The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has officially wrapped up Tennessee's inaugural project under the Brownfield Redevelopment Area Grant (BRAG) program, breathing new life into a formerly contaminated site. Governor Bill Lee's Rural Brownfield Redevelopment Investment Act was the catalyst for this transformation, a piece of legislation committed to the revitalization of neglected properties, as initially announced by TDEC on their website.
A ceremony marked the occasion, where TDEC Commissioner David Salyers joined forces with local dignitaries and community members to celebrate the milestone. The Morristown Industrial Development Board was the recipient of a $500,000 BRAG grant from TDEC last year, aimed at cleansing the old Plumley Rubber Company site of legacy pollutants. According to the statement released by TDEC, the grant helped prepare the property for its next chapter as a logistics hub, after lying dormant for nearly a decade.
Now reimagined as a space for warehouse and third-party logistics employed by R&S Logistics, the site's lease payments will be funneling financial support to the Third Judicial District Recovery Court of Hamblen County. Pivotally, TDEC's Division of Remediation worked in close coordination with the Knoxville-based engineering firm Cannon & Cannon, Inc., and contractor MTN-INC, to address toxic vapors that once permeated the environment.
With the BRAG funding stemming from Gov. Bill Lee's initiative, TDEC emphasizes the economic and environmental significance of such redevelopments—especially in the rural settings. "What happens in rural Tennessee matters to all Tennesseans, and I'm proud to announce the completion of our first brownfield redevelopment project," Gov. Lee said in a statement, as noted by TDEC. The project, he contends, represents a serious commitment to environmental stewardship, promising a lasting impact on Hamblen County.
Local leaders have expressed their satisfaction with the BRAG program's outcomes, celebrating the remediation as a vital environmental step that effectively converts a former hazard into a community resource. "We are excited to see this result from such a valuable program," Rep. Rick Eldridge, R-Morristown, told TDEC. The sentiment is echoed by fellow representatives and officials, all foreseeing the community's lasting benefits from this initiative. Brownfield sites, typically unoccupied or underused due to contamination concerns, can pose threats to public health and safety, as well as the environment.
