Primacy Too Costly for Tennessee - Vote NO!
Once again there is a proposal to have the state of Tennessee to take over regulation of coal mining from the federal government. This would be a drain on state financial resources and an attempt at the weakening of environmental regulations.
Call or write the members of the committees listed below and tell them to vote NO on primacy!
Conservation (TDEC), an agency already stretched thin both monetarily and in personnel, especially in their oversight of NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permits.
This change of SMCRA primacy would allow the coal-mining industry to further endanger Tennessee's water quality.
Tennesseans should not allow taxpayer money to be spent for a program that already exists via the federal Office of Surface Mining. A comprehensive and effective state mining program would cost Tennessee taxpayers between $2 - 4 million annually during a five year development stage, require the hiring and training of hydrologists, geologists, field inspectors and others to a job that is already being done.
Primacy would be too costly for Tennessee in too many ways.
Please contact the senators and representatives on the committees listed below and tell them to vote NO on SB 0842 and NO on HB 0833.
House Ag Committee: (members underlined are on sub-committee)
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