State AG Database – Tennessee

The following is a list of major actions undertaken by the Tennessee Attorney General to ensure that environmental laws are fully implemented and enforced:

• Lawsuits v. Federal Government

• Lawsuits v. Private Actors

Lawsuits v. Federal Government

Tenn. Dep’t of Env’t & Conservation v. Tenn. Valley Auth. (Davidson Cnty. Chancery Ct. 2015): Filed suit against TVA alleging that a power plant is contaminating water sources.

Lawsuits v. Private Actors

Settlement with Volkswagen for Emissions Defeat Devices (2016): Settlement of consumer protection claims raised by a multi-state coalition of state attorneys general against Volkswagen for selling vehicles equipped with “defeat device” software intended to circumvent emissions standards and concealing this software from regulators and the public.

Settlement, Connecticut v. Hyundai Motor Co. (Conn. Super. Ct. 2016): Multi-state settlement of consumer-protection claims against car manufacturers that overstated their vehicles’ fuel efficiency.

Tennessee v. Chevron (Davidson Cty. Cir. Ct., 2015): Filed suit against Chevron alleging that the company illegally used taxpayer funds to pay spill clean-up costs.