News
Ask Your Legislators to Support Tennessee’s Scenic Vistas
Tuesday, January 28th, 2014
Once again, Tennesseans have an opportunity to protect our beloved mountains in the form of a bill that would help ensure the beauty and economic vitality of the Cumberland Plateau.
The Tennessee Scenic Vistas Protection Act, sponsored by Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) in the state House and Sen. Lowe Finney (D-Jackson) in the state Senate, would prohibit high-elevation surface mining techniques such as mountaintop removal in the great Volunteer State.
Rep. Johnson and Sen. Finney have once again proven their dedication to protecting Tennessee mountains and shown clear vision in seeing the worth of our mountains as economic drivers. The coal mined in Tennessee represents around 0.1 percent of coal production in the United States. And while coal production in Tennessee has plummeted in recent decades, coal companies in Tennessee have increasingly resorted to cheaper and more destructive mining methods.
The mountains are one of the prime drivers of tourism in Tennessee, generating an economic impact of more than $15 billion and sustaining nearly 177,800 jobs. Coal’s economic value to the state is pale in comparison — according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in 2012 Tennessee had fewer than 200 surface coal mining jobs.
