Tenn. Code Ann. § 69-3-104 (2026)

• (a)
  • (1) There is hereby created and established the Tennessee board of water quality, oil, and gas, referred to as the "board" in this part, which shall be composed of twelve (12) members as follows:
    • (A) The commissioner of environment and conservation, who shall be the chair of the board;
    • (B) The commissioner of health;
    • (C) The commissioner of agriculture; and
    • (D) Nine (9) citizen members appointed by the governor for terms of four (4) years.
  • (2) Each ex officio member may, by official order filed with the director, designate a representative from such member's staff who shall have the powers and be subject to the duties and responsibilities of the ex officio member designating the representative, except that the representative designated by the commissioner of environment and conservation shall not serve as chair.
  • (3) The board shall annually elect a vice chair from among its members, who shall preside over all meetings at which the chair is not present.
  • (4)
    • (A) The citizen members of the board shall be appointed as follows:
      • (i) One (1) of the nine (9) citizen members shall be from the public-at-large. The public member's occupation shall not be in the same primary area of interest as any other citizen member of the board;
      • (ii) One (1) member shall represent environmental interests and may be appointed from lists of qualified persons submitted by interested conservation groups including, but not limited to, the Tennessee conservation league;
      • (iii) One (1) member shall represent counties and may be appointed from lists of qualified persons submitted by interested county services groups including, but not limited to, the County Services Association;
      • (iv) One (1) member shall represent agricultural interests and may be appointed from lists of qualified persons submitted by interested farm business groups including, but not limited to, the Tennessee Farm Bureau;
      • (v) One (1) member shall represent the municipalities of the state and may be appointed from lists of qualified persons submitted by interested municipal groups including, but not limited to, the Tennessee Municipal League;
      • (vi) One (1) member shall represent small generators of water pollution and may be appointed from lists of qualified persons submitted by interested automotive groups including, but not limited to, the Tennessee Automotive Association;
      • (vii) One (1) member shall represent manufacturing industries and have current full-time employment with a manufacturing concern in Tennessee, shall hold a college degree in engineering or the equivalent, and shall have at least eight (8) years of combined technical training and experience in national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) permit compliance and management of wastewater or water treatment facilities, and may be appointed from lists of qualified persons submitted by interested business groups including, but not limited to, the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry;
      • (viii) One (1) member shall represent the oil and gas industry; and
      • (ix) One (1) member shall represent oil or gas property owners.
    • (B) The governor shall consult with the interested groups described in subdivision (a)(4)(A) to determine qualified persons to fill the citizen member positions on the board.
  • (5) Each appointive member shall be a resident and domiciliary of this state.
  • (6) No member shall be appointed, unless at the time of the member's appointment, the member or the member's employer is in compliance with this part as certified by the commissioner.
  • (7) The three (3) ex officio members shall hold their positions on the board throughout their respective terms and until the appointment of their successors as such.
  • (8) All appointments of citizen members shall be for a full four-year term.
  • (9) Any appointive member who is absent from three (3) consecutive, regularly scheduled meetings shall be removed from the board by the governor.
  • (10) Upon the death, resignation, or removal of any appointive member, the governor shall appoint some person representing the same area of interest as the member whose position has been vacated to fill the unexpired term of such member.
  • (11) Appointive members shall continue to serve until a successor has been appointed.
  • (12) In making appointments to the board, the governor shall strive to ensure that at least one (1) person appointed to serve on the board is sixty (60) years of age or older and that at least one (1) person appointed to serve on the board is a member of a racial minority.
  • (13)
    • (A) Notwithstanding subdivision (a)(8), the terms of the appointive members of the board serving on July 1, 2014, shall terminate as follows:
      • (i) The terms of the members appointed under subdivisions (a)(4)(A)(i) and (ii) shall terminate on September 30, 2016;
      • (ii) The terms of the members appointed under subdivisions (a)(4)(A)(iii) and (iv) shall terminate on September 30, 2017;
      • (iii) The terms of the members appointed under subdivisions (a)(4)(A)(v) and (vi) shall terminate on September 30, 2018; and
      • (iv) The terms of the members appointed under subdivisions (a)(4)(A)(vii), (viii) and (ix) shall terminate on September 30, 2019.
    • (B) The terms of all members appointed for terms beginning after September 30, 2016, shall be for four (4) years.

• (b)
  • (1) The state shall ensure that those members of the board who do not receive, or during the previous two (2) years have not received, a significant portion of their income directly or indirectly from permit holders or applicants for a permit shall hear all appeals on permit matters. If the chair is not eligible to hear any permit matter, the members of the board shall select a member by majority vote to serve as chair. An ex officio member of the board who is not eligible to hear a permit matter shall designate a representative to serve on the board for that purpose in accordance with subsection (a). Board member participation in permit matters shall also be in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5, part 3, in addition to the provisions set forth in subdivisions (b)(2)-(6) and subsection (h).
  • (2) For the purposes of this section, "significant portion of their income" means ten percent (10%) of gross personal income for a calendar year, except that it means fifty percent (50%) of gross personal income for a calendar year if the recipient is over sixty (60) years of age and is receiving such portion pursuant to retirement, pension, or similar arrangement.
  • (3) For the purposes of this section, "permit holders or applicants for a permit" does not include any department or agency of the state.
  • (4) For the purposes of this section, "income" includes retirement benefits, consultant fees, and stock dividends.
  • (5) For the purposes of this section, income is not received "directly or indirectly from permit holders or applicants for a permit" where it is derived from mutual fund payments, or from other diversified investments over which the recipient does not know the identity of the primary sources of income. If members other than the ex officio members are not qualified, then the seven (7) citizen members who are not ex officio members shall select, by agreement, qualified temporary replacements to serve for the duration of any proceeding before the board.
  • (6) For the purposes of this subsection (b), "permit" means national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) permit.

• (c) Each member of the board, other than the ex officio member, shall be entitled to be paid fifty dollars ($50.00) for each day actually and necessarily employed in the discharge of official duties, and each member shall be entitled to receive the amount of such member's traveling and other necessary expenses actually incurred while engaged in the performance of any official duties when so authorized by the board, but such expenses shall be made in accordance with the comprehensive state travel regulations promulgated by the commissioner of finance and administration and approved by the attorney general and reporter.

• (d) The board shall have two (2) regularly scheduled meetings each year, one (1) in October and one (1) in April. Special meetings may be called by the chair at any time and shall be called as soon as possible by the chair on the written request of two (2) members. Regular meetings of the panel shall be held as necessary to review permit matters. All members shall be duly notified by the technical secretary of the time and place of any regular or special meeting at least five (5) days in advance of such meeting. The majority of the board constitutes a quorum and the concurrence of a majority of those present and voting in any matter within its duties shall be required for a determination of matters within its jurisdiction.

• (e) The board shall keep complete and accurate records of the proceedings of all their meetings, a copy of which shall be kept on file in the office of the director and open to public inspection.

• (f) The director shall serve as the technical secretary of the board. In that capacity, the member shall report the proceedings of the board pursuant to § 69-3-110 and perform such other duties as the board may require.

• (g)
  • (1) If the board incurs a vacancy, it shall notify the appointing authority in writing within ninety (90) days after the vacancy occurs. All vacancies on the board, other than ex officio members, shall be filled by the appointing authority within ninety (90) days of receiving written notice of the vacancy and of providing sufficient information for the appointing authority to make an informed decision in regard to filling such vacancy. If such sufficient information has been provided and the board has more than one (1) vacancy that is more than one hundred eighty (180) days in duration, such board shall report to the house of representatives and senate government operations committees why such vacancies have not been filled.
  • (2) If more than one-half (½) of the positions on the board are vacant for more than one hundred eighty (180) consecutive days, the board shall terminate, provided that such board shall wind up its affairs pursuant to § 4-29-112. If the board is terminated pursuant to this subdivision (g)(2), it shall be reviewed by the evaluation committees pursuant to the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act before ceasing all its activities. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the general assembly from continuing, restructuring, or reestablishing the board.

• (h) No member of the board shall participate in making any decision upon a permit or upon a case in which the municipality, firm or organization which the member represents, or by which the member is employed, or in which the member has a direct substantial financial interest, is involved.

Amended by 2021 Tenn. Acts, ch. 548, s 1, eff. 5/26/2021.

Amended by 2014 Tenn. Acts, ch. 624, Secs.s 7, s 8eff. 7/1/2014.

Amended by 2014 Tenn. Acts, ch. 624, s 3, eff. 7/1/2014.

Acts 1971, ch. 164, § 4; 1971, ch. 386, § 1; 1972, ch. 631, § 1; 1976, ch. 806, § 1(125); 1977, ch. 366, § 1; 1979, ch. 422, § 18; T.C.A., § 70-327; Acts 1984, ch. 804, § 2; 1988, ch. 1013, § 72; 1991, ch. 117, § 4; 1992, ch. 693, § 3; 1994, ch. 610, §§6, 7, 8; 1994, ch. 628, §§ 3-6; 1995, ch. 155, § 1; 1996, ch. 728, §§ 4-8; 2000, ch. 835, § 6; 2005, ch. 85, §§1 - 4; 2012 , ch. 986, §§ 26-28.