Tag: TDEC

Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Announces New Plan for $1.35 Billion Funding from American Rescue Plan Act

Kaitlin Housler
Tennessee Capital building

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) released its plan to administer its portion of the federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) monies directed to Tennessee, outlining the department’s approach for improved water infrastructure in communities across the state, according to a Friday press release.

The Volunteer State was allocated $3.725 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) which is designed to help Americans recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. A condition of the funding from ARPA is that spending must be obligated by December 31, 2024 and expended by December 31, 2026. The Water Infrastructure Investment Plan was developed by TDEC based on input provided by leaders and experts from agencies internal and external to the state government, the press release reports.

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Anderson County Commissioners Could Request Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Help on Sports Field with Potentially Hazardous Material

Chris Butler

Anderson County Commissioners are scheduled to meet Monday to decide whether to contact the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) about potentially radioactive coal ash waste, reportedly in a children’s playing area. Commissioners will also debate whether to contact the Tennessee Department of Health on the same matter.

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TDEC Has a History of Mismanaging Taxpayer Money and Other Government Resources

Chris Butler

  Officials with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation made headlines this week for hosting a swanky event where they hobnobbed with the special interests they’re supposed to regulate. But this is not the first time TDEC officials’ have allegedly used poor judgment when it comes to how they manage government resources and taxpayer money. The Tennessean recently reported about an after-hours meet up between TDEC regulators and representatives from the state’s chemical waste, and construction industries. The annual event is known as the Environmental Show of the South. The event is three days and consists of workshops and networking events. Members of these private industries pay for the venue, the food and prizes for TDEC employees, according to The Tennessean. Tennessee legislators and Republican Gov. Bill Lee are reportedly unhappy about the arrangement. Organizers held this year’s Environmental Show of the South in Chattanooga last month. But this is not the first time TDEC has made headlines for alleged mismanagement or abuse of taxpayer-funded resources. As The Tennessee Star reported the past several months: • TDEC booted deputy Brock Hill from his job after he allegedly sent a female state employee a series of reportedly disgusting texts. TDEC…

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Fired Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Employee Reportedly Sent ‘Disgusting’ Texts

Chris Butler

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation deputy who was booted from his job sent a female state employee a series of reportedly disgusting texts, according to the Nashville-based WSMV. TDEC investigated former deputy commissioner Brock Hill, but members of that agency reportedly would not disclose details to the station other than to say “the woman’s claims led them to find additional concerns about workplace misconduct.” State officials denied almost all WSMV’s open records requests, other than a series of text messages, reportedly between two unnamed state employees discussing how Hill’s texts had troubled a female employee. “In the texts, the first employee writes, ‘Would you want to know if Brock made an inappropriate comment to a (redacted name)?’” WSMV reported. “That employee later sent a text reading, ‘He has already been texting (name redacted) today and invited her to go camping with him out west.’ When the second employee asked if the woman can screen shot Hill’s texts, the first employee responded, ‘She has tons of them. She says they are awkward, but she plays along as if he was a friend.’” The first employee said the woman described the communication with Hill as ‘disgusting.’ The second employee responded…

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Audit: TDEC Officials Not Following Tennessee General Assembly’s Wishes on Permitting Process

Chris Butler

Officials with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation did not prepare and submit permit efficiency reports for landowners the way they were supposed to, per a legislative directive. This, according to a Tennessee Comptroller’s Audit released this week. According to TDEC’s website, in 2012, members of the Tennessee General Assembly asked department officials to prepare two reports each year, in February and August, detailing the progress and efficiency of the environmental permit application process. Each report, the website went on to say, is composed of three topics, including land, air, and water permitting information, along with a summary. But members of TDEC’s management did not submit certain reports on time to the governor, members of the Tennessee General Assembly or to the public, as required, according to the audit. Since 2012, TDEC officials said they have had to produce more general reports that do not include detailed reasons for permit delays or individual processing times. Members of the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office say they studied those reports thoroughly. “Based on our review of the reports prepared during our audit period, the approximately 30-page reports consisted of mostly narrative information, along with a summary of numerical data,” auditors wrote. “The summary…

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