Displaying items by tag: tennessee environment

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. 

Wetlands in Shelby Bottom in Nashville. Legislative efforts are underway to undermine state regulatory authority of the important ecosystems.  John Partipilo

West Tennessee legislation appears to be driven by powerful development interests

This article was originally published by Tennessee Lookout.

NASHVILLE — A controversial bill to claw back state regulations over thousands of acres of Tennessee wetlands advanced with no debate in a House committee, keeping the proposal alive even after it was shelved in the state senate. The bill is likely to be considered this week in another subcommittee.

The bill would give developers and landowners a break from needing state permission to build on or fill in wetlands that have no obvious surface connection to a river, lake or stream. Current law gives the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, or TDEC, the power to approve or deny plans to disturb a wetland — and to require that developers pay often-costly mitigation fees if a project is allowed to go forward.

The bill’s sponsors, west Tennessee Republicans Rep. Kevin Vaughan and Sen. Brent Taylor, have called state rules onerous and an infringement on the rights of property owners.