Tennessee's Pollution Prevention (P2) Program provides educational resources related to pollution prevention to Tennessee's manufacturers. Pollution prevention is defined as any practice that prevents, reduces, or eliminates pollution at its source. You are receiving this newsletter as part of Tennessee's environmental-regulated community. 

In this issue:

Division of Water Resources' Tennessee Construction General Permit (CGP) has been reissued and will take effect on October 1, 2026. This NPDES permit applies to soil-disturbing activities that exceed one acre OR is part of a common plan of development, such as housing and commerical subdivisions.  

If your facility is planning new construction or an expansion involving more than one acre of soil disturbance, this permit is required before construction activites begin.

Sediment remains one of the top three causes of stream impairments to Tennessee's waters. The purpose of the CGP is to ensure the use of Best Management Practices designed that keep sediment on-site and out of storm drains and streams. 

The TN Pollution Prevention Program is proud to announce that three sustainable industries have been recognized by the Governor's Environmental Stewardship Awards. 

Toyota Boshoku's landfill‑free achievement reflects a comprehensive transformation of its operations, guided by the principle that “waste is a resource out of place,” and backed by a facility‑wide culture of data‑driven waste reduction, employee engagement, supplier collaboration, and continuous improvement. Toyota won the Materials Management category. 

OxyChem’s New Johnsonville facility announced significant progress in environmental performance and operational reliability following the expansion of its award‑winning Hydrogen Boiler Clean Air project into a comprehensive, sitewide continuous‑improvement initiative. Building on its prior Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award in the Clean Air category from 2023, the facility transformed the project into a long‑term program focused on energy efficiency, mechanical reliability, waste minimization, and water stewardship. OxyChem was recognized for Pursuit of Excellence.

Carlex Glass America, LLC announced major sustainability achievements through its participation in TVA’s EnergyRight Strategic Energy Management (SEM) program, completing a transformative two‑year initiative that resulted in 3.4 million kilowatt hours of energy savings from October 2024 to the end of 2025. This accomplishment reflects the facility’s strong commitment to reducing energy intensity, improving manufacturing efficiency, and strengthening environmental stewardship. Overall these efforts won Carlex the Sustainable Performance award. 

TDEC’s Pollution Prevention team has invited Green Star Partners Hutchinson Auto Body Systems, General Motors Spring Hill, Clayton Appalachia and Tuff Torq to showcase some of their most effective employee‑driven improvements through practical tips, creative solutions, and proven strategies that you can consider applying at your own facility.

You will not want to miss this. All these projects are reproducible with your facility. 

Each quarter, the TN Pollution Prevention Program hosts a one‑hour Open Discussion that brings together industries from across Tennessee to connect, collaborate, and share ideas. These sessions create space for participants to learn from one another, celebrate successes, troubleshoot challenges, and explore creative solutions. Topics have ranged from innovative software for tracking sustainability projects to       unexpected recycling opportunities, like repurposing cigarette butts.

The connections are truly worth your time. Contact Vaughn Cassidy by phone or email to be a part of it. (731) 431-7856 or Vaughn.Cassidy@tn.gov

The Better Buildings & Better Plants webinar series takes on the most pressing energy management challenges facing Tennessee industry. This series continues with two upcoming webinars this month:

Next Generation: Optimizing Smart Building Software

Tuesday, September 22, 2026 I 11 a.m. - noon ET
Commercial building portfolios have long benefited from smart building analytics software using fault detection and diagnostics and monitoring-based commissioning technologies. Join us to hear how speakers are implementing new technologies to optimize building operations and push advanced demand flexibility sequences to their equipment.
 

Approaching Industrial Load Flexibility

Tuesday, September 29, 2026 I 11 a.m. - noon ET
Large industrial energy users can benefit grid utilization through load flexibility and demand response – all while providing financial value to the industrial users themselves. Hear from partners about the technologies and operational changes they have implemented to increase load flexibility.

Tennessee State University has developed a mechanochemical destruction technology for the treatment of PFAS-contaminated soils and other solid matrices. Preliminary results demonstrate approximately 85% removal of PFOA from laboratory-spiked soil.

TSU is seeking opportunities to obtain representative samples, understand end-user treatment needs, and identify suitable partners for technology validation and potential field-scale demonstration.

If you are interested in partnering on this type of research, contact Junke Zhang at jzhang2@tnstate.edu for more information.  

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