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Tennessee
Tennessee Conservation Voters Urge Lawmakers to Strengthen Environmental Protections for Better Economy
In a state as reliant on its beauty, biological diversity and tourism as Tennessee, it’s time for elected leaders to “both understand and honor” the importance of natural treasures for its economy, way of life and public health, says Tennessee Conservation Voters (TCV) Executive Director Chris Ford. At the onset of the new decade, Ford writes in a Tennessean guest opinion, the Tennessee General Assembly must begin to protect natural resources “in a sustainable manner that doesn’t divorce strong economic development from strong environmental protection.”
Accordingly, he calls on lawmakers to focus on five priority tasks: 1) to restore dedicated real estate transfer tax allocations for the Wetlands Fund, State Land Acquisition Fund, Local Parks and Recreation Fund, and Agriculture Resources Trust Fund; 2) to preserve water quality and oppose efforts to weaken stream and river protection; 3) to ban mountain top removal by restricting issuance of permits for coal-mining operations that could alter ridgelines and pollute streams; 4) to improve air quality through measures to regulate open burning and aerial spraying, while promoting renewable energy bills; and 5) to safeguard environmental outlays in a difficult economy and fight to keep enforcement, park and other conservation positions.
“As always, we will continue furthering proposals positive to our cause and working to defeat ones harmful to our goals, not only in the five priority areas above,” the TCV executive director pledges. “We ask Tennesseans to work to protect our way of life for the future, one that includes positive economic growth, strong environmental protection and a sustainable life for future generations.”
Learn more about TCV at www.tnconservationvoters.org. 1/24/2010
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