Displaying items by tag: tennessee wetlands bill
TN General Assembly slashes state wetlands protections
Water collects among trees at the West Tennessee Wetlands Mitigation Bank — a wetland restored from its days as farmland — near the Loosahatchie River in Shelby County, Tenn. Karen Pulfer Focht for Tennessee Lookout
Bill’s supporters call it a win for private property; opponents say it’s a loss for all Tennesseans
This story was originally published by Tennessee Lookout.
NASHVILLE — A bill slashing regulations for an estimated 80 percent of Tennessee’s non-federally protected wetlands headed to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk this week after receiving approval from the General Assembly.
The bill’s West Tennessee Republican sponsors — Rep. Kevin Vaughan and Sen. Brent Taylor — said the legislation removes onerous and seemingly subjective mitigation requirements for landowners and developers.
Environmental advocates and scientists said the legislation paves the way for the destruction of Tennessee’s natural resources.
The bill passed 71-21 with one abstention in the House, and 25-6 in the Senate.
Since the 1970s, wetland regulations in Tennessee have required developers and landowners to seek permission from the state before draining or altering wetlands. The swampy areas can host diverse species, soak up rain water and filter it as it seeps into groundwater tables, recharging aquifers. Alterations to wetlands required developers to pay for mitigation — efforts to preserve or restore other wetlands nearby.
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Murky dark money group backs state wetland deregulation
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.
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