East Tennessee Residents Oppose Landfill, Permit Applications - Articles

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East Tennessee Residents Oppose Landfill, Permit Applications

Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Sep 9, 2025

Residents of Scott County, Tennessee, and McCreary County, Kentucky, are mounting a grassroots fight against a proposed 700-acre landfill and rail transfer station, citing environmental risks, government inaction and lack of transparency. Two citizen groups — Cumberland Clear and the Transparent Bridge Initiative — have organized petitions, livestreamed government meetings, retained legal counsel and lobbied state officials, but have mostly been advised to talk to local government officials. State Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston, in August sent a letter to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) voicing his "strong opposition to this pending permit and expanding the landfill operation on that adjacent property." Recently, TDEC acknowledged that Scott County may have been opted into the Jackson Law, a Tennessee legal provision that allows counties to restrict landfill development. WUOT has the story.