Please contact members of the Senate Environment Committee in support of the Scenic Vistas Protection bill.
Not sure who to contact?
Steve Southerland Morristown LP 10 741-3851 sen.steve.southerland@capitol.tn.gov
Jack Johnson Franklin LP 11 741-2495 sen.jack.johnson@capitol.tn.gov
Jim Summerville Dickson 302 WMB 741-4499 sen.jim.summerville@capitol.tn.gov
Mike Bell Riceville LP 6A 741-1946 sen.mike.bell@capitol.tn.gov
Mike Faulk Kingsport LP 10 A 741-2061 sen.mike.faulk@capitol.tn.gov
Roy Herron Dresden 309 WMB 741-4576 sen.roy.herron@capitol.tn.gov
Beverly Marrero Memphis 312 WMB 741-9128 sen.beverly.marrero@capitol.tn.gov
Kerry Roberts Gallatin LP 11A 741-1999 sen.kerry.roberts@capitol.tn.gov
Eric Stewart Winchester 310A WMB 741-6694 sen.eric.stewart@capitol.tn.gov
Not sure what to say? Try some of this:
MTR Mining destroys mountains--and jobs.
- Since 1985, coal mining jobs are down 79% in Tennessee. During that same time period, the percentage of coal coming from strip mining operations in Tennessee has increased by 42%.
- Over the past 30 years, coal production in West Virginia has increased by over 140% while more than 40,000 mining jobs have been eliminated. MTR destroys jobs as well as mountains.
Economically, it's a loser.
- Tennessee produces less than 1 percent of America’s coal. TN coal is more expensive than any other coal in the US due to its high sulphur content. TVA currently puchases less than .7 % of it’s coal from Tennessee.
- A 2009 study also showed that when all revenues and expenditures are considered, the coal industry and its direct and indirect employees present a net cost of approximately $3.0 million to the State of Tennessee.
- The Smokies attract millions of tourists each year and support thousands of east TN jobs. People visit our state to enjoy the natural beauty and it doesn’t make sense to destroy the assets and jobs that drive our second largest industry.
- Tennessee’s tourism industry generates nearly $14 billion annually for our state and supports over 175,000 TN jobs.
- There are more than 175,000 Tennesseans employed by the tourism industry compared to the 550 mining jobs that currently exist in Tennessee.
- Destroying mountains and polluting our watersheds will have irreversible effects on the economies of our mountain communities.
MTR is a health hazard to nearby communities.
- When a mountain is detonated, toxins including selenium, mercury, arsenic, lead, copper and chromium enter the air and surrounding watersheds..
- Tennesseans rank 42nd in the nation for overall health. Campbell County, the largest coal-producing county in TN, ranks 92 out of 95 counties for overall health.
- Studies show increased mortality rates, lung cancer, chronic heart, kidney and lung disease in communities surrounding MTR operations.
- In 2011, a study found that counties in and near mountaintop mining areas had higher rates of birth defects for five out of six types of birth defects, including circulatory/respiratory, musculoskeletal, central nervous system, gastrointestinal, and urogenital defects.
This is not a partisan issue. THERE'S JUST NO GOOD REASON FOR MOUNTAIN TOP REMOVING MINING.
