SENATE BILL 968
By Southerland
HOUSE BILL 747
By Fritts
HB0747
002702
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AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68,
Chapter 204, relative to the state energy policy
council.
WHEREAS, this General Assembly resolved in 2023 for this State to develop an energy
production plan in order to become an energy exporter; and
WHEREAS, President Trump has declared a national energy emergency; and
WHEREAS, this State must continue to build upon its long-standing partnership with the
Tennessee Valley Authority, which has led the nation in effective and efficient generation of
electricity using nuclear, gas, coal, and hydro-electric energy sources; and
WHEREAS, this State must implement a strategic plan for building and maintaining
energy infrastructure that is scalable and robust enough to not only meet our current energy
availability and production but to accommodate our ever-increasing future energy demands; and
WHEREAS, preparing for a nuclear power renaissance and maintaining a competitive
advantage in all things nuclear, including nuclear manufacturing and nuclear energy, will require
this State to maintain and build upon the nuclear energy resources in Oak Ridge and other parts
of East Tennessee while developing traditional and emerging energy technologies; and
WHEREAS, it is vital that policymakers in this State understand the strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with our current energy sources and
capabilities, as well as any future energy development and production; and
WHEREAS, the Tennessee energy policy council was reconstituted in 2024 to include
subject matter experts from all segments of the energy production and delivery markets in order
to ensure policymakers receive the best possible recommendations on all aspects of current
and future energy production capabilities; and
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WHEREAS, establishing a set of objectives for which the Tennessee energy policy
council is annually responsible will help in the establishment and maintenance of an effective
energy policy; and
WHEREAS, assigning the administrative, reporting, oversight, and accountability
responsibilities jointly to the Tennessee department of economic and community development
and the Tennessee department of environment and conservation will help ensure that policy
suggestions safely, reliably, and effectively leverage current and emerging energy capabilities in
this State; now, therefore,
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-204-106, is amended by deleting
the section and substituting:
(a) To facilitate the work of the council and for administrative purposes, the chair
of the council shall assign the administrative oversight responsibilities jointly to the
department of economic and community development and the department of
environment and conservation.
(b) The council shall meet quarterly, with members to be physically present at a
minimum of two (2) quarterly meetings each calendar year. Members may also
participate by teleconference call. Emergency meetings may be called by the chair or
upon petition by a majority of the council, with written notice being given to all members.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-204-103, is amended by deleting
subdivision (b)(1).
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-204-108, is amended by deleting
the section and substituting the following:
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(a) The council shall compile, compose, and publish an initial report by July 1,
2026, on recommendations of policy and actions needed in order to address this state's
energy needs, including, but not limited to:
(1) Energy source and production goals by capacity;
(2) An analysis of each energy source's strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats;
(3) An assessment of the current capacity of each energy source against
projected demand; and
(4) An assessment of potential energy source extraction and delivery
systems, emerging innovative energy sources, and energy storage.
(b) The reports must be:
(1) Distributed electronically to all members of the energy, agriculture
and natural resources committee of the senate and the committee of the house
of representatives with subject jurisdiction over energy; and
(2) Available on the department of economic and community
development's and the department of environment and conservation's websites.
The departments must jointly notify any person who has registered through the
department's website by email of the report's availability.
(c) The departments must establish the frequency future reports will be
distributed, with the longest interval between distributions being two (2) years.
SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-204-104, is amended by deleting
subdivision (d)(3) and substituting:
(3) In case of a vacancy in the membership on the council prior to the expiration
of a member's term, a successor must be appointed within thirty (30) days of the
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vacancy for the remainder of the unexpired term by the appointing authority who made
the original appointment and in the same manner as the original appointment.
SECTION 5. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.