Sierra Club opposes decision forcing Tennesseans to take on the costly burden of state coal mining regulation

KNOXVILLE, TENN. — Gov. Bill Haslam has signed a bill that will force Tennessee taxpayers to shoulder the costly burden of permitting and regulating coal mining in the state.

These permitting activities had been handled by the federal Office of Surface Mining  Reclamation Enforcement since 1984, which was good for Tennesseans because that agency, unlike the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, is subject to the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.

The Tennessee OSMRE program has operated for 34 years with federal funds and fees from coal mine operators. Yet, even though there are only three surface coal mines actively producing coal in the state, and even though the OSMRE already has an established and effective program, state leaders have chosen to waste taxpayers’ money creating an unnecessary regulatory bureaucracy.

In response, Axel Ringe, conservation chair for the Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club, released the following statement:

“This is a terrible decision for Tennessee taxpayers and for our environment.

“TDEC very clearly lacks the capacity and infrastructure to implement a coal mining program in Tennessee. In fact, in its existing program to regulate surface water discharges from coal mines, TDEC hasn’t taken enforcement action against a single coal mine in more than 2.5 years.

“We hope that before implementing this program, TDEC will make sure it has the necessary federal funding in hand to put the critical infrastructure in place—including expert hydrologists, geologists and field inspectors—to reduce the harm this decision may have on Tennessee communities, and on our absolute right to clean air and water.”