Once again there is a bill to protect Tennessee’s beautiful and vital mountains, 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.

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, the coal that is mined increasingly comes from destructive surface 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.

Tell your legislators that you are a Tennessean who cares about protecting our mountains — ask them to support the Scenic Vistas Protection Act (House Bill 1844/ Senate Bill 1925)!