News
Support the Tennessee Scenic Vistas Protection Act
Tuesday, January 17th, 2012
The following email was sent to the supporters of iLoveMountains.org who live in Tennessee. To sign up to receive free email alerts, click here.
In 2012, with your help, Tennessee can become the first state to ban mountaintop removal coal mining!
Our elected officials in Nashville will consider a bipartisan bill called the “Tennessee Scenic Vistas Protection Act.” This piece of legislation would ban surface mining over 2,000 feet of elevation in Tennessee, protecting both Tennessee’s beautiful mountains from the damages of mountaintop removal and the health of Tennessee citizens.
Will you take a moment to pick up the phone and call your state legislators? Ask them to end mountaintop removal in Tennessee and cosponsor the Tennessee Scenic Vistas Protection Act. Together we can make Tennessee the first state to ban the horrific and dangerous practice of mountaintop removal.
Not only are Tennessee’s mountains beautiful, but they are also our most important economic asset, driving a tourism industry that employs more than 175,000 people and brings more than $13 billion into our state every year. Moreover, the health of Tennessee citizens depends on clean air and clean water in our rural communities. We simply can not afford to continue these destructive surface mining techniques that take away our jobs, destroy our most valuable economic and cultural asset, and compromise our health.
The Scenic Vistas bill won’t end all of these abuses, but it will be a dramatic step forward for Tennesseans working to reclaim our state and protect our mountains.
I’m so happy to have the opportunity to work with you, and please don’t ever hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments.
peace,
JW Randolph
Appalachian Voices Tennessee Director
iLoveMountains.org
p.s. – Please share this action with your friends on Facebook or on Twitter: We need your help to rally support for the TN Scenic Vistas Protection Act http://bit.ly/wP7Rrp
February 28th, 2012 at 11:06 am
JW,
I like to read a bill before I contact legislators about it. But when I search the Tennessee General-Assembly web page’s Advanced Bill Search for “Tennessee Scenic Vistas Protection Act”, I get 0 results. Using a keyword search for “protection” also gives 0 results. Bottom line: I can’t find it. The website is http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/billsearch/BillSearchAdvanced.aspx
Your website ilovemountains.org does not refer to the bill by its assigned number(s). So I am at a loss. Please add the bill’s number to your web page.
February 28th, 2012 at 4:54 pm
Great, thanks Marshall, I had meant to include that in the post. The bill is here: http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=SB0577&ga=107