Displaying items by tag: wetland regulation

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. 

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.