Tennessee

May 15, 2009 -- The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Tennessee and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding on April 10, 2009.

Federal funding is available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding in Benton, McMinn, Rutherford, and Sequatchie Counties.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Terry L. Quarles has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.    » read more »

05/15/2009 -- NASHVILLE – Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen today announced the federal government has approved his request for disaster assistance for Rutherford, McMinn, Sequatchie and Benton Counties following the severe weather, high winds and tornadoes that struck on April 10, 2009. Bredesen requested the federal disaster aid following damage assessments by federal, state and local emergency management officials.

Local governments and public utilities in the four approved counties are now eligible for Public Assistance Program funds from the federal government. The public assistance designation also covers emergency response and recovery costs incurred by state government.    » read more »

05/13/2009 -- Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen today proposed the Volunteer State Solar Initiative, a comprehensive solar-energy and economic-development program that will use up to $62.5 million in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to advance job creation, education, research, and renewable-power production in Tennessee.    » read more »

Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining Violations Point to Widespread Unlawful Stream Destruction; TECO Coal and Appolo Fuels to Pay for Illegal Mining

May 6, 2009 -- Eastern Tennessee & Eastern Kentucky - Sierra Club, Kentuckians For The Commonwealth (KFTC), Save Our Cumberland Mountains (SOCM) and Tennessee Clean Water Network (TCWN) today announced two settlements over separate legal claims against coal companies that operated mountaintop removal coal mines without permits.

Appolo Fuels, Inc. will pay for having destroyed streams at its Jellico mine site in Claiborne County, Tennessee. TECO Coal and subsidiary Clintwood Elkhorn will pay for its illegal coal mining practices in Pike County, Kentucky.    » read more »

04/22/2009 -- Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen today joined representatives of Nissan, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Tennessee Valley Authority and others in celebrating Earth Day 2009 and highlighting the combined potential of solar and electric vehicle technologies in Tennessee.

Bredesen, who previously proposed that state government help develop a network of public charging stations for electric vehicles in partnership with local governments and private partners, test drove an all-electric vehicle that Nissan shipped from Japan. Nissan is expected to introduce electric vehicles for U.S. commercial and government fleets in late 2010 and for mass market globally by 2012.    » read more »

04/21/2009 -- Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen today requested a Small Business Administration Disaster Declaration for Benton, Dickson, McMinn, Moore, Rutherford and Sequatchie Counties following tornadoes that struck Tennessee on April 10. A SBA Disaster Declaration makes homeowners and businesses affected by the disaster eligible for low-interest loans.

“Help from this federal program is another tool that can be used to assist Tennesseans as they recover and rebuild from this deadly storm,” said Bredesen. “The state is working aggressively with local authorities to ensure that all applicable aid programs are engaged in the recovery process.”    » read more »

WASHINGTON, DC, Wednesday, April 8, 2009 -- U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood today announced that airports around the country will receive $258 million under the recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

“Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act we are creating jobs across the country while investing in the long-term safety and economic vitality of our airports,” said Secretary LaHood.    » read more »

03/23/2009 -- NASHVILLE – Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen today unveiled his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2009-2010 in an address to a joint session of the General Assembly. The multi-year proposal outlines the use of approximately $5 billion in federal funds provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act within an overall framework of declining state revenues.

“This budget is presented in an economic environment more difficult than any we have been through since the Great Depression. We are on the one hand faced with an unprecedented downturn in state revenues; on the other, we temporarily have unprecedented amounts of federal cash coming from the President’s economic Recovery Act,” Bredesen said.    » read more »

March 11th, 2009 -- The news on the economic front is still grim, but already the recovery package is saving and creating those jobs in towns across the country, stemming losses and spurring growth in ways that affect real families and communities. Here are just a few stories plucked from the local news over the past few days.

California [U.S. News and World Report, 3/9/09]:    » read more »

Ten Local Bridges To Be Replaced With Recovery And Reinvestment Funds

03/02/2009 -- NASHVILLE – Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen announced today that 10 local bridges will be the first projects in Tennessee to be funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The 10 bridge replacement projects are scheduled for a construction letting on March 20, which means work could be underway on the projects by the end of March.    » read more »

German-Based Polysilicon Manufacturer Becomes Tennessee’s Third $1 Billion Project In Eight Months

02/26/2009 -- CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen today joined Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matt Kisber, Dr. Rudolph Staudigl, president and CEO of Wacker Chemie AG of Munich, Germany and Dr. Ingomar Kovar, president of Wacker Chemical Corporation, Adrian, Mich., in announcing the company’s plans to build a $1 billion facility for the manufacture of hyperpure polycrystalline silicon in Bradley County, Tenn. Polycrystalline silicon is a primary component used in the manufacture of solar panels and semiconductors and the project is expected to create more than 500 new jobs for the region.    » read more »

02/23/2009 -- NASHVILLE – Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated Giles and Macon counties as natural disaster areas for agriculture due to drought conditions in 2008.

“Many farmers were hit hard by extreme weather conditions this past season and are having an especially difficult time in this economy,” said Bredesen. “I appreciate Secretary Vilsack’s approval of my request and hope this will help producers in these areas recover some of their losses and to better manage through the next few months.”    » read more »

02/17/2009 -- NASHVILLE – Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen today announced the federal government has approved his request for disaster assistance for seven counties in West Tennessee for damage from a winter storm that struck on Wednesday, Jan. 28. Bredesen requested the federal disaster aid for Dyer, Henry, Lake, Obion, Montgomery, Stewart and Weakley counties on Feb. 6.

Local governments and public utilities in the seven approved counties are now eligible for Public Assistance Program funds from the federal government. The public assistance designation also covers emergency response and recovery costs incurred by state government.    » read more »

02/11/2009 -- NASHVILLE – Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen this week submitted legislation that provides fiscal management tools that will give the state more flexibility to manage through the recession created by an extraordinary national economic crisis.

“This legislation has been very carefully crafted to give the state specific tools to manage through this recession in a way that helps minimize the number of potential employee layoffs and frees up state dollars to help us deal with the state budget,” Bredesen said. “I urge the members of the House and Senate to move quickly to approve these measures.”    » read more »

02/09/2009 -- Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen today delivered his seventh State of the State Address to the members of the 106th General Assembly, outlining a path forward that will ensure Tennessee’s financial position remains sound while focusing on the basics: improving education, job creation and health care.

The Governor acknowledged the overwhelming issue right now is the state of the national economy – the worst since World War II – and its impact on the people and the government of Tennessee.    » read more »