Enforcement

Holding Government Accountable

Point source dischargers continue to cause significant degradation to Tennessee’s waters and public health. Often times, pollution dischargers chronically and often egregiously violate their water pollution permits.

When this occurs, Tennesseans believe the laws and the government will be there to protect them. Yet, the reality is these laws are often inadequate. In many cases, what maybe legal for industry to do is not safe for residents or the health of our waters. Too often, government officials relent to pressure by industry to not aggressively enforce environmental regulations. Illegal dumping of sewage into our waterways or degradation of our precious wetlands can go on for weeks, months or even years without any government attention. Often, it is up to residents to take action and say, “Enough is enough!”

Opportunities for citizen enforcement actions are often limited by state agencies, with affected citizens being denied access to the courts and meaningful opportunities to participate at significant stages of the administrative decision-making process. TCWN has begun to remove these hurdles to public involvement and ensure the State adheres to the provisions set forth in federal laws and regulations.

As these hurdles begin to fall, TCWN is committed to building the power of communities to use the existing body of laws and regulations as effective tools to protect our health and wetlands.