The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved Tennessee's request to update some of its authorized programs to allow for electronic reporting. This change is part of the Cross-Media Electronic Reporting Rule (CROMERR) which ensures electronic documents are as reliable as paper ones. The Tennessee Department of Environmental Conservation (TDEC) will begin using electronic systems for reporting under specific parts of the EPA regulations, like the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). These updates were confirmed after TDEC showed they had the legal ability to implement these electronic systems.
Simple Explanation
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it's okay for Tennessee to start using computers to report some environmental information, instead of just paper. This helps Tennessee keep track of water pollution and other things more easily.