Bredesen receives bill repealing asphalt law

NASHVILLE (AP) — The House approved legislation that repeals a state law that since 1976 has blocked local governments from making their own asphalt.

The House approved the measure by an 89-3 vote to send it to Gov. Phil Bredesen. The Senate approved it earlier 30-1.

The legislation provides that a county wishing to operate an asphalt plant or stone quarry must first conduct a “financial feasibility study,” including a detailed analysis of capital and operational costs, then submit it to a three-member “oversight committee.”

The committee will be composed of one representative of the highway officials association, one representative of the roadbuilders association and one person designated by state Comptroller John Morgan.

If the committee agrees that the operation is financially viable, the county commission would then have to approve by a two-thirds majority vote. After that’s done, the plant could be built. When in operation, it would be subject to an annual audit by the comptroller’s office.

The votes came after the Tennessee County Highway Officials Association, which was pushing the bill, reached an agreement on terms of the legislation with the Tennessee Road Builders Association, which had previously opposed the measure.

The resulting bill generally follows recommendations in a study of the state’s asphalt industry by the Tennessee comptroller’s office.