Tennessee: We’ll Take Tourism Over Blowing Up Our Mountains

tennessee-mountains

Tennessee has effectively told coal miners boycotting the state because of its anti-mountaintop removal stance not to let the door hit their asses on the way out. The coal industry had its panties in a wad because Tennessee lawmakers supported legislation that would protect the state’s beautiful mountains from being destroyed, and asked its employees not to vacation there in protest.

Ultimately, limited tourism dollars from mining industry employees don’t stack up against the revenue generated by visitors who come to see the state’s mountains. In fact, the mining industry isn’t worth going to any trouble over at all.

NRDC rounded up some facts:

  • There are fewer than 6,000 miners in Tennessee whereas the tourism industry employs more than 177,000
  • Tennessee’s tourism contributes roughly $14 billion to the state’s economy every year
  • Kentucky spends an estimated $115 million more public money to support and subsidize the coal industry than it receives in state revenues from the industry
  • The coal industry actually ends up costing the Appalachian region roughly $42 billion (in terms of the value of premature deaths attributable to the mining industry across the coalfields)

    • The NRDC currently has a campaign urging senators all over America to pass the Appalachian Restoration Act, and end mountaintop removal mining – ask your state’s senators to vote yes on this important act. And better yet, show Tennessee how much you appreciate their bravery and stewardship with your own tourism dollars – the Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the nation’s most beautiful.

    Link NRDC
    Photo credit: Flickr user busymommy

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    4. The Dirty Glory Days are Over: Signs of Peak ‘Cheap’ Coal
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    Posted in: Consciousness, Green Living, Health, Science, Spirituality

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    This entry was posted on Thursday, July 30th, 2009 at 10:30 am and is filed under Consciousness, Green Living, Health, Science, Spirituality. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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