The Tennessee Conservation Group, which supports the preservation of the Duck River, is looking at two bills that say it puts the state’s waterways at serious risk.
There is one bill Strip condition protection from wetlands It is no longer protected by federal law. Another discards the required 2 miles of buffer during specified time Scenic river Reclaimed land.
Both bills will affect waterways throughout the state once passed, but the Duck River has played a central role in debating its effectiveness.
The Duck River is the longest river in Tennessee and the most biodiversified freshwater river in North America. It also serves as a major water source for around 15 million residents of the fast-growing state of Tennessee.
Environmentalists and supporters have fought for strong protection of the waterway for many years. Through court battles, water business license appeals and legislative measures. Gov. Bill Lee raised the duck to a level of statewide concern in the fall of 2024. Presidential Order form a shape New Advisory Committee Balancing river health with increasing water needs.
It is not clear whether the bill sponsors intend to pass this legislative session and the bill could still be amended.
Controversial Wetland Bill Returns
Collierville Republican Rep. Kevin Vaughn has returned this session with another version of him 2024 Legislation They are about to roll back protections of hundreds of thousands of acres of wetlands.
Vaughn’s original bill faces solid opposition from environmental advocates and ultimately Sent to investigate the legislative summer session. The Tennessee Department of Environmental Protection (TDEC) has submitted a report to the Senate Committee on Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources. Recommendations In the case of the renewal of wetland regulations in October.
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Vaughn’s 2025 bill appears to be virtually the same as his 2024 proposal. It prevents TDEC from classifying property as a wetland unless the property is defined as a wetland by federal law. a Supreme Court decision In 2023, we restricted the number of federally protected wetlands and cut off wetlands that had no surface connections to “segregated” or other federally protected waters.
Vaughn did not respond to requests for comment, but said in 2024 that his bill would not affect “actual wetlands” and would only affect small areas created by tractors and livestock. He said he should not be exposed to troublesome regulations that require developers to seek permission and to seek full mitigation efforts to build or get in the way on wetlands.
George Nolan, director of the Southern Environmental Law Center’s Tennessee office, said the law has a much broader scope.
“The bill would remove all state-level protections for more than 300,000 acres of wetlands if it passes,” Nolan told the observation deck. “It will have a huge impact as wetlands help us all stay safe and healthy.”
Wetlands slow down to absorb flood waters – Nolan said acres of wetlands can hold more than 1 million gallons of water – and groundwater systems to replenish aquifers that supply the water Filter the water when moving to. Wetlands also function as ecologically diverse habitats.
Harpeth Conservancy is working with data from SkyTec from the mapping data farm, and estimates that there are around 16,000 geographically isolated wetlands that could lose protection along the Duck River. Approximately 80% of these wetlands account for less than an acre. More than half is less than a quarter of an acre.
“In central Tennessee, wetland hotspots are located upstream of the Duck River Basin. The Duck River relies on a groundwater system to charge its body,” Nolan said. “Destroying wetlands in the Upper Duck River basin will damage the river during drought.”
Republican officials are urging people to consider downstream effectiveness
The Duck River runs “center to right smack dub” in Hickman County, in the Jody Barrett area of Dixon Republican Rep. His constituents are passionate about protecting the natural resources and beauty of the river.
Barrett is a real estate lawyer and said he understands what Vaughn is trying to do from a development standpoint, but Barrett is still concerned about the bill. He draws a comparison with a blank canvas. The 20 or 30 dots on that canvas may not be very similar, but it will go from 20,000 to 30,000 and “start filling up pretty quickly.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of from this bill,” Barrett said. “Yes, it may seem harmless to that face – we’re just really affecting a small ground – but when you do it many times across the state, it’s really It starts to affect you.”
Barrett’s district doesn’t have the kind of development Vaughn’s bill might be trying to address, but his constituents know that growth will ultimately reach Hickman County. He is concerned that upstream decisions, including potential destruction of wetlands, could have a negative impact on downstream counties like Hickman.
Yes, it may seem harmless to say that we are just affecting the little ground on that face, but doing it over and over again statewide, it really does have an impact. I’ll start giving it.
– Rep. Jody Barrett, R-Dixon
“If you start touching these wetlands that act as filters and catch basins that slow water rage, you need to put them in your own place to make sure that the downstream counties, populations, and farmers are still counties, populations and farmers. What measures are being taken are protected,” Barrett asked.
Remove landfill restrictions from scenic river protection
Madison County Republican Rep. Chris Todd said he doesn’t know if he’ll move forward. Reclamation Buffer Removal Proposal In this session, in the case of a scenic river, he “leaps towards it.”
A spokesman for Calhoun Republican Sen. Adam Lowe, sponsoring the Senate version of the bill, indicated it will not be implemented this year.
However, Todd said he would not revoke the protection awarded to a portion of the Duck River as a company in 2023. I set up a landfill About the property in Morley County, once owned by pesticide company Monsanto. Hohenwald Republican Sen. Joey Hensley and Calleka Republican Sen. Scott Sepicky Carrey That law.
The Trinity Business Group has sought permission to set up two landfills from TDEC, a federally designated superfund site containing harmful substances from the Monsanto era. Morley County officials and residents moved quickly to block permits. Laws requiring local approval In the case of landfills.
Louisiana Reclamation Sites Push Back the Duck River Protection
The company suedand the case is ongoing.
If he advances the bill, he said he would add an amended grandfather to the observation deck, which was approved under existing law.
The Todd district in Madison County is dozens of miles from the Duck River and said there is no concern about a similar situation unfolding on the West Tennessee River.
Todd said the protection of landfills applied to parts of the Duck River several years ago was abusive in the state’s scenic river laws that “never intended to be used in this way.” I’m thinking about it. The bill, he said, relates more to principles than certain rivers.
“This bill was only related to the Duck River. Perhaps in the minds of a few people, this law, which I intend to change, was weaponized in the past and avoided. For that,” Todd said.
Barrett said Todd’s bill was “a direct contrast.” His proposed legislation It classifies the section of the Duck River within Hickman County as a Class II scenic waterway. This classification allows private landowners the option to participate in environmental and development conservation, ensuring that the land remains idyllic as Central Tennessee grows.
Barrett said he never spoke to Todd about the bill and didn’t know what Todd’s motives were. Future development – not just landfills, but other issues that can ultimately have a negative impact. ”
Grace Stranch, CEO of non-profit conservation group Harpeth Conservancy, has opposed Todd’s characterization of scenic river protection as “weaponized.”
“The legislative intent behind the Tennessee Scenic Rivers Act was to protect the river with outstanding qualities for the benefit of people now and in the future,” Strach wrote in an email to Lookout.
Congress added a provision in 1990 banning landfills within two miles of a scenic river.
“The Duck River, the most aquatic river in North America, clearly meets the criteria for designation,” writes Stroent. “The timing of the new designation is irrelevant if they meet legislative intent. To remove the landfill ban, which has been introduced for over 30 years, is our outstanding river objectives and needs. It erodes protection.”
The shells of freshwater mussels shine in the sunlight in just a few inches of water on the Duck River. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)
Supporters warn of environmental risks of landfill bills
Todd said there would be no concern about placing landfills from less than two miles from ducks and other rivers, as “TDEC has them in the landfill.”
Environmental advocates think that is not the case.
Nolan said having a landfill near the river “will carry a great risk of harmful pollution affecting the river and the scenic beauty of the affected river.”
Duck River Conservancy Chairman Doug Jones said the proceeds were “a leak in the landfill.” He and his group said they need landfills and central Tennessee needs them, but the river needs protection.
“That’s just common sense,” Jones said. “We don’t build landfills with scenic rivers and rivers. You’re just looking for trouble.”
Todd also rejected rumors that he had evil intentions towards the Duck River or reeled his pledge to amend the bill, so it is not retroactive. I heard he was worried about it Another bill He proposed this session calling for water and waste regulations based on “sound science.” He says it’s wrong.
When asked, Todd said he didn’t know about Standing Tennessee regulations that are not based on sound science.
“This is a topic I thought I’d talked about or thought of, and ‘maybe it’s something we need to see,'” he said.
Strolanch said the other rivers would suffer even if the bill was amended by the river’s grandfather, who already owns the landfill buffer.
“The landfill poses a unique risk to our outstanding rivers. By allowing them near our rivers, future rivers will be designated Class II under the Tennessee Scenic River Act. We ensure that the designated future rivers do not have the same necessary protection for current and future generations,” she said.
Anita Wadwani contributed to this story.
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