Top Priorities
1. Support implementation and enforcement of the federal Clean Water Act and the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act.
2. Emphasize sustainable management of the waters of Tennessee.
3. Enact new regulatory objectives to protect headwater areas and small streams, the sources of our water supply.
4. Protect the existing definition of waters of the state.
5. Oppose mountaintop removal, which shifts the costs of mining to the public by degrading streams and land.
6. Upgrade water supply infrastructure to prevent drinking water loss.
7. Upgrade wastewater and stormwater systems and promote innovative treatment technologies.
8. Narrow the use of General Permits issued by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC).
Long-Term Goals
Promote public awareness of the significant role that small streams and headwaters play in maintaining water quality.
Encourage development of growth plans, stormwater management, and enforcement at local levels—in fast growing rural areas as well as big cities—to create consistent,well understood permitting processes that protect quality and supply.
Support enforcement of our laws and require polluters, not the public, to bear the costs of pollution.
Use urban planning to direct new development to core districts to prevent sprawl and preserve farmland and green spaces near small towns and urban areas.
Promote innovative use of state and federal funding programs involving both Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development and TDEC.
Promote water conservation and efficiency technologies, and provide incentives for adopting those techniques.
Develop comprehensive water planning at the state level.
Develop basic maintenance requirements for septic systems.
Restore and maintain the real estate transfer tax and wetlands fund, which enables TDEC to protect critical land and water resources for all Tennesseans.