Committee advances contentious wetlands bill after hours of testimony from conservationists and developers

A major rewrite of Tennessee's wetlands regulatory framework was advanced out of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee after prolonged testimony from environmental groups, water advocates, developers, lawyers and business associations.

Representative Todd Vaughn, the bill's sponsor, said the legislation is intended to reduce regulatory costs for landowners while preserving protections for higher-value wetlands. "What this bill does is...reduce or eliminate the amount of mitigation required for the alteration of the lowest value wetlands," he said, and the measure directs reporting on where mitigation dollars go and prescribes methodology for wetland resource inventories.

Scientists and environmental advocates warned the committee that narrowing wetlands protections would risk water quality,…