Tennessee lawmakers are considering a bill that would roll back regulations for “isolated” wetlands that don’t have surface connections to waters of the United States.  John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout

Legal firm’s representative’s testimony focused on property rights in midst of pro-developer legislative push in Tennessee

This story was originally published by Tennessee Lookout.

NASHVILLE — A representative from the legal firm that fought for deregulation of American wetlands at the U.S. Supreme Court spoke Wednesday in support of a Tennessee bill that would roll back protections for up to 80 percent of the state’s isolated wetlands.

Tennessee lawmakers are considering a bill that would significantly reduce requirements for development on wetlands, swampy lands that support diverse ecosystems, soak up floodwaters and recharge groundwater.

A state House subcommittee voted 7-2 to advance the bill to the full House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, where it will be heard on April 1. 

The state’s current regulations predate the federal Clean Water Act, which imposed the first federal protections for wetlands in the 1970s, requiring developers to compensate for destroying wetlands by preserving or restoring them elsewhere.

But the erosion of federal regulations in the last two years has given states more power to decide how they will define and protect wetlands. 

Georgia and North Carolina lead EV investment and jobs; Florida tops market share and growth; Tennessee and Alabama lag behind

Stan Cross leads the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy dynamic Electric Transportation Team. 

KNOXVILLE — Misinformation about the technology and the state of the electric-vehicle market is rampant. But beyond the noise are the facts, which show that the Southeast’s EV market is zipping along.

The Southeast continues to lead the nation in electric vehicles and battery-related jobs and private-sector investments. As of the end of 2024, updated data from the fifth annual Transportation Electrification in the Southeast report found that the region is home to a whopping 38 percent of the nation’s $215 billion in announced private-sector EV and battery investments and 31 percent of the anticipated 238,000 jobs. Georgia remains No. 1 in anticipated jobs and committed investments, with North Carolina a close second.  

These investments deliver economic development and employment to our region’s rural communities. Toyota’s $13.9 billion battery manufacturing facility in Randolph County, North Carolina, is at the top of the rural economic development list. The facility is expected to create 5,100 jobs and is the nation’s most valuable clean energy investment. Hyundai has made the second-largest regional investment at its battery manufacturing and EV assembly plant in Bryan County, Georgia. That investment tops $6 billion and is expected to create 3,400 jobs. It has had a massive ripple effect, with Hyundai suppliers announcing more than $2.7 billion in investments and an anticipated 6,900 jobs across the state. 

Tennessee Aquarium Reintroduction Biologist II Teresa Israel examines a critically endangered laurel dace before its reintroduction to the wild in March 2025. In July 2024, about 300 of these fish — considered by scientists to be among the most imperiled in North America — were rescued out of rapidly drying streams on Walden Ridge north of Chattanooga.  Tennessee Aquarium

Improving drought conditions on Cumberland Plateau enabled return of fish after 2024 rescue

Casey Phillips is a communications specialist at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga.

CHATTANOOGA — After being saved from near-certain extinction last summer and overwintering in the expert care of biologists at the Tennessee Aquarium, more than 230 critically endangered laurel dace are finally back where they belong.

Last July, a prolonged regional drought caused many Southeast Tennessee streams to dwindle and, in some cases, dry up entirely. Atop Walden Ridge north of Chattanooga, water flow ceased at Bumbee Creek and Youngs Creek, the last sites known to support populations of Chrosomus saylori, the laurel dace.

When conditions in these rapidly disappearing waterways reached a tipping point, the Aquarium led a series of emergency rescue operations to save as many of these red-bellied, highlighter-yellow-finned minnows as possible. In coordination with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and with assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the University of Georgia, about 300 laurel dace — the majority left on the planet — were relocated into the safety of human care at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga and Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery in Jamestown, Kentucky.

According to the most recent report from the USDA’s U.S. Drought Monitor, much of Southeast Tennessee is still experiencing moderate drought conditions. However, a slightly wetter-than-average February made it safe to return these rescued minnows to the wild.

All great scientific solutions start with collaboration

KNOXVILLE — The challenges facing the planet and its inhabitants have long been too complex for any one individual or group to address, and that’s why the great advancements in modern science begin with conferences, symposiums and collaboration.

The first Environmental Future Symposium is an effort from the University of Tennessee Office of Sustainability to present a vision of the future for area residents and University of Tennessee students. 

Planned for the Agriculture and Natural Resources Ballroom and Plaza from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. March 27, the symposium is spearheaded by the office’s Alternative Energy and Transportation Coordinator Ben Gouffon. His vision for the event is simple: at the intersection of human-accelerated climate destabilization and a revitalization of the collapsing biosphere sits every individual and their  actions. His hope is that this symposium is an avenue for every attendee to discover what they can do for Knoxville, the university and the planet they call home.