Power plants, an oil refinery and a chemical plant are among Tennessee’s top climate polluters. If Elon Musk’s sprawling xAI data center campus in Memphis were included in that lineup, it would rank second.
Caroline Eggers, Environmental Reporter
Caroline Eggers covers environmental issues with a focus on equity for WPLN News through Report for America, a national service program that supports journalists in local newsrooms across the country. Before joining the station, she spent several years covering water quality issues, biodiversity, climate change and Mammoth Cave National Park for newsrooms in the South. Her reporting on homelessness and a runoff-related “fish kill” for the Bowling Green Daily News earned her 2020 Kentucky Press Association awards in the general news and extended coverage categories, respectively. Beyond deadlines, she is frequently dancing, playing piano and photographing wildlife and her poodle, Princess. She graduated from Emory University with majors in journalism and creative writing.
Nashville just neared its dew point record. Why that’s dangerous for heat, flooding
Nashville reached tropical moisture levels during the latest summer heatwave this week.
Nashville passes first regulations on data centers, as city officials promise more action
The Metro Council has now passed limits on where new data centers can go in Nashville, as well as their use of power sources like on-site gas turbines. Mayor Freddie O’Connell says additional efforts are moving forward, including one targeting the proposed data center near the Nashville Zoo.
Nashville’s data center ordinance lost a key environmental safeguard. What you need to know
Nashville’s city council will consider finalizing new legislation on Tuesday to regulate data centers, but a key environmental safeguard was stripped out earlier this month, with potentially serious consequences for public health and the environment.
What DC BLOX’s murky plans in Nashville signal for electricity costs, environmental impacts
Data center developer DC BLOX may be planning a bigger facility near the Nashville Zoo than the company initially revealed. Or it may end up being smaller. Details of the planned project have evolved, sparking widespread concerns.
Why Nashville will struggle to block the DC BLOX data center near zoo
A data center planned near the Nashville Zoo may still be able to muscle through legal hurdles, new city legislation and an enormous wave of community pushback.
Bear rescue resumes helping orphaned cubs in Tennessee, Great Smoky Mountains
Black bear cubs orphaned in the wild may soon have a temporary home. The Appalachian Bear Rescue is a 30-year-old wildlife rehabilitation facility near Gatlinburg that just reopened after a lengthy closure.
How Cheekwood, Belle Meade and Warner Park’s conservation intersect in neighborhood lawsuit
Hundreds of residents in the Belle Meade-Highlands neighborhood brought legal action against the city this week to target traffic caused by Cheekwood Estate and Gardens.
Animals can be queer. Here are Tennessee critters that show love is love
Queerness is prevalent in many different forms across the world of animals. Examples in Tennessee include foxes, eastern bluebirds, and black bears.
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