Statements
Mission
The Southern Environmental Law Center has a unique, focused mission: use law, policy, and strategic communications expertise to protect all that we love about the South-healthy air and clean water; forests, mountains, wetlands, our coast, and the wildlife they support; our rural countryside; and all of the people in our communities. Serving Tennessee and five other Southern states (VA, NC, SC, GA, and AL), SELC has earned a reputation as one of the most effective environmental organizations in the country. Our team of 100 attorneys work in all branches and all levels of government to create, strengthen, and enforce environmental safeguards. We organize our work into six program areas: Clean Water, Clean Energy & Air, Coast & Wetlands, Land & Community, National Forests & Parks, and Wildlife Protection.
We collaborate closely with scores of partners-ranging from national organizations like American Rivers and National Parks Conservation Association to homegrown Tennessee groups like Harpeth Conservancy and Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association-to complement their skills and efforts and to strengthen the overall conservation community.
Background
SELC opened our Tennessee office in Nashville in 2011. Before then we served the environmental advocacy needs of Tennessee for more than two decades from other offices, particularly SELC's Headquarters in Charlottesville. The Southern Environmental Law Center's approach is rooted in local presence, place-based action, and a network of partners throughout our six Southern states along with coordinated legal, strategy, and communications expertise. By successfully tackling complex environmental issues and powerful opponents in our particular region over 37 years, SELC has consistently delivered nationally significant results and earned a reputation as one of the most effective nonprofits in the US. Our Tennessee team is dedicated to state-based work and championing communities and natural resources from the Appalachian Mountains, Cumberland Plateau, farmland and wetlands of West Tennessee-to the waterways of the Duck, Tennessee, Cumberland and Mississippi River basins-while simultaneously seeking to use our local results to raise the bar for environmental standards and enforcement for the entire nation, with particular urgency on limiting climate change and addressing environmental injustice.
Impact
PRESERVING THE DUCK RIVER
As Middle Tennessee continues to see rapid growth, SELC is prioritizing the protection of the Duck River, a remarkable natural treasure and the most biodiverse river in North America. Today, plans to withdraw more water from the river to keep up with fast-paced development is threatening the Duck. When combined with periods of drought and severe weather, these excessive withdrawals-which could be up to 33 percent more gallons per day-would alter the flow of the river. In March 2022, SELC reached a settlement on behalf of The Nature Conservancy and the Tennessee Wildlife Federation that upholds the state's ability to manage water withdrawals and reinforces the state's ability to include reasonable water withdrawal limitations in future permits on the Duck and other waterways. We are also coming to the table with water utilities, state and federal agencies, and environmental groups in a stakeholder process intended to promote wise water use planning and keep the Duck's watershed healthy.
MOVING AWAY FROM FOSSIL FUEL POWER
SELC is pushing hard on TVA to jumpstart the clean energy revolution in Tennessee. As the country's largest public utility, TVA's energy decisions for the state also carry an outsized influence on the nation as a whole. Despite executive orders directing federal agencies to lead the decarbonization of the power sector by 2035, this federal utility wants to replace its coal-fired power plant at Cumberland with a new natural gas plant, which will continue to bring carbon emissions and air pollution to Middle Tennessee. SELC is pressing TVA to adopt a clean energy mix-with efficiency, solar, and storage-instead of this proposal. We also supported our local partners' efforts to help utility leaders in Memphis reach unanimous decision to vote to reject a proposed never-ending power supply contract with TVA, preserving Memphians' abilities to fight for cleaner and cheaper options.
Needs
Tennessee is a state with remarkable natural resources-from the Cumberland Plateau and the Cherokee National Forest to a rich network of streams, rivers, and wetlands. Keeping these resources healthy and thriving requires continual vigilance and active stewardship. SELC's Nashville office is playing an important watchdog role, making sure federal and state agencies are doing their job to protect these irreplaceable natural treasures. When necessary, we step up to perform enforcement work, filling the gap when agencies and regulators fail to fulfill their responsibilities, and making sure that Tennessee's citizens have a strong voice in the development and enactment of policies to sustain the health and livability of their communities.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Environment - Natural Resources Conservation & Protection |
| Secondary Category: | Environment - Energy Resources Conservation & Development |
| Tertiary Category: | Environment - Alliances & Advocacy |
Areas Served
The Southern Environmental Law Center protects the six states of the Southeast (Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee) and works on issues that have regional and nation-wide significance. Our regional headquarters office is in Charlottesville, VA. In addition we have offices in Chapel Hill, NC; Atlanta, GA; Washington, DC; Richmond, VA; Asheville, NC; Charleston, SC; Birmingham, AL; and Nashville, TN.
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