Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee House Bill HB1174 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2	SENATE BILL 796
3	3	By Bailey
4	4
5	5	HOUSE BILL 1174
6	6	By Williams
7	7
8	8
9	9	HB1174
10	10	002521
11	11	- 1 -
12	12
13	13	AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4 and
14	14	Title 69, Chapter 3, relative to the Tennessee
15	15	board of water quality, oil and gas.
16	16
17	17	BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
18	18	SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 69-3-104(a), is amended by deleting
19	19	the subsection and substituting:
20	20	(a)
21	21	(1) There is created and established the Tennessee board of water
22	22	quality, oil and gas, referred to as the "board" in this part, to be composed of
23	23	twelve (12) members.
24	24	(2) Effective July 1, 2025, the existing membership of the Tennessee
25	25	board of water quality, oil and gas is vacated and reconstituted, with the following
26	26	new members to be appointed:
27	27	(A) The commissioner of environment and conservation, who is
28	28	the chair of the board;
29	29	(B) The commissioner of health;
30	30	(C) The commissioner of agriculture; and
31	31	(D) Nine (9) citizen members, each appointed by the governor for
32	32	terms of four (4) years.
33	33	(3) Each ex officio member may, by official order filed with the director,
34	34	designate a representative from such member's staff who has the powers and
35	35	are subject to the duties and responsibilities of the ex officio member designating
36	36
37	37
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39	39
40	40	the representative, except that the representative designated by the
41	41	commissioner of environment and conservation shall not serve as chair.
42	42	(4) The board shall annually elect a vice chair from among its members,
43	43	who shall preside over all meetings at which the chair is not present.
44	44	(5)
45	45	(A) The citizen members of the board must be appointed as
46	46	follows:
47	47	(i) One (1) of the nine (9) citizen members must be from
48	48	the public-at-large. The public member's occupation must not be
49	49	in the same primary area of interest as any other citizen member
50	50	of the board;
51	51	(ii) One (1) member must represent environmental
52	52	interests and may be appointed from lists of qualified persons
53	53	submitted by interested conservation groups, including, but not
54	54	limited to, the Tennessee conservation league;
55	55	(iii) One (1) member must represent counties and may be
56	56	appointed from lists of qualified persons submitted by interested
57	57	county services groups, including, but not limited to, the County
58	58	Services Association;
59	59	(iv) One (1) member must represent agricultural interests
60	60	and may be appointed from lists of qualified persons submitted by
61	61	interested farm business groups, including, but not limited to, the
62	62	Tennessee Farm Bureau;
63	63	(v) One (1) member must represent the municipalities of
64	64	the state and may be appointed from lists of qualified persons
65	65
66	66
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68	68
69	69	submitted by interested municipal groups, including, but not
70	70	limited to, the Tennessee Municipal League;
71	71	(vi) One (1) member must represent small generators of
72	72	water pollution and may be appointed from lists of qualified
73	73	persons submitted by interested automotive groups, including, but
74	74	not limited to, the Tennessee Automotive Association;
75	75	(vii) One (1) member must represent manufacturing
76	76	industries and have current full-time employment with a
77	77	manufacturing concern in this state, must hold a college degree in
78	78	engineering or the equivalent, and must have at least eight (8)
79	79	years of combined technical training and experience in national
80	80	pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) permit
81	81	compliance and management of wastewater or water treatment
82	82	facilities, and may be appointed from lists of qualified persons
83	83	submitted by interested business groups, including, but not limited
84	84	to, the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry;
85	85	(viii) One (1) member must represent the oil and gas
86	86	industry; and
87	87	(ix) One (1) member must represent oil or gas property
88	88	owners.
89	89	(B) The governor shall consult with the interested groups
90	90	described in subdivision (a)(5)(A) to determine qualified persons to fill the
91	91	citizen member positions on the board.
92	92	(6) Each appointive member must be a resident and domiciliary of this
93	93	state.
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97	97
98	98	(7) A member must not be appointed, unless at the time of the member's
99	99	appointment, the member or the member's employer is in compliance with this
100	100	part as certified by the commissioner.
101	101	(8) The three (3) ex officio members shall hold their positions on the
102	102	board throughout their respective terms and until the appointment of their
103	103	successors as such.
104	104	(9) All appointments of citizen members are for a full four-year term.
105	105	(10) The governor shall remove from the board any appointive member
106	106	who is absent from three (3) consecutive, regularly scheduled meetings.
107	107	(11) Upon the death, resignation, or removal of any appointive member,
108	108	the governor shall appoint some person representing the same area of interest
109	109	as the member whose position has been vacated to fill the unexpired term of
110	110	such member.
111	111	(12) Appointive members continue to serve until a successor has been
112	112	appointed.
113	113	(13) In making appointments to the board, the governor shall strive to
114	114	ensure that the makeup of the board reflect and represent the diversity of
115	115	persons in this state.
116	116	(14)
117	117	(A) Notwithstanding subdivision (a)(9), the initial terms of the
118	118	appointed members of the board terminate as follows:
119	119	(i) The terms of the members appointed under
120	120	subdivisions (a)(5)(A)(i), (ii), and (iii) terminate on June 30, 2027;
121	121
122	122
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124	124
125	125	(ii) The terms of the members appointed under
126	126	subdivisions (a)(5)(A)(iv), (v), and (vi) terminate on June 30, 2028;
127	127	and
128	128	(iii) The terms of the members appointed under
129	129	subdivisions (a)(5)(A)(vii), (viii) and (ix) terminate on June 30,
130	130	2029.
131	131	(B) Following the expiration of members' initial terms as
132	132	prescribed in subdivision (a)(14)(A), all appointments to the council are
133	133	for terms of four (4) years and begin on July 1 and terminate on June 30,
134	134	four (4) years thereafter.
135	135	SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 69-3-104(b)(5), is amended by
136	136	deleting "seven (7)" and substituting "nine (9)".
137	137	SECTION 3. For the purpose of making appointments, this act takes effect upon
138	138	becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it. Section 2 of this act takes effect upon becoming
139	139	a law, the public welfare requiring it. For all other purposes, this act takes effect July 1, 2025,
140	140	the public welfare requiring it.