In Tennessee, the Appalachian Mountains are the foundation of our cultural identity, a unique environmental treasure, and our greatest economic asset.
The mountain-driven tourism industry employs more than 175,000 people and brings more than $13 billion into the state coffers every year. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the #1 most visited national park in the country, drawing more than 9 million visitors annually, twice as many as the Grand Canyon.
In contrast, jobs in the coal industry have plummeted to less than 400, with recent studies indicating that the coal industry’s negligible impact on the state budget is probably a negative one, costing Tennessee taxpayers millions every year.
Appalachian Voices is committed to protecting these mountains, and to a cleaner and more prosperous future for the state of Tennessee. With support from members and volunteers across the state, we work with communities where our energy future is being decided.
We opened our Tennessee office in 2011 and are working to stop mountaintop removal coal-mining, move the Tennessee Valley Authority away from the use of Central Appalachian surface mined coal, and promote energy efficiency, renewable energy, and economic diversification in rural areas. We envision a future for Tennessee that protects and promotes our greatest cultural and economic resource — our beautiful mountains.
Across Central Appalachia, the coal industry has lost the ability to provide any job growth or sustainable economic benefit to the communities who live where they mine coal. Tennessee doesn’t need surface mining, or mountaintop removal coal, in order to provide good jobs, economic development, or affordable electricity.
Tennessee