Memphis gets $500K from TVA for energy-efficient home repairs
The environment and public health notebook provides you with the information you need to know about environmental and public health in the Mid-South.
- ALSAC, the fundraising organization for St. Jude, appointed a new chief development officer and senior vice president of strategy.
- The Tennessee Valley Authority is providing $500,000 to Memphis for energy-efficient home upgrades.
- The new TVA funding will help Memphis residents who were previously ineligible for home repair programs.
The fundraising organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital announced appointments to two of its leadership roles.
Also, the Tennessee Valley Authority gave the City of Memphis Division of Housing and Community Development $500,000 to improve access to energy-efficient home upgrades.
Here’s the latest in public health and environmental news in Memphis.
ALSAC adds new leadership personnel
American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC), the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, announced a new chief development officer and senior vice president of strategy in a press release earlier this month.
Martin Hand will become ALSAC’s chief development officer, a position that leads fundraising, philanthropy and corporate partnerships. Hand has 12 years of experience at ALSAC and previously served as chief donor and operations officer and was the first chief donor officer in the nonprofit sector.
Deborah Garcia will join the executive leadership team as senior vice president of strategy and will oversee “enterprise-wide strategy,” according to the release.
“These leadership transitions reflect ALSAC President and CEO Ike Anand’s vision to reshape the organization for its next era of growth, aligning with key priorities in ALSAC’s strategic plan,” the release read.
Anand was named the CEO of ALSAC in July 2025 after serving as interim CEO since March 2025.
Advocacy organizations respond to updated EPA standards for gas turbines
The NAACP, alongside the Southern Environmental Law Center and advocacy organization Young Gifted and Green, issued a statement on the EPA’s recent updates to turbine regulations on Jan. 15.
“The revised rule confirms what local Memphis community groups have been saying for months: that temporary methane gas turbines like the ones xAI is using to power its South Memphis data centers are subject to NSPS and require air permits,” the statement said.
New Source Performance Standards, or NSPS, are pollution control standards issued by the EPA.
On Jan. 9, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin signed a notice with updated regulations that included new standards for combustion and gas turbines. The regulations require air and construction permits for turbines, including temporary ones operating for under a year. The ruling was formally posted on the Federal Register on Jan. 15.
“We expect local health leaders to take swift action to ensure they are following federal law and to better protect neighbors from harmful air pollution,” said SELC Senior Attorney Amanda Garcia in the statement.
City receives TVA funding for energy-efficient home repairs
The TVA will provide $500,000 to the City of Memphis Division of Housing and Community Development to improve residents’ access to energy-efficient upgrades, city officials announced Jan. 15.
‘It’s going to help us a little with the energy burden, provide healthier homes and build stronger neighborhoods,” said Memphis Mayor Paul Young at a Jan. 15 press conference on the investment. “This is finally fixing what blocks many families from being able to get help.”
The money will strengthen the Residential Repair and Rehabilitation Assistance Program, which will prioritize households that have been deemed ineligible for home repair or energy efficiency programs due to the condition of their homes.
For example, many applicants to weatherization programs were ineligible because they needed repairs that fell outside the scope of the program’s funding. According to the city, the program clears these barriers to allow more residents to receive energy-efficient upgrades.