NASHVILLE – State lawmakers on Thursday sent a bill to Gov. Bill Haslam’s desk that aims to put Tennessee in charge of strip mine enforcement for the first time since 1984, when the federal government took away the state’s enforcement regulation.
Senators accepted changes made in a House-passed bill, approving the final version on a 27-4 vote.
The state’s coal mining industry pushed the legislation for four years before hitting pay dirt.
Proponents hope the legislation will rejuvenate surface mining in Tennessee, creating opportunity and jobs in economically distressed regions of the state such as portions of the Cumberland Plateau.
The bill was sponsored by Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston, and Rep. Dennis Powers, R-LaFollette, who represent areas where coal severance taxes are important sources of revenue for hard-strapped local governments.