Tennessee’s Solid Waste Task Force signaled on June 12, 2026 that it may recommend changes to the Jackson Law, a nearly 40-year-old statute that lets local governments block new landfill construction before state permitting can proceed.
Tennessee’s Jackson Law Gives Local Communities a Landfill Veto
The Jackson Law allows any county or city to require local approval before a new landfill is built, provided the governing body passes it by a two-thirds vote. That veto power now covers a wide portion of the state.
54 counties and 18 cities have adopted the Jackson Law as of January 2026, meaning communities across more than half of Tennessee’s 95 counties can currently reject landfill proposals outright.
Business groups told the task force this creates a “bottleneck” blocking new sites as existing landfills approach capacity. Applicants currently must clear zoning requirements, regional waste board approval, and Jackson Law votes before the first stage of state permitting can move forward. According to Nickolaus Lytle, TDEC’s solid waste permits manager, the full process can take between five and ten years.
Rep. Grills and Industry Allies Push to Reduce Local Say
“It’s really easy to say no to everything, but you still have a problem that you have to deal with.”
Rep. Rusty Grills, R-Newbern, Tennessee Solid Waste Task Force, June 12, 2026
Grills’s comments align with waste industry operators who want state-level authority to override local rejections. A separate protection, added to the Scenic Rivers Act in 1990, also bars landfill operations within two miles of certain designated rivers. Both laws are now at the center of active litigation.
In 2023, the Marshall/Maury Municipal Solid Waste Planning Region Board blocked a landfill proposal near the Duck River on land formerly owned by the Monsanto Chemical Company. The landowner filed two lawsuits challenging the board’s decision and the use of the Scenic Rivers Act, the Jackson Law, and local zoning to block the project. Both suits remain pending as of June 2026.
No Bill Yet, But the Window to Influence the Process Is Now
No legislation has been introduced as of June 12, 2026. The task force is still in the policy development phase, which means public input now carries more weight than it will once a bill is drafted. If the task force recommends weakening the Jackson Law, communities would lose a veto right they have held for nearly four decades.
What You Can Do Now
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Call your Tennessee state legislator. Find your representative at legislature.tn.gov/members/find-your-legislators and tell them specifically that you oppose any bill that reduces local authority over landfill permitting or weakens the Jackson Law.
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Email TDEC before recommendations are finalized. Contact the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation at [email protected] and tell the department you want local approval requirements preserved in the landfill permitting process. Name the Jackson Law by name.
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Contact your county commission or city council. If your local government has not yet adopted the Jackson Law, urge them to do so by a two-thirds vote before any state legislation moves. Find your county commission at your county’s official government website. Time matters: adoption before a bill passes gives communities a stronger legal and political claim.
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Track the Solid Waste Task Force calendar. Meetings at this stage are where proposals are shaped. Check the Tennessee General Assembly’s committee calendar for upcoming task force dates and submit public comment in writing if you cannot attend in person.
Sources
- Beware the coordinated effort to manufacture carbon storage acceptance — Louisiana Illuminator (2026-06-12)
- Tennessee waste task force eyes changes to law allowing local rejection of landfills — Tennessee Lookout (2026-06-12)
Tennessee Lookout: Solid Waste Task Force Eyes Changes to Law Allowing Local Landfill Rejection
Tennessee General Assembly: Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68, Chapter 211 (Solid Waste)
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation: Solid Waste Permitting Program Overview