our first full-time Executive Director (Sarah Houston) and crafted our first Strategic Plan in the summer of 2021—based on the recommendations gathered in our discussions and insights gained in four years of advocating for the Memphis Aquifer.
(Jim is the narrator, and the video was made at Ward’s recording studio.)
For more information:
The Sum of Us
A podcast by Heather McGhee. “Memphis, TN: The sweetest water in the world.” A story of the successful coalition that defeated the Byhalia Pipelineh.
Broken Ground
A podcast by SELC (Southern Environmental Law Center), A five-part series documenting the oil pipeline battle.
