This piece is part of a series of articles examining where 2026 Southeastern candidates for state and federal offices stand on key energy and climate issues, like data centers and energy costs.
Note: The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy does not support or oppose candidates or political parties. Links to reports, candidate websites, and outside sources are provided as citizen education tools.
In this article, we examine the policies and positions of Justin Pearson, the Democratic candidate running to represent Tennessee’s Congressional District 9. Also in this series, we profile Republican candidate Brent Taylor. Election Day is November 3.
Justin Pearson currently represents District 86 in the Tennessee House of Representatives. Before he took office in 2023, Pearson co-founded Memphis Community Against Pollution, an environmental advocacy organization created to stop the construction of an oil pipeline routed through South Memphis.
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
Pearson shared his support for transitioning to clean energy at the Tennessee Valley Authority May 2024 board meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. In his public comment at the listening session, Pearson said, “It’s well past time that TVA leaders champion a just and equitable transition to a clean, affordable renewable energy future. Lives in the Tennessee Valley depend on it.”
In a 2024 op-ed in The Commercial Appeal, Pearson said, “TVA’s board needs to reverse policies that have restricted distributed energy like rooftop solar. The board can tap a deep well of new federal incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act to greatly expand the reach of solar, storage and energy efficiency, especially in communities of color and low-income communities.”
In his comments at the People’s Voices on TVA’s Energy Plan event in February 2024, he said, “Y’all know we love solar panels. We’re all about clean energy. I need solar panels, I need wind energy, I need water energy, I need every energy outside of fossil fuels that we can find,” and stated that renewable energy projects must be developed in collaboration with the local community.
Climate Change
Pearson highlights his environmental and climate justice beliefs on his campaign website. He states that he will “Be a leader on tackling the climate crisis and its effects across District 9 and the country, including economic effects for farmers.”
Electric Transportation
We were unable to confirm Justin Pearson’s position on electric transportation in published media, public records, or on his campaign website.
Energy Justice
Justin Pearson got his start as a community organizer in the fight against the proposed Byhalia Pipeline in a campaign fighting environmental injustice.
As a legislator, he connected the energy justice issue to the experiences of his constituents in Memphis, Tennessee, saying: “Memphis has one of the highest energy burdens in the country, which means people spend a greater share of their income on energy bills than in most American cities. This burden will only get worse with more expensive gas plants.”
Pearson emphasized the need for intersectional organizing in his opening remarks at the People’s Voices on TVA’s Energy Plan event. “The time is now for us to see the interlocking injustices of environmental and climate degradation, and the perpetuation of greed, and the disrespect of our communities as a problem that we must all work to solve.”
Energy Affordability
In a 2024 op-ed in The Commercial Appeal, Pearson advocated for TVA to lower bills by moving towards 100% clean energy instead of building more methane gas plants.
High-Risk Energy: Nuclear, Coal, Methane Gas
At the end of his remarks at the People’s Voices on TVA’s Energy Plan event in 2024, Pearson said, “The largest gas buildout in our country of any utility is being planned by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Pipelines after pipelines after pipelines after expansion of fossil fuels, creating the problem of climate change and then telling us it’s a bridge fuel.”
Data Centers
Justin Pearson has been a prominent opponent of the xAI data centers in Memphis, which constructed dozens of unpermitted methane gas power turbines. In a Politico E&E news article, Pearson shared his support for a federal moratorium on the construction of large data centers until regulations and job protections are put in place: “The AI industry is moving at speed to do things we never imagined, and we need to put a hold on it.”
Voting Information
Election Day is November 3. Here are important dates and deadlines to consider:
- Oct. 5, 2026: Voter registration deadline
- Oct. 14, 2026: In-person early voting period begins
- Oct. 24, 2026: Absentee ballot request deadline
- Oct. 29, 2026: In-person early voting period ends
- Nov. 3, 2024: General Election Day
- Nov. 3, 2026: Absentee ballot return deadline
- Nov. 3, 2026: Absentee ballot return deadline for military and overseas citizen voters
For more information about being a Tennessee voter, including registering, finding your polling place, and requesting an absentee ballot, visit proudvoter.org.
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