Gregory T. Young

Deputy Commissioner

Bureau of Environment

Greg Young became Deputy Commissioner for The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), Bureau of Environment (BOE), in February 2019, bringing 18 years of experience practicing environmental law in Tennessee.

His practice encompassed a wide range of environmental matters, including permitting, rulemaking, compliance, and enforcement cases. His expertise extends to areas such as water quality, air permitting, solid and hazardous waste, utility regulatory programs, and more. He has also worked on conservation projects involving land donations, conservation easements, greenhouse gas credits, and stream and wetland mitigation.

As the Deputy Commissioner for the BOE, he manages all aspects of TDEC’s environmental programs. Notably, he spearheaded Governor Lee’s historic investment in cleanup and redevelopment activities across the state through the development of the TN Clean program and the Brownfield Redevelopment Area Grant program. He has also been instrumental in creating new pilot frameworks for water reuse projects, watershed-based water withdrawal permitting, and a nutrient reduction grant program. Greg's expertise is often sought after for significant economic development projects across the state to address environmental issues.

Young led TDEC’s engagement in transformative dialogue with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which resulted in the nation-leading cleanup of Manhattan Project-era contamination at DOE’s Oak Ridge Reservation. In recognition of this work, Greg serves as the chair of a federal facilities forum for the Environmental Council of States for other similarly situated states with DOE facilities.

Young received his law degree from Tulane University after receiving a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi College.