Haslam Announces Development District Grants to Help Manage and Reduce Waste in Tennessee
NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau announced today nearly $304,000 in grants to support solid waste management activities in communities across Tennessee.
The Tennessee General Assembly established development districts in 1966 to do general and comprehensive planning and conduct development and administration activities for local governments, and the state’s nine development districts will receive grants totaling $303,674 in fiscal year 2013-2014.
“I appreciate the role Tennessee’s development districts play in supporting local communities and municipalities as they work together to manage and reduce solid waste,” Haslam said. “We are pleased to support these critical efforts and help fund projects for all nine districts in the upcoming fiscal year.”
Tennessee’s development districts assist the state’s solid waste planning regions in compiling information about landfills, source reduction, composting and recycling for the state’s Annual Progress Report. The report is a planning and reporting tool required by the Solid Waste Management Act of 1991, which was the first comprehensive solid waste planning legislation in Tennessee history. The data is used to determine each region’s progress towards Tennessee’s goal to achieve 25 percent waste reduction in Class I landfill solid waste.
Local governments also receive technical assistance from development districts in designing, implementing, upgrading and maintaining solid waste programs, systems and facilities, including landfills, convenience centers and recycling centers.
“The ongoing support of Tennessee’s development district offices is vital to the state’s long-term waste reduction planning and these resources are available to help support the important functions that advance those solid waste management goals,” Martineau said.
Grant amounts are determined on an annual basis and awarded based on available funding and the scope of work undertaken by each district. The grants announced today include:
- East Tennessee Development District $28,844
- First Tennessee Development District $36,400
- Greater Nashville Regional Council $37,042
- Memphis Area Association of Government $22,575
- Northwest Tennessee Development District $44,825
- Southwest Tennessee Development District $28,350
- Upper Cumberland Development District $33,708
- South Central Tennessee Development District $41,330
- Southeast Tennessee Development District $30,600
Development District grants were authorized by the Solid Waste Management Act of 1991 and are supported from the Solid Waste Management Fund that is administered by the Department of Environment and Conservation. The Solid Waste Management Fund receives its revenues from a tipping fee surcharge on each ton of solid waste disposed in Class I landfills and from a pre-disposal fee on new tires sold in the state.
###