Sources

Home

1. American Lung Association. 2023. American Lung Association State of the Air 2021. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.lung.org/research/sota/

2. Bai, Nina. 2024. “More Black Americans Die from Effects of Air Pollution.” Stanford Medicine News Center, July 16, 2024. Accessed September 6, 2025. https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2024/07/more-black-americans-die-from-effects-of-air-pollution.html 

3. Mu, Haizhi, et al. 2025. “Artificial Intelligence and Its Carbon Footprint.” 2025 Systems and Information Engineering Design Symposium (SIEDS), May 2025, 31–35. https://doi.org/10.1109/sieds65500.2025.11021149. 

4. Tam, Bryant. 2025. “AI Data Centers vs. Traditional Data Centers.” 174 Power Global. June 18, 2025. Accessed September 6, 2025. https://174powerglobal.com/blog/ai-data-centers-vs-traditional-data-centers/ 

Historical Landscape

Texas

1. Permian Basin Information. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.rrc.texas.gov/oil-and-gas/major-oil-and-gas-formations/permian-basin/

2. The origins of the world’s dirtiest oil field. Environment Texas Research & Policy Center. December 8, 2023. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://environmentamerica.org/texas/center/articles/the-origins-of-the-worlds-dirtiest-oil-field/

3. Fracking Makes the Texas Oil and Gas Industry Possible; It May Also Be Harming the State. Pulitzer Center. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/fracking-makes-texas-oil-and-gas-industry-possible-it-may-also-be-harming-state.

4. Srebotnjak T, Rotkin-Ellman M. Fracking Fumes: Air Pollution from Hydraulic Fracturing Threatens Public Health and Communities. NRDC Issue Brief. 2014;14(10-A):1-12. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/fracking-air-pollution-IB.pdf 

5. Bethel H, Sexton K, Linder S, et al. A Closer Look at Air Pollution in Houston:  Identifying Priority Health Risks. US Environmental Protection Agency. Published online 2006:1-15. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www3.epa.gov/ttnchie1/conference/ei16/session6/bethel.pdf 

6. Pearson L. New Harris Co. report shows air quality poorest in minority communities, leading to health concerns. ABC13 Houston. August 29, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://abc13.com/post/harris-county-public-health-report-highlights-areas-most-impacted-air-pollution/15240473/

7. Burns J. Houston is Failing its Communities of Color: A History of Redlining and Pollution Siting. Climate XChange. July 14, 2020. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://climate-xchange.org/2020/07/houston-is-failing-its-communities-of-color-a-history-of-redlining-and-pollution-siting/

8. History of TCEQ and Its Predecessor Agencies. Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.tceq.texas.gov/agency/organization/tceqhistory.html

9. Directory: Office of Air. Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.tceq.texas.gov/agency/directory/air-directory.html

10. Our History. Air Alliance Houston. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://airalliancehouston.org/our-history/

Tennessee

11. Point PT. From International to Domestic, Memphis is a Natural Logistics Hub. Averitt. December 13, 2022. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.averitt.com/blog/memphis-logistics-hub

12. Memphis: America’s Multimodal City. Inbound Logistics. October 16, 2014. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.inboundlogistics.com/articles/memphis-americas-multimodal-city/

13. Santos C. Transportation, Urban Form, and Social Justice in Memphis. The University of Memphis, The Benjamin L Hooks Institute for Social Change. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.memphis.edu/benhooks/pdfs/transportation_urbanform_andsocialjustice.pdf 1.

14. Memphis – Gentrification and Displacement – Urban Displacement. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.urbandisplacement.org/maps/memphis-gentrification-and-displacement/

15. Jia C, Foran J. Air toxics concentrations, source identification, and health risks: An air pollution hot spot in southwest Memphis, TN. Atmospheric Environment. 2013;81:112-116. doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2013.09.0061.

16. Miller A. Toxic Gas Adds to a Long History of Pollution in Southwest Memphis. KFF Health News. May 1, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/toxic-ethylene-oxide-gas-southwest-memphis/

17. Macaraeg S. Byhalia pipeline: Toxic refinery pollution, monitoring blind spot in southwest Memphis. The Commercial Appeal. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.commercialappeal.com/in-depth/news/2021/03/17/takeaways-toxic-refinery-pollution-southwest-memphis/4718350001/

18. Toxic air. Insufficient monitors. Why Memphis families fighting Byhalia pipeline have had enough | USC Center for Health Journalism. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://centerforhealthjournalism.org/our-work/reporting/toxic-air-insufficient-monitors-why-memphis-families-fighting-byhalia-pipeline

19. Satterfield J. Report: TVA’s Allen Fossil Plant in Memphis ranks #10 in most contaminated U.S. sites • Tennessee Lookout. Tennessee Lookout. November 28, 2022. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://tennesseelookout.com/2022/11/28/report-tvas-allen-fossil-plant-in-memphis-ranks-10-in-most-contaminated-u-s-sites/

Louisiana

20. The Shocking Hazards of Louisiana’s Cancer Alley | Johns Hopkins | Bloomberg School of Public Health. August 4, 2025. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2025/the-shocking-hazards-of-louisianas-cancer-alley

21. Grist NS. Real-time data show the air in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ is even worse than expected • Louisiana Illuminator. Louisiana Illuminator. June 12, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://lailluminator.com/2024/06/12/cancer-alley-4/

22. Cancer Alley. Southern Cultures. July 16, 2020. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.southerncultures.org/article/cancer-alley/

23. From Plantations to Petrochemicals | Sierra Club. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/plantations-petrochemicals-juneteenth

24. ABOUT. moniqueverdin. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.moniqueverdin.com/about

25. Blodgett AD. An Analysis of Pollution and Community Advocacy in ‘Cancer Alley’: Setting an Example for the Environmental Justice Movement in St James Parish, Louisiana. Local Environment. 2006;11(6):647-661. doi:10.1080/13549830600853700

26. The Faces of Pollution : As Cancer, Miscarriages Mount, Louisiana Wonders If It Is a “National Sacrifice Zone.” Los Angeles Times. January 24, 1988. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-01-24-mn-37913-story.html

27. Juhasz A. “We’re Dying Here.” Human Rights Watch. Published online January 25, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.hrw.org/report/2024/01/25/were-dying-here/fight-life-louisiana-fossil-fuel-sacrifice-zone

28. Environmental racism in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’, must end, say UN human rights experts | UN News. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1086172

29. Rise St. James. Rise St. James. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://risestjames.org/

30. About Us. Louisiana Bucket Brigade. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://labucketbrigade.org/about-us/

Contemporary Landscape

Environmentalism in Recent Years

1. Goldman Environmental Prize. 2021. “How Grassroots Environmental Activism Has Changed the Course of History.” Goldman Environmental Prize Blog. September 1, 2021. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.goldmanprize.org/blog/grassroots-environmental-activism/ Goldman Environmental Prize 

Texas and The Greater Houston Area

2. Satija, Neena. 2017. “Houston Plots a Sustainable Path Forward, but It’s Leaving Some Neighborhoods Behind.” The Texas Tribune. August 23, 2017. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://www.texastribune.org/2017/08/23/houston-plots-sustainable-path-forward-its-leaving-neighborhood-behind/ 

3. “Residents Fight for Environmental Justice in Houston Neighborhoods Dealing with Hazardous Sites and Air Pollution.” Click2Houston (KPRC Local News). April 6, 2021. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2021/04/06/houston-residents-fight-for-environmental-justice-in-neighborhoods-dealing-with-hazardous-sites-and-air-pollution/ 

4. Foxhall, Emily. 2022. “Exclusive: Contaminated Fifth Ward Rail Yard Linked to Highly Dangerous Toxic Waste Mixed with Creosote.” Houston Chronicle. August 15, 2022. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/environment/article/Exclusive-Contaminated-Fifth-Ward-rail-yard-17375464.php 

5. Air Alliance Houston. 2024. “Environmental Justice Resources.” Air Alliance Houston. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://airalliancehouston.org/our-advocacy/environmental-justice-resources/ 

6. Houston Health Department. 2024. “Houston Environmental Justice Advisory Council.” Houston Health Department. Last reviewed November 1, 2024. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://www.houstonhealth.org/houston-environmental-justice-advisory-council?utm_source=chatgpt.com 

7. U.S. Department of Justice. 2022. “Justice Department Launches Environmental Justice Investigation into the City of Houston, Texas.” Office of Public Affairs (Press Release), July 22, 2022. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-launches-environmental-justice-investigation-city-houston-texas 

Memphis, Tennessee

8. Wicks, Myracle; Tarvarious Haywood; and Bria Bolden. 2024. “Elon Musk’s xAI to Build Multi-Billion-Dollar Supercomputer Project in Memphis.” Action News 5. June 5, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.actionnews5.com/2024/06/05/elon-musk-build-multi-billion-dollar-ai-supercomputer-project-memphis/ 

9. NPR. 2024. “Title of the Article.” NPR, September 11, 2024. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2024/09/11/nx-s1-5088134/elon-musk-ai-xai-supercomputer-memphis-pollution. 

10. “How Come I Can’t Breathe?: Musk’s Data Company Draws a Backlash in Memphis.” 2025. Politico. May 6, 2025. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/06/elon-musk-xai-memphis-gas-turbines-air-pollution-permits-00317582

11. Fayard, Megan. 2025. “Elon Musk Finally Reveals ‘Why Memphis’ for xAI Supercomputer.” WREG. February 19, 2025. Archived April 1, 2025. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250401125851/https://wreg.com/news/local/xai-memphis/elon-musk-finally-reveals-why-memphis-for-xai-supercomputer/ 

12. Wicks, Myracle; Tarvarious Haywood; and Bria Bolden. 2024. “Elon Musk’s xAI to Build Multi-Billion-Dollar Supercomputer Project in Memphis.” Action News 5. June 5, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.actionnews5.com/2024/06/05/elon-musk-build-multi-billion-dollar-ai-supercomputer-project-memphis/ 

13. “How Come I Can’t Breathe?: Musk’s Data Company Draws a Backlash in Memphis.” 2025. Politico. May 6, 2025. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/06/elon-musk-xai-memphis-gas-turbines-air-pollution-permits-00317582 

14. Srivathsan, Bhargs, Marc Sorel, Pankaj Sachdeva, Arjita Bhan, Haripreet Batra, Raman Sharma, Rishi Gupta, and Surbhi Choudhary. 2024. “AI Power: Expanding Data Center Capacity to Meet Growing Demand.” McKinsey & Company. October 29, 2024. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/ai-power-expanding-data-center-capacity-to-meet-growing-demand 

15. United Nations Regional Information Centre (UNRIC). 2025. “Artificial Intelligence: How Much Energy Does AI Use?” UNRIC. April 7, 2025. Accessed August 12, 2025.
    https://unric.org/en/artificial-intelligence-how-much-energy-does-ai-use/

16. Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC). 2025. “Resistance Against Elon Musk’s xAI Facility in South Memphis Gets Stronger.” Southern Environmental Law Center. June 17, 2025. Accessed August 12, 2025.  https://www.selc.org/news/resistance-against-elon-musks-xai-facility-in-south-memphis-gets-stronger/ 

17. ProPublica. 2021. “Poison in the Air.” ProPublica. November 2, 2021. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://www.propublica.org/article/toxmap-poison-in-the-air 

18. Protect Our Aquifer. 2025. “xAI Supercomputer.” Protect Our Aquifer. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://www.protectouraquifer.org/issues/xai-supercomputer 

19. “Pearson Leads Protest Against xAI Turbines in Memphis.” WREG. April 30, 2025. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://wreg.com/news/local/pearson-leads-protest-against-xai-turbines-in-memphis/

20. NAACP files intent to sue Elon Musk’s xAI company over Memphis supercomputer air pollution. PBS NewsHour. June 17, 2025. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/naacp-files-intent-to-sue-elon-musks-xai-company-over-memphis-supercomputer-air-pollution/

Wicks, Myracle; Tarvarious Haywood; and Bria Bolden. 2024. “Elon Musk’s xAI to Build Multi-Billion-Dollar Supercomputer Project in Memphis.” Action News 5. June 5, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.actionnews5.com/2024/06/05/elon-musk-build-multi-billion-dollar-ai-supercomputer-project-memphis/ 

Cancer Alley, Louisiana

21. La Illuminator. 2024. “Real-time Data Show the Air in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ Is Even Worse Than Expected.” La Illuminator. June 12, 2024. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://lailluminator.com/2024/06/12/cancer-alley-4/ 

22. Human Rights Watch. 2024. “US: Louisiana’s Cancer Alley.” Human Rights Watch. January 25, 2024. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/01/25/us-louisianas-cancer-alley