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HB1143 • 2026

Energy

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 13; Title 64; Title 65; Title 67 and Title 68, relative to energy.

Energy
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Boyd, Reeves
Last action
2025-04-28
Official status
Effective date(s) 07/01/2025
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not explicitly define 'green energy' but changes references to include both 'clean and green'.

Energy Act for Tennessee

This bill clarifies that political subdivisions must allow specific types of clean or green energy and renewable energy sources when imposing requirements on public utilities.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the definition of 'clean energy' to include 'green energy'.
  • Defines a 'public utility' as an entity providing services like electricity, broadband, natural gas, or propane to the public, including county-owned and municipal-owned utilities.
  • Lists specific types of clean or green energy and renewable energy sources that political subdivisions must allow public utilities to use when imposing requirements.
  • Specifies that if a political subdivision requires a public utility to use certain kinds of clean or green energy or renewable energy, the utility can choose from any of the listed sources.
  • States that rules violating this act are against public policy and not valid.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Public utilities in Tennessee
  • Political subdivisions (like cities and counties) in Tennessee

Terms To Know

public utility
A company or organization that provides services like electricity, water, gas, and telephone to the public.
political subdivision
A local government unit such as a city, town, or county within a state.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if a political subdivision tries to limit the types of clean or green energy sources that public utilities can use.
  • It is unclear how this act will be enforced and monitored by the Tennessee government.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 07/01/2025

  2. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 205

  3. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 205

  4. 2025-04-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for his action.

  6. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  7. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  8. 2025-04-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  9. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 25, Nays 5

  10. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  11. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  12. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/3/2025

  13. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  14. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee calendar for 3/26/2025

  15. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee to 3/26/2025

  16. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  17. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  18. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 76, Nays 13, PNV 1

  19. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  20. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee calendar for 3/19/2025

  21. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee to 3/19/2025

  22. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/13/2025

  23. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  24. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Objected to on Consent Calendar.

  25. 2025-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 3/10/2025

  26. 2025-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee calendar for 3/12/2025

  27. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/6/2025

  28. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  29. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee to 3/12/2025

  30. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Commerce Committee for 3/5/2025

  31. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Commerce Committee

  32. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee calendar for 3/5/2025

  33. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Business & Utilities Subcommittee for 2/26/2025

  34. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  35. 2025-02-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Business & Utilities Subcommittee

  36. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Commerce Committee

  37. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee

  38. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  39. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  40. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  41. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 884
By Reeves

HOUSE BILL 1143
By Boyd

HB1143
002365
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4;
Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 13; Title 64; Title 65;
Title 67 and Title 68, relative to energy.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 7-51-2401, is amended by deleting
"Clean energy" in subdivision (1) and substituting "Clean or green energy".
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 7-51-2401, is amended by deleting
subdivision (3) and substituting:
(3) "Public utility" means:
(A) An entity subject to the jurisdiction of the Tennessee board of utility
regulation, in accordance with § 7-82-702; or
(B) A county-owned or municipal-owned utility that provides electric,
broadband, natural gas, or propane services to the public; and
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 7-51-2403, is amended by deleting
the section and substituting:
7-51-2403. Permissible sources of clean or green energy or renewable energy.
(a) A political subdivision that through ordinance, resolution, or other regulation
imposes requirements or expectations related to the source of clean or green energy or
renewable energy used by a public utility shall include the following as permissible
sources:
(1) Solar energy;
(2) Photovoltaic cells and panels;
(3) Hydropower;

- 2 - 002365

(4) Wind power;
(5) Hydrogen fuel;
(6) Nuclear power;
(7) Natural gas;
(8) Fuel cells;
(9) Energy from waste-to-energy facilities;
(10) Energy storage systems or technologies;
(11) Geothermal energy;
(12) Dedicated crops grown for energy production;
(13) Industrial byproduct technologies that use fuel or energy that is a
byproduct of an industrial process;
(14) Waste heat recovery from capturing and reusing the waste heat in
an industrial process for heating or generating mechanical or electric work;
(15) Combined heat and power systems;
(16) Pumped storage hydropower;
(17) Compressed air energy storage;
(18) Biomass, including agricultural crops, wastes, or residues, wood or
wood waste, animal waste or other animal byproducts, algae, or solid waste; and
(19) Renewable natural gas, as defined in § 65-5-114.
(b) A public utility required by a political subdivision to implement or comply with
requirements or expectations related to the source of clean or green energy or
renewable energy used by the public utility meets the requirement if the public utility
uses one (1) or more of the sources listed in subdivisions (a)(1)-(19), regardless of
whether the political subdivision classifies the requirements or expectations as relating
solely to clean or green energy or solely to renewable energy.

- 3 - 002365

(c) An ordinance, resolution, or other regulation in violation of this section is
against public policy and void.
SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 7-51-2404, is amended by deleting
the section.
SECTION 5. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 5-6-119(a), is amended by deleting
subdivision (2) and substituting:
(2) "Energy project" means energy infrastructure improvements, whether
composed of real or personal property, or both, for clean or green energy or renewable
energy as those terms are defined in § 7-51-2401, including all sources listed in § 7-51-
2403; and
SECTION 6. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 6-54-148(a), is amended by deleting
subdivision (1) and substituting:
(1) "Energy project" means energy infrastructure improvements, whether
composed of real or personal property, or both, for clean or green energy or renewable
energy as those terms are defined in § 7-51-2401, including all sources listed in § 7-51-
2403; and
SECTION 7. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 7-51-2405, is amended by deleting
the section.
SECTION 8. The headings in this act are for reference purposes only and do not
constitute a part of the law enacted by this act. However, the code commission is requested to
include the headings in any compilation or publication containing this act.
SECTION 9. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.