Throughout 2016, TDEC recognized the department’s impact on Tennessee’s environment, natural resources and recreation assets over the past quarter century as we celebrated TDEC’s 25th Anniversary. A seminal year for state government began in February 1991 when Gov. McWherter created TDEC by combining environmental programs from the Department of Health with the Department of Conservation in order to create greater efficiency and emphasis on environmental protection in Tennessee. The year 1991 also saw the landmark Environmental Protection Fund established by the General Assembly; a Federal Facilities Agreement signed in between the State, DOE and EPA to support cleanup at the Oak Ridge Reservation; and TDEC’s office in Oak Ridge was established when we signed Tennessee Oversight Agreement with the federal government.
Along with our Silver Anniversary, we marked a number of major milestones for TDEC and Tennessee in 2016. For the first time in decades, EPA designated every county in Tennessee attainment for federal air quality standards. The General Assembly designated Soak Creek in Rhea County as the first state scenic river in 15 years. We continued our efforts to minimize paper waste and digitize more documents as we prepare to do more digital work and offer more online services to our customers. All three bureaus have embraced the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence’s program for continual quality improvement. We awarded a record-breaking amount of grant dollars to support clean water, energy, and local parks in hundreds of Tennessee communities, including a new “green” pool for the Town of Loretto.
It is important to stop and reflect on the past in order to envision the future. While there may be uncertainties and excitement ahead, under the leadership of Gov. Haslam and working with the General Assembly, I am optimistic we will be able to meet the opportunities presented by a new year. I am proud of what we accomplished in 2016, and we look forward to building on that momentum for Tennesseans in 2017. As you will see below, we are off to a great start.
Sincerely,
