Bill Penny
Bill Penny

Bill Penny is a Member in the Nashville office of Stites & Harbison. He is a member of the firm's Environmental, Natural Resources and Energy Service Group as well as the Green Industry Practice Group. Bill has more than 25 years experience in environmental law. You can contact him at william.penny@stites.com or by phone at 615-782-2308.

Martin Corinne
Corinne Martin

Corinne Martin is an Associate in the Nashville office of Stites & Harbison. She is a member of the Environmental, Natural Resources & Energy Service Group, the Green Industry Practice Group, and the Business Litigation Service Group. cmartin@stites.com or by phone at 615-782-2218.

tennessee

LEGISLATION PROPOSED TO CONSOLIDATE SOME ENVIRONMENTAL BOARDS

01.17.12 5:16 PM
posted by

Legislation filed last week as House Bill 2387 by McCormick, if passed, will restructure four environmental boards within the Department of Environment and Conservation (“TDEC”).  This bill appears to be supported by the Haslam Administration.  One of the consolidation proposals will merge the Oil and Gas Board into the Water Quality Control Board. The new name will be the “Tennessee Board of Water Quality, Oil and Gas." The members of the board would include the current mix of members on the Water Quality Control Board as well as one member representing the oil and gas industry and one representing oil and gas property owners. Thus the total number of appointed board members would be (9). With the Commissioners of Agriculture, Health and TDEC added, the total number of Board members would be increased to 12. The Oil and Gas Board is abolished with the existing statutory language for the Water Quality Control Board remaining. Members that will not be on the new board from the Oil and Gas Board include one representative of mineral interests, the chair of the conservation commission, and the commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development.

The second proposal is to merge the Underground Storage Tank (“UST”) Board into the Solid Waste Disposal Control Board with the new name of “Underground Storage Tanks and Solid Waste Disposal Control Board.” It retains all the members of the current solid waste disposal control board and adds a person employed by a private petroleum concern recommended by the Tennessee Fuel and Convenience Store Association and one person employed by a private petroleum concern recommended by the Tennessee Petroleum Council. The UST Board is then abolished with remaining governance with the solid waste disposal control board. The merger eliminates from the former UST board the two consumer members, but the others appear to be merged into the new board, for a total of 13 members.

Other than consolidation no other changes are proposed.

Leave a Comment

Comments!

    No comments yet. You should leave one!

Leave a Comment!