Tenn. lawmakers ask TDEC to halt plans for massive landfill

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Tennessee lawmakers announced Thursday that they have called on the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to halt plans by Trinity Business Group to put a massive landfill operation in Maury County.

State Representative Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka) and State Senator Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) said the company submitted permit applications to environmental regulators in June for 2262 Monsanto Road, Columbia, Tenn., which is the site of the former Monsanto Chemical Corporation.

In a letter to TDEC on Sept. 15, Cepicky and Hensley raised concerns about how the project would impact the environment in Southern Middle Tennessee and the Duck River Watershed, as well as the lack of input from the public.

“Our well-thought-out and considered actions before a decision on the land use could potentially help us avoid a Camp LeJeune or a Flint, Michigan scenario,” Cepicky said.

The lawmakers requested a meeting with TDEC officials to ask that they host a public town hall meeting in Maury County before the agency allows the project to move forward.

The lawmakers issued the following joint statement: