Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW) recently released its draft integrated resource plan (IRP) which made clear that despite what the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) wants the public to believe, it confirms what other previous studies had also found: MLGW has the opportunity to save hundreds of millions of dollars by switching to an alternative power supply and leaving its current supply, TVA. 

On Tuesday, TVA President and CEO Jeff Lyash will be speaking with the MLGW Committee of Memphis City Council. Following Lyash’s remarks, community groups including Memphis Has The Power, Sierra Club, 3C Coalition of Concerned Citizens, and Freedom CDC will gather outside Memphis City Hall to provide their community’s responses. They will call on City Councilmembers to get real numbers on the table for how much Memphis, MLGW, and its ratepayers could save by leaving TVA and switching to another supply by issuing a comprehensive request for proposals (RFP). Groups will also be available to answer questions on how this decision will impact Memphians. 

WHAT: Press Conference: Community Response to TVA President and CEO Jeff Lyash comments to MLGW Committee of Memphis City Council. Speakers to include:

• Pearl Eva Walker, Memphis Has The Power
• Dennis Lynch, Sierra Club
• Dr. Reverend Kevin Brooks, Freedom CDC
• Catherine Lewis, 3C Coalition of Concerned Citizens

WHEN: Tuesday, July, 7, 10:00  – 10:30 AM CT

WHERE: Outside Memphis City Hall, 125 N. Main St, Memphis, TN 38103

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About the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Since 1985, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy has worked to promote responsible energy choices to ensure clean, safe, and healthy communities throughout the Southeast. Learn more at www.cleanenergy.org.

About Memphis Has The Power
Memphis Has the Power is a campaign to ensure Memphians have affordable, equitable, and clean energy. We are working to achieve energy justice and create a cleaner, more prosperous Memphis. Learn more at www.memphishasthepower.org.

About Sierra Club
The Chickasaw Group of the Sierra Club represents over 1000 members in Memphis and West Tennessee. We advocate for policies that protect our natural environment, offer hikes and outdoor recreation for people of all ages, support environmental candidates for public office, and provide opportunities for people who want to develop leadership skills to help their community while enhancing the environment. Learn more at www.sierraclub.org/tennessee/chickasaw.

About Freedom CDC
Freedom CDC challenges the stereotypes of violence and despair in the community by developing residential housing and increasing student achievement and family stabilization as homeowners. Rev. Brooks has trained more than 100 gang members on workforce development, conflict resolution, and social entrepreneurship. 

About 3C Coalition of Concerned Citizens
The Coalition of Concerned Citizens is a unified body of Mid-South Grassroots Organizations, organized to create a safer, more equitable, unified Memphis. Learn more at www.facebook.com/CoalitionOfMemphis.