Environment and Conservation, Department of

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific penalties or consequences if the department fails to update the website on time, nor does it specify funding sources or costs associated with implementing this bill.

Creating a Public Tool for Toxic Release Data

This bill requires the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to create and maintain an online tool by January 1, 2026, that provides information about toxic release facilities near any address in the state.

What This Bill Does

• Requires the department to make a public website tool by January 1, 2026.
• The tool lets people enter an address and get a list of nearby facilities that must report toxic releases.
• It also shows if there are plans to build or expand such facilities near the entered address.
• People can ask for updates about new applications for building or expanding these facilities within five miles of their home.
• The department has to update this information on the website within 10 business days after receiving it.

Who It Names or Affects

• Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
• People who live in Tennessee

Terms To Know

Toxic Release Inventory Data

Information about chemicals released into the environment by certain industries, collected under federal law.

Emergency Planning and Right-to-Know Act

A federal law that requires companies to report information about toxic chemical releases to protect public health and safety.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if the department fails to update the website on time.
• It is unclear how much it will cost to create and maintain this tool.
• There are no details about who pays for creating and maintaining the public information tool.

Official Summary Text

No later than January 1, 2026,
this bill requires
the department of environment and conservation
to
create and maintain an informational tool on the department's website
, in a publicly acces
sible location,
that provides data related to the presence of facilities that are required to submit toxic release inventory data to the environmental protection agency pursuant to the
federal
Emergency Planning and Right-to-Know Act. The tool must
meet a
ll of the following criteria:



It must a
llow an individual to input an address and receive a list of
(i) f
acilities that are located within a five-mile radius of the address; and

(ii) notice of whether an application has been submitted for the construction or expansion of a facility that may be subject to the toxic release reporting requirements within a five-mile radius of the address, and any information regarding the status of such application, including any applicable comment or input period related to the application
.



It must allow an individual to request receipt of a notice if an application for the construction or expansion of a facility that may be subject to the toxic release reporting requirements is submitted for a location within a five-mile radius of an address specified by the individual making the request
.



It must be updated using information that the department receives regarding such facilities and applications, including information found in the toxic release inventory data compiled and made publicly available by the environmental protection agency. The department
must
post such updates within 10 business days of receipt of information that necessitates an update.

Current Bill Text

HOUSE BILL 1397
By Pearson

SENATE BILL 1352
By Akbari

SB1352
003050
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AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4;
Title 59; Title 60; Title 68 and Title 69, relative to
toxic release inventory data.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68, Chapter 101, is amended by adding
the following as a new section:
No later than January 1, 2026, the department of environment and conservation
shall create and maintain an informational tool on the department's website that provides
data related to the presence of facilities that are required to submit toxic release
inventory data to the environmental protection agency pursuant to the Emergency
Planning and Right-to-Know Act (42 U.S.C. § 11001 et seq.). The department shall
maintain the informational tool in a publicly accessible location. The tool must:
(1) Allow an individual to input an address and receive a list of:
(A) Facilities that are located within a five-mile radius of the
address; and
(B) Notice of whether an application has been submitted for the
construction or expansion of a facility that may be subject to the toxic
release reporting requirements within a five-mile radius of the address,
and any information regarding the status of such application, including
any applicable comment or input period related to the application;
(2) Allow an individual to request receipt of a notice if an application for
the construction or expansion of a facility that may be subject to the toxic release

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reporting requirements is submitted for a location within a five-mile radius of an
address specified by the individual making the request; and
(3) Be updated using information that the department receives regarding
such facilities and applications, including information found in the toxic release
inventory data compiled and made publicly available by the environmental
protection agency. The department shall post such updates within ten (10)
business days of receipt of information that necessitates an update.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.