Decision Time to End Mountaintop Removal in Tennessee
Posted February 22, 2012 in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Tennessee is poised to become the first state to ban mountaintop removal coal mining within its borders. A bill in the state legislature, the Scenic Vistas Protection Act, would end strip mining above 2000 ft in elevation, effectively ending the practice. This bill is likely to move forward within weeks. Now it’s up to state legislators and Gov. Bill Haslam to decide whether they will do the right thing for the future of the state.
Tennessee Conservation Voters just launched this TV ad explaining what’s at stake.
Tennessee can be a leader in the region, banning mountaintop removal and safeguarding beautiful vistas, clean water, healthy communities, and quality of life for its citizens. Or it can follow in the footsteps of states like West Virginia and Kentucky. There, lax regulation and political steamrolling by the coal industry has yielded hundreds of obliterated mountaintops, polluted waterways, and sickened communities.
If you’re a Tennessean, make sure your voice is heard. Tell Gov. Haslam to support Scenic Vistas. Then tell your state legislators to do the same.
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Comments
Catherine Linton Cutler — Feb 23 2012 09:58 AM
This would be a prayer answered...
John Norris — Feb 23 2012 12:33 PM
Love it! Now we need bills in the rest of the states where this is happening.
Willie Wonka — Feb 23 2012 10:45 PM
Yes, it's time to pass this, but it has to get out of the environmental committee first, and there are people there who have stated that it will never get out of committee.
Willie Wonka — Feb 24 2012 12:33 PM
Watch the video at:
http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=SB0577 and you will see the future of this bill.
Unless this committee can use the next two weeks to craft a compromise which allows re-mining but not virgin mining then this will not get out of committee. We should all write/call the committee members and strongly urge them to make this compromise happen.
Jerry Clark — Feb 24 2012 08:11 PM
I feel that our beautiful scenic state should not undergo MTR like other neighber states.
Erik Powell — Feb 27 2012 08:51 AM
It's about time for this Bill ...
Tom Baldrica — Feb 27 2012 12:12 PM
Please pass this bill, Bill!