Conservation will be a big topic again in the 2025 session of the Tennessee General Assembly. Click here to join our Action Alert email list and be notified when your voice is needed to speak up for conservation.
With the year quickly coming to a close, the Federation is gearing up for what is sure to be another eventful legislative session. Here are some topics likely to be discussed in the 2025 Tennessee General Assembly that will impact conservation in Tennessee.
Duck River
Last fall, several water utilities along the Duck River requested permits to increase water withdrawal from the river. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) approved these permits despite the lack of research to understand the long-term impacts of increased withdrawal on the health of the river and the fish, mussels, and other wildlife that depend on it.
Wetlands
During the summer, the Federation, along with other stakeholders from industry and the conservation community, sat on and actively participated in the Wetlands Stakeholder Steering Committee put together by TDEC to strategize about the best ways to conserve wetlands across the state while still meeting the needs of growing cities. This steering committee culminated in a summer study held by the Senate Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources, where the groups submitted comments on solutions suggested by TDEC to the Tennessee General Assembly. It is expected that new legislation will be introduced in the 2025 legislative session in response to these proposed solutions. Tennesseans will need to call on their representatives in support of or in opposition to this legislation when it is introduced to keep conservation at the forefront of the issue.
Your voice can make a difference on these and other conservation issues in the upcoming legislative session. Join our Action Alert email list to receive real-time notices about conservation legislation at the state and national levels. Sign up at tnwf.org/action.
