Tenn. Senate nixes push to revive coal mining bill

ERIK SCHELZIG

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

The state Senate on Wednesday defeated a parliamentary effort to resurrect a bill to curb mountaintop removal coal mining in Tennessee.

The chamber voted 14-12 to reject the motion brought by Sen. Andy Berke. The Chattanooga Democrat said the vote would show the level of influence of the coal lobby on lawmakers.

"Are you on the side of the coal lobby, or are you on the side of the Tennesseans who want this bill?" Berke said.

Berke was among 12 Democrats who voted to bring the bill up for a floor vote. The measure is sponsored by Sen. Doug Jackson, D-Dickson.

"This is a really serious issue," Jackson said. "Let's determine whether or not the coal companies are doing the right thing for the people of Tennessee, because my fear is they're not."

Berke made the motion on the mountaintop removal bill in response to a Republican-led effort to similarly resurrect a bill to allow Tennesseans to opt out of the new federal health care law.

In mountaintop removal mining, forests are clear-cut. Explosives blast apart the rock, and machines scoop out the exposed coal. The earth left behind is dumped into valleys, covering intermittent streams.

Coal operators say it's the most efficient way to reach some reserves. They also argue they reclaim the land so it can be redeveloped. Critics say the land is ruined forever, and that people, property and the environment suffer unnecessarily.

Democratic Sen. Douglas Henry of Nashville was one of two Democrats to vote against the measure along with 12 Republicans. Henry said he opposes circumventing the Senate's committee system.

"If I were ever going to recall a bill, I would recall this one," Henry said. "But I don't vote to recall bills."

Six Republicans abstained from the vote.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris of Collierville said the bill wasn't pursued in the Senate because it had not advanced in the House.