[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6322694,"mediaKeyId","2346986-60f78b63efdd169058c77e44a8ab4726","parentId",2346986,"title","Senate committee advances bill to create Farmland Preservation Fund, cites loss of Tennessee farmland","audioSeconds",3819,"startMs",875000,"endMs",4694000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2346986-60f78b63efdd169058c77e44a8ab4726&start=875&end=4694","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2346986-60f78b63efdd169058c77e44a8ab4726/thumbnail_875000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6322694/Tennessee/Senate-committee-advances-bill-to-create-Farmland-Preservation-Fund-cites-loss-of-Tennessee-farmland","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6322694-09c147d61e8cc95c0878a52dd5213a7e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162721&Signature=GxWeKOVS7rC1Dpui5i9sMozIXPqJFILALhBxin~XWeLAxfTqgVFx4ZJ8aWKcZr04pIBOHqBkaYaPDKv2BPONi1VDZGDonZuRS1T2Qm4Rvqa866gdorK87PG7E4JISbtFZgm2koqBv6f2QPUoeTO7~gjc-WyCY6ajSDDKonp79Oc5QBjDHdGWyq0RELmX5-2-9uTiPjAKcIAMQkaD1QUhkIDuCst-3tSoTb3ApWK8-dJ4CGsFGNEKq93GBJH-z1h13DFfvib88H5kOTR3uJcAIAq4Fzqe3vYssO7~Nh0C~mRt3Ct-0~ATC-Eac2Tv-vEDP3S3DGx7i2H2bP0P1Zij2w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","TN State Legislature","date","2025-02-19T00:00:00Z","article","Senate Bill 207, a proposal to establish a Farmland Preservation Fund to help Tennessee farmers place conservation easements on working farmland, cleared the Senate Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on a 5-4 vote and will move to the Finance Committee.

The bill’s sponsor, Leader Johnson, told the committee the state has lost “1,100,000 acres of farmland” between 1997 and February 2017 and another “432,941 acres” since 2017, and that the proposed fund—backed in the governor’s budget by $25,000,000—would provide grants to help families pay for conservation easements. “This is a voluntary program that landowners can utilize,” Leader Johnson said.

The nut of the bill is to create a state-administered fund, run by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, that would provide financial incentives for landowners who choose to place development restrictions on deeds to preserve farmland and forestland in perpetuity while retaining private ownership and agricultural uses.

Supporters said the program is intended for working farmers who lack the private capital to buy easements themselves. Kevin Hensley of the Tennessee Farm Bureau’s public policy division told the committee the Farm Bureau helped craft the proposal and pressed back on what he called misconceptions about easements: “This is a voluntary program for landowners with zero government control over how the farmer farms or how the landowner manages their forest,” Hensley said, listing activities landowners would retain including hunting, timber cutting and using the land as loan collateral.

Andy Holt, deputy commissioner at the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, told senators the fund would be another tool to help maintain farming as an economic sector and to protect production capacity and environmental benefits the state receives from farmland. Holt quantified the loss cited by the sponsor in production terms, saying a 10-acre loss equals roughly “1,740 bushels of corn” and “487 gallons of ethanol.”

Committee members pressed staff on program design questions the bill leaves to later rulemaking, including how eligibility and prioritization would be handled and whether the program’s definition of farmland would align with existing definitions in Tennessee Code Annotated. Department witnesses said rules would be informed by models in other states; the department referenced programs in roughly 29 states as examples.

Opponents, including some rural senators who said they had heard concerns from constituents, raised the risk that permanent easements could limit future uses and added complexity for heirs and buyers. Senator Bowling said that an easement written by a prior owner could restrict future owners in ways that would be difficult to anticipate. The sponsor and witnesses repeatedly described the program as voluntary and customizable, saying most long-term limits would be negotiated as part of individual easement contracts.

The committee’s recorded vote was: Chairman Reeves—aye; Senator Boling—no; Senator Campbell—no; Senator Harshbarger—aye; Senator Yeager—aye; Senator Oliver—no; Senator Pote—no; Senator Seale—aye; Senator Wally—aye. The tally reported by the chair was 5 ayes, 4 noes. The chairman moved the bill; it was seconded by Vice Chair Lowe. No amendments were offered on the committee floor.

The bill’s sponsors and department staff repeatedly said the fund would not force easements on landowners, that current conservation entities (including the Land Trust of Tennessee, Appalachian Highlands Conservancy and Wolf River Conservancy) already hold easements and would continue to operate, and that the state money would be a voluntary financial bridge for families who otherwise could not afford easement transactions.

The committee discussion also flagged procedural next steps: the Department of Agriculture will draft rules if the program is funded and enacted, and the department said it would use examples from other states and a potential bid or scoring process to prioritize limited funds.

Votes at the committee level do not finalize statewide policy; the bill now proceeds to the Senate Finance Committee for further consideration.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Energy, Ag., and Nat. Resources Committee\tFeb 19, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Senate Bill 207, a proposal to create a Farmland Preservation Fund giving grants to landowners who place conservation easements on working farms, advanced from the Senate Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee to Finance on a 5-4 vote.","taxTitle","Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Tennessee","taxId",29608,"location","Tennessee","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6322685,"TDEC budget pitch emphasizes state parks, Duck River watershed planning and new fusion regulatory program",406,4896000,5302000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2346986-60f78b63efdd169058c77e44a8ab4726&start=4896&end=5302","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2346986-60f78b63efdd169058c77e44a8ab4726/thumbnail_4896000.jpg","/articles/6322685/Tennessee/TDEC-budget-pitch-emphasizes-state-parks-Duck-River-watershed-planning-and-new-fusion-regulatory-program","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6322685-b9e6623409bebbc12996e34521095e29/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162721&Signature=QT6~i64Rg9iH4HNVC~i3JBrTD8g-rq4Ry2WpuTKP3bv8Id2PRmBATUplvnWjIVC2XzY5PBRX5vv01zuu81aRw8V29hR3O-tm8ftRB7muuJpLUOfoJFNIZSM5ChcHNAjATQyDZfi5CKlPq2nGrw4ECOcx1On-pY1CR7z9eLXgRv8kXN5iyz9-0xKoVCvJrn-whoS2JjDFwwCzyqG8dV150KuY8ddTIMd09jtW1j3-i81I--ktvOVGORc~CFPqyM8Rb2m2N1cJy055VazoWZRNgNhyPOC5~h4AVRBLVZ2p1iq9484pT2AO86AMrNvRO8KNREbGfjxRQHRqX3XyCdtQGA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) Commissioner David Salyers and agency staff presented highlights of the department’s FY26 request to the Senate Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, emphasizing parks investments, watershed planning and a proposed regulatory framework for nuclear fusion.

Salyers opened by quoting the governor’s state of the state theme: “To grow Tennessee, we must conserve Tennessee,” and outlined recommendations that include funding for three new state parks (Dry Branch State Park, Cherokee Removal Memorial Park staffing/capital upgrades, and Clinch River Blueway State Park), recurring maintenance dollars to prevent future deferred maintenance, and a large regional planning investment for the Duck River.

The FY26 request lists $6.2 million in recurring maintenance to protect park facilities and a proposed $224,500,000 for regional watershed planning to support the Duck River watershed partnership created by executive order.

Salyers also briefed the committee on a proposed first-in-state regulatory program in TDEC’s radiological division to license and oversee nuclear fusion systems. \"Without the framework in place, active nuclear fusion power systems in Tennessee cannot begin formal operations,\" Salyers said, arguing that establishing the program could create an economic advantage as private and public actors pursue fusion projects.

Department witnesses said federal infrastructure funding (including IIJA and ARPA-related grants) remain available for water and wastewater projects and that access to some federal funding sources was being clarified during the current federal administration. Molly Cripps, senior advisor and State Energy Program director, reported recent outreach from federal agencies indicating that several funding lines are becoming accessible after short interruptions.

Committee members asked detailed follow-up questions about visitor counts and revenue in state parks, the increase in department reserve funds, ARPA drawdown timelines and at-risk projects, and the number and cost of vacant positions. Deputy Commissioner Greer Tidwell told senators the apparent decline in reported park visitors was largely a technical change in counting methods, including a lower vehicles-to-visitors multiplier based on updated usage patterns; park revenue and demand, Tidwell said, remain strong. On ARPA, department staff said about 1% of awards were at risk of not meeting construction milestones required by end-of-2026 deadlines and that staff are actively engaged with those local recipients.

Senators and the department agreed to resume further budget questioning at a later committee meeting to allow more time for detailed review.

","Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation officials presented FY26 priorities including investments in new state parks and maintenance, a $224.5 million regional Duck River watershed planning request, and funding to build a new fusion regulatory program; committee deferred detailed budget questions to a later meeting,",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6322690,"Committee sends bill expanding TDEC variance authority for septic systems to calendar",567,4764000,5331000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2346986-60f78b63efdd169058c77e44a8ab4726&start=4764&end=5331","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2346986-60f78b63efdd169058c77e44a8ab4726/thumbnail_4764000.jpg","/articles/6322690/Tennessee/Committee-sends-bill-expanding-TDEC-variance-authority-for-septic-systems-to-calendar","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6322690-c6b02087e8f1c9d46aed237cb36113ac/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162721&Signature=GUUx3s93rnwwxrzhttB9UBR-3GjsXmpPOF27wjD-F2snrUBb28Hp43ag63FJShUeJKOnLmGRsoYtE-b8PtGBrmlgp-f6etgMvBY~I886zpH5DShUGg2n0iQy56xJp-BMKfdZphMVqokEcc5-m6O-Z1C526-sMl4KX70J9CZdOI3Fl7lZxrxw3WkUmXs~V07rKzOEon0h99qdt5DjNkMVGkFF6PlGZrUfSHvpCxzKJHwLrSQ9AtjzxqQh1kwFnBC~0EORrQgqx7Yon7VNgw1s6SwL-P2f5Hd2WKpA1fj5ARZXnhYtOMPt0rRGwK3UEtQSzttO3frp~3-VWbxl6Izdhg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 113, a narrowly framed measure that would expand the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation commissioner’s authority to issue variances for subsurface sewage disposal systems in counties that do not have a contract with the department, passed the Senate Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and will be placed on the Senate calendar.

Sponsor Leader Johnson described the bill as a targeted fix to provide a final appeal process in “very, very isolated incidents” where sewage-disposal systems need a variance and the county in which the property lies has not entered into a contract with TDEC. The sponsor said the bill grew out of an issue in Williamson County.

Committee members had no substantive amendments on the bill. The motion to advance was made by Senator Pote and seconded by Senator Wally. The committee called the roll on the motion; the secretary reported eight yeas and no nays. Chairman Reeves announced \"you have 8 ayes,\" and the bill will go to the calendar.

","Senate Bill 113, to allow the Department of Environment and Conservation commissioner to issue and record variances for subsurface sewage disposal systems in noncontract counties, passed the committee and will go to the Senate calendar,","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate committee advances bill to create Farmland Preservation Fund, cites loss of Tennessee farmland

TDEC budget pitch emphasizes state parks, Duck River watershed planning and new fusion regulatory program

Committee sends bill expanding TDEC variance authority for septic systems to calendar