Environment (Conservation)

HB 798 requires Tennessee's Department of Environment and Conservation to post its existing catalog of materials about source reduction and recycling on the department's public website. This bill directly affects the Department of Environment and Conservation by mandating online accessibility of these resources. The key provision is a simple administrative change: making the catalog available online without altering the content or creating new programs. The bill amends several sections of Tennessee law to implement this specific website posting requirement.

SB 1352 requires Tennessee's Department of Environment and Conservation to create a public website tool by January 2026 that shows facilities reporting toxic releases under federal law. The tool will let residents search by address to see nearby facilities within five miles and get alerts about new construction projects that may require reporting. It must update within 10 business days when new data arrives from the EPA's toxic release inventory. This helps Tennessee residents easily access location-specific information about industrial sites that report pollution data.

HB 126 revises Tennessee's state natural areas by updating acreage descriptions for existing protected lands and designating four new natural areas. It increases protected acreage for sites like Barnett's Woods (from 40 to 156 acres) and adds new areas including Clifty Creek Gorge (89 acres protecting the federally threatened Virginia spirea), Rocky Hill (1 acre safeguarding the endangered running glade clover), Union Grove (59 acres preserving the Tennessee trillium), and Versailles Knob (40 acres protecting Braun's Rockcress). The bill directly affects conservation efforts by expanding legal protections for specific endangered species and habitats across Morgan, Rutherford, and Hamblen counties. Enacted on April 11, 2025, it formalizes these land designations without introducing new funding or regulatory requirements.

SB 968 transfers administrative oversight of Tennessee's State Energy Policy Council from the council itself to the Departments of Economic and Community Development and Environment and Conservation. It requires the council to meet quarterly, submit an initial report by July 2026 detailing energy source goals, analysis of strengths/weaknesses, and infrastructure assessments, and distribute reports to relevant legislative committees and the public online. The bill directly affects the council's operations and the two departments responsible for managing its work, without changing energy policy substance.

HB 613 requires Tennessee's Department of Environment and Conservation to submit an annual report starting July 1, 2025, detailing water permit applications and their compensatory mitigation methods. The report must include the total number of permit applications filed and specific information about how environmental restoration (compensatory mitigation) is handled in permits requiring it. For permits using in-lieu fee programs or mitigation banking, the report must specify the sponsor, number of credits sold, and funds received for each project. This bill directly affects the Department of Environment and Conservation (which must file the reports) and entities obtaining water permits (which must provide the required mitigation details). The law amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 69, Section 69-3-108(g).