Environmental policy in Tennessee

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Environmental policy in Tennessee
Environmental policy in other states Endangered species in Tennessee

Environmental policy aims to conserve natural resources by balancing environmental protection with economic growth, property rights, public health, and energy production. This is done mainly through laws and regulation passed at all governmental levels and influenced by many stakeholders with different agendas.

HIGHLIGHTS

As of April 2016, Tennessee was one of four states that had not taken a stance on the EPA's Clean Power Plan.

Tennessee had 73 endangered and threatenedAn endangered species is "in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range." A threatened species is "likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future." animal species and 20 endangered and threatened plant species listed under the Endangered Species Act as of January 2016.

Budget

Environmental budget

See also: Environmental spending in the 50 states

In 2014, Tennessee spent $330.12 million on environmental and natural resources departments.

Environmental and natural resources spending by state
State	Divisions/Departments	Fiscal year 2015	Fiscal year 2014	Fiscal year 2013	Fiscal year 2012	Fiscal year 2011
Tennessee	Environment and Conservation	N/A	$330,123,900	$298,883,200	$295,337,600	$358,265,300
Alabama	Environmental Management; Conservation and Natural Resources	$595,886,002	$339,154,327	$350,865,483	$315,561,972	$303,299,708
Kentucky	Environmental Protection; Natural Resources	$226,525,700	$225,401,400	$203,195,053	$212,271,475	$197,288,384
Mississippi	Conservation	$52,236,352	$48,197,234	$45,790,077	$46,355,760	$46,581,095
Sources: Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration Alabama Executive Budget Office Kentucky State Budget Office Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration

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Air

Clean Air Act

See also: Implementation of the Clean Air Act

The Clean Air Act is a federal law aimed at maintaining air quality and reducing air pollution. The law requires states and private industries to meet national air pollution standards. Each state must implement an EPA-approved plan to reduce air pollutants from industrial facilities such as chemical plants and utilities. Over 42,000 facilities nationwide were regulated under the Clean Air Act in 2015.

Tennessee had 1,038 facilities regulated under the Clean Air Act in 2014.

State-regulated facilities under the Clean Air Act
State	Facilities (2014)
Tennessee	1,038
Alabama	737
Kentucky	637
Mississippi	571
United States total	42,201
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Power Plants Likely Covered by the Toxics Rule"

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Mercury and air toxics standards

See also: Mercury and air toxics standards

Federal mercury and air toxics standards target mercury and other hazardous pollutants from 580 coal and oil-fired power plants nationwide. The standards are meant to reduce human exposure to mercury emissions.

In June 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that the EPA did not properly consider the regulation's costs and mandated the agency perform a cost-benefit analysis. The ruling did not strike down the mercury standards but required the EPA to conduct a more extensive cost-benefit analysis by April 2016. The EPA issued its cost-benefit analysis on April 18, 2016.

As of 2015, Tennessee had seven power plants subject to the mercury standards.

Power plants affected mercury and air toxics standards (MATS) by state
State	Number of power plants affected
Tennessee	7
Alabama	9
Kentucky	20
Mississippi	9
United States total	585
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Power Plants Likely Covered by the Toxics Rule"

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Ozone standards

See also: Ground-level ozone standards

Federal ozone standards establish the acceptable amount of ground level ozone, commonly known as smog, which is formed when nitrogen oxide combines with other organic chemicals in the atmosphere. Automobiles, power plants, factories and manufacturing centers emit the nitrogen oxide necessary for ozone formation. In high concentrations, ozone is harmful to human health.

In 2015, the EPA lowered the acceptable amount of ground-level ozone (smog) in the air. The standards will go into effect in 2025. States would have between the years 2020 and 2037 to create and establish a plan to meet the standards, depending how much ozone forms in certain areas of a state.

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Clean Power Plan

See also: Clean Power Plan and climate change

In 2015, the EPA finalized a regulatory action aimed at mitigating potentially human-caused climate change known as the Clean Power Plan. The plan's goal is to reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from coal- and oil-fired power plants (fossil fuel-fired) and natural gas-fired power plants by 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. Each state would have to meet goals based on the number of fossil fuel- and natural gas-fired plants in the state.

As of April 2016, Tennessee was one of four states that had not taken a stance on the Clean Power Plan. Twenty-seven states challenged the plan in court while 18 states supported the plan.

In February 2016, by a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily delayed the plan's implementation pending a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. As of January 23, 2017, the circuit court had not issued a ruling.

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Carbon dioxide reductions under the Clean Power Plan

Tennessee power plants would have to reduce their CO₂ emissions by 39.9 percent by the year 2030 if the plan were fully implemented.

CO2 reduction goals by state, in pounds per megawatt hours (lbs/MWh)
State	2012 baseline (lbs/MWh)	Interim goal, 2022-2029 (lbs/MWh)	Final goal, 2030 and beyond (lbs/MWh)	Percentage reduction, 2012-2030
Tennessee	2,015	1,411	1,211	-39.9%
Alabama	1,518	1,157	1,018	-32.94%
Kentucky	2,166	1,509	1,286	-40.63%
Mississippi	1,185	1,061	945	-20.25%
*Alaska and Hawaii are exempt from reduction goals. **Vermont has no reduction goals because the state has no power plants. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Clean Power Plan State Goal Visualizer"

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Carbon dioxide emissions by energy source

In 2013, petroleum accounted for 45.3 percent of Tennessee's emissions—43.8 million metric tons—followed by coal and natural gas at 39 percent and 15.7 percent, respectively.

Energy-related CO2 emissions by source, 2013 (in million metric tons)
State	Coal		Petroleum		Natural gas		Total
	Total	Percentage	Total	Percentage	Total	Percentage
Tennessee	37.7	39%	43.8	45.3%	15.2	15.7%	96.7
Alabama	53.3	44.4%	33.2	27.7%	33.3	27.8%	119.8
Kentucky	86.4	63%	38.1	27.8%	12.5	9.1%	137
Mississippi	9.2	15.3%	28.2	46.9%	22.7	37.8%	60.1
United States total	1,701.7	32.2%	2,167.9	41.1%	1,409	26.7%	5,278.6
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, "State Carbon Dioxide Emissions"

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Carbon dioxide emissions by sector

The transportation sector accounted for 40.2 percent of Tennessee's emissions followed by 34.7 percent from the electric power sector in 2013.

CO2 emissions by sector, 2013
State	Commercial	Electric power	Residential	Industrial	Transportation
Tennessee	3.6%	34.7%	4.4%	17.1%	40.2%
Alabama	1.5%	53.6%	1.8%	17.8%	25.3%
Kentucky	1.7%	62.8%	2.5%	11.8%	21.1%
Mississippi	2.4%	35.9%	2.8%	18.8%	40%
United States total	4.2%	38.3%	6.3%	18.2%	33%
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, "State Carbon Dioxide Emissions"

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Land

Federal land policy

See also: Federal land policy

Federal land policy involves the conservation and management of natural resources on land owned by the federal government. Most federal land policies focus on conservation, recreation, oil and natural gas extraction, wildlife and forest management, and grazing.

As of 2013, the federal government owned around 640 million total acres of land (about 28 percent) of the 2.27 billion acres of land in the United States. Four federal agencies oversee between 608 million to 610 million acres of federal land—around 26 percent of all land in the United States. Depending on the agency responsible for them, these lands may be used for conservation, recreation, wildlife protection, grazing, energy production and other purposes.

Around 52 percent of federally owned acres are in 12 Western states—including Alaska, 61 percent of which is federally owned. In contrast, the federal government owns 4 percent of the land in the other 38 states.

Federal land ownership

See also: Federal land ownership by state

As of 2013, the federal government owned 4.8 percent of all land in Tennessee—more than 1.27 million acres.

Federal land ownership by state, 2013
State	Total federal land (in acres)	Total land (in acres)	Percentage of land owned by the federal government
Tennessee	1,273,175	26,727,680	4.8%
Alabama	844,026	32,678,400	2.6%
Kentucky	1,094,036	25,512,320	4.3%
Mississippi	1,546,433	30,222,720	5.1%
United States total	623,313,931	2,271,343,360	27.4%
Source: Congressional Research Service, "Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data"

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The map below details changes to federal land ownership between 1990 and 2013. The amount of federal land in Tennessee increased by 292,759 acres—an increase of 23 percent.

Land management by agency

The table below shows the number of acres managed by federal agency in 2013.

Federal land ownership by state and agency, 2013
State	BLM		Forest Service		FWS		NPS		Defense
	Acres	%	Acres	%	Acres	%	Acres	%	Acres	%
Tennessee	0	0%	718,674	56.45%	54,093	4.25%	358,797	28.18%	141,611	11.12%
Alabama	2,753	0.33%	670,092	79.39%	32,334	3.83%	17,405	2.06%	121,442	14.39%
Kentucky	0	0%	819,439	74.9%	11,695	1.07%	94,678	8.65%	168,223	15.38%
Mississippi	5,020	0.32%	1,191,774	77.07%	210,894	13.64%	104,015	6.73%	34,730	2.25%
U.S. total	247,252,228	39.67%	192,932,426	30.95%	89,080,785	14.29%	79,648,788	12.78%	14,399,704	2.31%
Source: Congressional Research Service, "Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data"

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National parks

As of December 2015, the U.S. National Park Service oversaw 409 sites within the National Park System and assists in managing national historic areas, wild and scenic rivers, historic landmarks, and national trails. As of December 2015, the National Park System contained more than 84 million acres, including national parks, historical parks and sites, national monuments, battlefields and military parks, recreation areas, seashores, and parkways. Around 280 million visitors attended sites in the National Park System in 2014. The National Park Service employed around 20,000 permanent, temporary and seasonal employees as of July 2015.

Tennessee had 11 National Park Service sites as of January 2016. A complete list of Park Service sites in Tennessee can be found here.

National Park Service sites by state
State	National Park Service sites
Tennessee	11
Alabama	9
Kentucky	5
Mississippi	7
United States total*	492
*50 state total only; U.S. territories not included Source: U.S. National Park Service, "National Parks Listed by State"

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Park visits and visitor spending

See also: Visitor spending at U.S. national parks

In 2014, Tennessee parks had 8.47 million total visits, which generated $571.1 million in visitor spending.

National Park Service visits and visitor spending by state
State	Total recreation visits			Total visitor spending (in millions)
	2014	2013	2012	2014	2013	2012
Tennessee	8,470,460	8,090,143	8,414,094	$571.1	$530.8	$541.
Alabama	753,180	749,855	717,724	$28.8	$27.9	$26.5
Kentucky	1,828,192	1,604,722	1,717,853	$114.7	$99.2	$103.3
Mississippi	6,557,119	6,784,616	6,449,713	$198.6	$202.9	$191.4
United States total*	252,859,729	237,224,421	246,302,115	$14,841.9	$13,800.2	$13,953.8
*50 state total only; U.S. territories not included Source: U.S. National Park Service, "National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics"

Payments in lieu of taxes

See also: Payments in lieu of taxes

The U.S. Department of the Interior pays local governments each year to offset what they lose in property taxes due to non-taxable federal land within their borders, commonly known as payments in lieu of taxes (PILT). PILT payments go toward fire and police departments, public schools, road construction, and other local services. PILT amounts are based on population and the amount of federal land in a county. From 1977 (when PILT payments began) to 2015, the Interior Department paid out around $7.1 billion to states, territories and Washington, D.C. PILT payments can be used for any governmental purpose.

Tennessee received $2.14 million in PILT payments in 2015.

Payments in lieu of taxes by state, 2013-2015
State	2015 payment	2014 payment	2013 payment
Tennessee	$2,140,169	$2,121,952	$1,877,039
Alabama	$1,131,049	$1,023,078	$901,119
Kentucky	$2,146,228	$2,182,678	$1,949,675
Mississippi	$1,833,943	$1,825,109	$1,580,410
United States total	$439,084,000	$436,904,919	$401,756,129
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, "Payments in Lieu of Taxes by State"

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Oil and natural gas activity

See also: Oil and natural gas extraction on federal land

The federal government leases its land to private individuals and companies for energy development, including drilling for crude oil and natural gas, solar energy, and geothermal energy. Around 166 million acres of federal land can be leased for energy development. Oil and natural gas drilling on federal lands in the United States is primarily overseen by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Production on federal land

Tennessee produced no crude oil and no natural gas in 2014 on federal lands.

Oil and natural gas production on federal land, 2014
State	Oil production (in thousands of barrels)	Natural gas production (in million cubic feet)
Tennessee	0	0
Alabama	24.52	18,430.66
Kentucky	11.1	78.88
Mississippi	408.7	252.1
United States total	148,802.95	2,499,845.86
Source: Office of Natural Resource Revenue, "Statistical Information"

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Land with production

See also: BLM oil and gas leases by state

Private oil and natural gas companies apply for leases from the BLM to produce energy on federal land. The BLM makes leasing decisions based on a land use plan submitted by the company and the potential environmental impact of the production. If a lease is approved, the company must submit information to the BLM about how it will conduct its drilling and production. The BLM also inspects a company’s operations throughout the production.

Tennessee had two producing leases (the number of leases that include a well capable of producing oil or gas) on 736 producing acres (acres where oil or gas is produced) of federal land in 2015.

Oil and gas producing leases and acres on federal land by state, 2013-2015
State	FY 2015		FY 2014		FY 2013
	Producing leases	Producing acres	Producing leases	Producing acres	Producing leases	Producing acres
Tennessee	2	736	2	736	2	736
Alabama	24	7,667	24	7,707	23	7,667
Kentucky	54	33,240	54	32,916	55	33,240
Mississippi	76	38,186	71	34,192	75	38,186
United States total	23,770	12,617,743	23,657	12,690,806	23,507	12,617,743
Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Oil and Gas Statistics"

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Water

Clean Water Act

See also: Implementation of the Clean Water Act

The Clean Water Act is a wide-ranging federal law regulating pollutants discharged into all waters of the United States, including lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands. The federal government defines and approves water quality and technology standards for all major sources of water pollution, such as chemical plants, steel manufacturers, municipal facilities and others. Each state must establish water quality standards for all bodies of water within its boundaries.

Under the Clean Water Act, it is unlawful to release any pollutant from any source into navigable waters without a federal permit. All permit holders must track their pollutants and submit monitoring reports to the EPA. The permit itself specifies what limitations or conditions apply to a facility before the facility may discharge any pollutants. Federal permits may also contain facility specific requirements and limitations, depending on the water source. For example, some surface waters require additional protections for aquatic life.

In 2015, Tennessee had 2,293 facilities with Clean Water Act permits allowing facilities to discharge their pollutants.

Clean Water Act permits by state
State	Permits (2015)
Tennessee	2,293
Alabama	10,695
Kentucky	11,107
Mississippi	1,990
United States total	208,962
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "National Water Activity Dashboard"

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Public water systems

Tennessee had 872 public water systems in 2015.

Public drinking water systems by state, 2015
State	Public water systems (2015)
Tennessee	872
Alabama	588
Kentucky	445
Mississippi	1,211
United States total	149,294
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "National Drinking Water Activity Dashboard"

Waters of the United States

See also: Waters of the United States

In 2015, the EPA finalized the Waters of the United States rule, which is aimed at clarifying the bodies of water that are under federal jurisdiction. The EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would require a federal permit for proposed projects that may involve a discharge of a pollutant into waters covered under the rule.

As of April 2016, Tennessee was one of the 31 states that challenged the rule's legality in federal court. On October 9, 2015, the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit temporarily blocked the rule nationwide to deliberate whether the rule was permissible under federal law.

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Waste

Superfund sites

See also: Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act

Superfund is a federal program that addresses contaminated waste sites and their return to practical use. Superfund sites include oil refineries, smelting facilities, mines and other industrial areas. The federal government can compel the private entities responsible for a waste site to clean the site or face penalties. If the federal government cleans a waste site, it can compel the responsible company to reimburse the government for cleanup costs. Because Superfund sites are added and removed from a prioritized list on a regular basis, the total number of Superfund sites since the program's inception in 1980 is unknown.

The costs of the Superfund program vary. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the program received an average of $1.2 billion each year between 1981 and 2009.

As of January 2016, Tennessee had 17 Superfund sites.

Superfund sites by state (January 2016)
State	Superfund sites
Tennessee	17
Alabama	13
Kentucky	13
Mississippi	8
United States total	1,303
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "National Priorities List (NPL) sites by state"

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Hazardous wastes sites

The federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act covers hazardous wastes, including their generation, treatment, storage and disposal. States may regulate hazardous wastes rather than the federal government. The EPA is responsible for all hazardous waste requirements if no state program exists. Hazardous waste regulations cover waste generators, transporters, treatment centers, storage and disposal facilities.

Tennessee had 3,817 regulated waste facilities in 2015.

Federally regulated waste facilities by state, 2015
State	Facilities (2015)
Tennessee	3,817
Alabama	5,239
Kentucky	3,799
Mississippi	2,917
United States total	431,914
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "National Hazardous Waste Activity Dashboard"

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Endangered species

Endangered Species Act

See also: Endangered species in Tennessee

The Endangered Species Act is a federal law that mandates the listing and conservation of endangered and threatenedAn endangered species is "in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range." A threatened species is "likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future." species. The legislation is meant to prevent the extinction of vulnerable species throughout the United States and to recover a species' population to the point where listing the species as endangered or threatened is no longer necessary. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for the law's implementation.

Federally listed animal species in Tennessee

There were 93 endangered and threatenedAn endangered species is "in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range." A threatened species is "likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future." species believed to or known to occur in Tennessee as of January 2016.

The table below lists the 73 endangered and threatened animal species in the state. When an animal species has the word "Entire" after its name, that species will be found all throughout the state.

Click the [show] button to see the names of all federally protected animal species.

Endangered animal species in Tennessee
Status	Species
Endangered	Acornshell, southern (Epioblasma othcaloogensis)
Endangered	Bat, gray Entire (Myotis grisescens)
Endangered	Bat, Indiana Entire (Myotis sodalis)
Threatened	Bat, Northern long-eared (Myotis septentrionalis)
Endangered	Bat, Virginia big-eared Entire (Corynorhinus (=Plecotus) townsendii virginianus)
Endangered	Bean, Cumberland (pearlymussel) Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Villosa trabalis)
Endangered	Bean, purple (Villosa perpurpurea)
Endangered	Blossom, green (pearlymussel) Entire (Epioblasma torulosa gubernaculum)
Endangered	Blossom, tubercled (pearlymussel) Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Epioblasma torulosa torulosa)
Endangered	Blossom, turgid (pearlymussel) Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Epioblasma turgidula)
Endangered	Blossom, yellow (pearlymussel) Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Epioblasma florentina florentina)
Threatened	Chub, slender Entire (Erimystax cahni)
Threatened	Chub, spotfin Entire, except where listed as an experimental population (Erimonax monachus)
Endangered	Clubshell Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Pleurobema clava)
Endangered	Clubshell, ovate (Pleurobema perovatum)
Endangered	Combshell, Cumberlandian Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Epioblasma brevidens)
Endangered	Combshell, upland (Epioblasma metastriata)
Endangered	Crayfish, Nashville Entire (Orconectes shoupi)
Threatened	Dace, blackside Entire (Phoxinus cumberlandensis)
Endangered	dace, Laurel Entire (Chrosomus saylori)
Endangered	Darter, amber Entire (Percina antesella)
Endangered	Darter, bluemask (=jewel) Entire (Etheostoma sp.)
Endangered	Darter, boulder Entire (Etheostoma wapiti)
Endangered	Darter, Cumberland Entire (Etheostoma susanae)
Endangered	Darter, duskytail Entire (Etheostoma percnurum)
Threatened	Darter, slackwater Entire (Etheostoma boschungi)
Threatened	Darter, snail Entire (Percina tanasi)
Endangered	Elktoe, Appalachian Entire (Alasmidonta raveneliana)
Endangered	Elktoe, Cumberland (Alasmidonta atropurpurea)
Endangered	Fanshell (Cyprogenia stegaria)
Endangered	Kidneyshell, fluted (Ptychobranchus subtentum)
Endangered	Kidneyshell, triangular (Ptychobranchus greenii)
Endangered	Lampmussel, Alabama Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Lampsilis virescens)
Endangered	Lilliput, pale (pearlymussel) Entire (Toxolasma cylindrellus)
Endangered	Logperch, Conasauga Entire (Percina jenkinsi)
Endangered	Madtom, chucky Entire (Noturus crypticus)
Endangered	Madtom, pygmy Entire (Noturus stanauli)
Endangered	Madtom, smoky Entire (Noturus baileyi)
Threatened	Madtom, yellowfin Entire, except where EXPN (Noturus flavipinnis)
Endangered	Marstonia, royal (snail) Entire (Pyrgulopsis ogmorhaphe)
Endangered	Moccasinshell, Coosa (Medionidus parvulus)
Endangered	Monkeyface, Appalachian (pearlymussel) (Quadrula sparsa)
Endangered	Monkeyface, Cumberland (pearlymussel) Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Quadrula intermedia)
Endangered	Mucket, pink (pearlymussel) Entire (Lampsilis abrupta)
Endangered	Mussel, oyster Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Epioblasma capsaeformis)
Endangered	Mussel, sheepnose (Plethobasus cyphyus)
Endangered	Mussel, snuffbox (Epioblasma triquetra)
Endangered	Pearlymussel, birdwing Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Lemiox rimosus)
Endangered	Pearlymussel, cracking Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Hemistena lata)
Endangered	Pearlymussel, dromedary Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Dromus dromas)
Endangered	Pearlymussel, littlewing Entire (Pegias fabula)
Endangered	Pearlymussel, slabside (Pleuronaia dolabelloides)
Endangered	Pigtoe, Cumberland Entire (Pleurobema gibberum)
Endangered	Pigtoe, finerayed Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Fusconaia cuneolus)
Endangered	Pigtoe, Georgia (Pleurobema hanleyianum)
Endangered	Pigtoe, rough (Pleurobema plenum)
Endangered	Pigtoe, shiny Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Fusconaia cor)
Endangered	Pigtoe, southern (Pleurobema georgianum)
Endangered	Pimpleback, orangefoot (pearlymussel) (Plethobasus cooperianus)
Threatened	Pocketbook, finelined (Lampsilis altilis)
Threatened	Rabbitsfoot (Quadrula cylindrica cylindrica)
Endangered	Rabbitsfoot, rough (Quadrula cylindrica strigillata)
Endangered	Riffleshell, tan Entire (Epioblasma florentina walkeri (=E. walkeri))
Endangered	Ring pink (mussel) (Obovaria retusa)
Endangered	Riversnail, Anthony's Wherever found; Except where listed as Experimental Populations (Athearnia anthonyi)
Threatened	Shiner, blue Entire (Cyprinella caerulea)
Threatened	Snail, painted snake coiled forest Entire (Anguispira picta)
Endangered	Spectaclecase (mussel) (Cumberlandia monodonta)
Endangered	Spider, spruce-fir moss (Microhexura montivaga)
Endangered	Squirrel, Carolina northern flying Entire (Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus)
Endangered	Sturgeon, pallid Entire (Scaphirhynchus albus)
Endangered	Tern, least interior pop. (Sterna antillarum)
Endangered	Wartyback, white (pearlymussel) (Plethobasus cicatricosus)
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "Endangered and threatened species in Tennessee"

Federally listed plant species in Tennessee

The table below lists the 20 endangered and threatened plant species in the state.

Click the [show] button to see the names of all federally protected plant species.

Endangered plant species in Tennessee
Status	Species
Endangered	Aster, Ruth's golden (Pityopsis ruthii)
Endangered	Avens, spreading (Geum radiatum)
Endangered	Bladderpod, Short's (Physaria globosa)
Endangered	Bladderpod, Spring Creek (Lesquerella perforata)
Endangered	Bluet, Roan Mountain (Hedyotis purpurea var. montana)
Threatened	Fern, American hart's-tongue (Asplenium scolopendrium var. americanum)
Threatened	Goldenrod, Blue Ridge (Solidago spithamaea)
Endangered	Grass, Tennessee yellow-eyed (Xyris tennesseensis)
Endangered	Ground-plum, Guthrie's (=Pyne's) (Astragalus bibullatus)
Endangered	Leather flower, Morefield's (Clematis morefieldii)
Endangered	Lichen, rock gnome (Gymnoderma lineare)
Threatened	Pogonia, small whorled (Isotria medeoloides)
Threatened	Potato-bean, Price's (Apios priceana)
Endangered	Prairie-clover, leafy (Dalea foliosa)
Endangered	Rock-cress, Braun's (Arabis perstellata)
Threatened	Rosemary, Cumberland (Conradina verticillata)
Endangered	Sandwort, Cumberland (Arenaria cumberlandensis)
Threatened	Skullcap, large-flowered (Scutellaria montana)
Threatened	Spiraea, Virginia (Spiraea virginiana)
Endangered	Sunflower, whorled (Helianthus verticillatus)
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "Endangered and threatened species in Tennessee"

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News

Clean Power Plan

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Tennessee Clean Power Plan. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Environmental policy in Tennessee - Google News

Waters of the United States

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Tennessee Waters of the United States. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Environmental policy in Tennessee - Google News

Clean Air Act

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Tennessee Clean Air Act. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Environmental policy in Tennessee - Google News

Clean Water Act

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Tennessee Clean Water Act. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Environmental policy in Tennessee - Google News

Endangered species

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Tennessee Endangered Species Act. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Environmental policy in Tennessee - Google News

Federal land

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Tennessee federal land. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Environmental policy in Tennessee - Google News

Superfund

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Tennessee Superfund. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Environmental policy in Tennessee - Google News

Climate change

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Tennessee climate change. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Environmental policy in Tennessee - Google News

Drinking water

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Tennessee drinking water. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Environmental policy in Tennessee - Google News

Governance

Ballot measures

Voting on the Environment
Ballot Measures
By state
By year
Not on ballot
Local Local environment Local GMO Local fracking

Below is a list of ballot measures relating to environmental issues in Tennessee.

Natural resources

Ballotpedia staff have tracked no ballot measures relating to natural resources in Tennessee

Environment

Ballotpedia staff have tracked no ballot measures relating to the environment in Tennessee

Water

Ballotpedia staff have tracked no ballot measures relating to water in Tennessee

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Agencies and organizations

• The Tennessee House has a standing committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources while the Tennessee Senate has a standing committee Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources.
• The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation is the chief environmental and natural resource regulatory agency in the state and is responsible for regulating sources of pollution, provide grants and loans to local governments for drinking water and waste disposal infrastructure, environmental education, and enforcement of environmental laws. It also manages the state's parks and recreation areas.

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Recent legislation

The following is a list of recent environmental bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Tennessee state legislature. To learn more about these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Groups

To nominate a group for inclusion on the list below, email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Below is a partial list of environmental advocacy organizations in Tennessee. A complete list of groups by state can be accessed on the website Eco-USA.

• Land Trust for Tennessee
• Nature Conservancy of Tennessee
• Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning
• Tennessee Clean Water Network
• Tennessee Conservation Voters
• Tennessee Environmental Council
• Tennessee Recycling Coalition

See also

• 

  Environmental policy in the U.S.

• 

  Energy policy in the U.S.

• 

  Endangered species policy in the U.S.

• Endangered species in Tennessee
• Energy policy in Tennessee
• Federal land policy
• Federal land ownership by state
• U.S. Bureau of Land Management
• U.S. Department of the Interior
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• U.S. National Park Service

External links

• Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency