TN HB2534

Contested cases involving mining citations, air pollution permits, solid waste management, hazardous waste, underground storage tanks, and water quality must be heard by an administrative judge sitting alone rather than before a full board

Administrative judges must hold scheduling conferences within 30 days of petition filing and complete hearings within 180 days of the scheduling conference, with initial orders due within 90 days of hearing completion

Parties have 15 days to appeal an administrative judge's initial order to the relevant board; if no appeal is filed, the administrative judge's order becomes final and is treated as a board decision for judicial review purposes

Board review of appealed orders is limited to the record but conducted de novo with no presumption of correctness, allowing the board to affirm, modify, remand, or vacate the administrative judge's order

The act takes effect immediately upon becoming law and applies to multiple environmental and regulatory statutes including air pollution control, solid waste disposal, hazardous waste management, underground storage tanks, and water quality control