Ad from Conservative Group Warns of Chinese Designs on Tennessee Coal

A new TV ad from a conservative group warns mountaintop removal mining will ruin Tennessee…by sending coal to China.

The ad from the Tennessee Conservative Union starts with sweeping aerial shots of mountains, and a standard environmental message that chastises lawmakers for not taking action on mountaintop removal. But then the tone takes a quick turn.

The ad refers to Triple H Mining. The Upper East Tennessee company was bought by a Chinese firm last year for more than $600 million. It’s the first time a Chinese company has purchased an American coal mine. So far, the spot has drawn little attention outside Tennessee, though similar ads bashing China’s economic interests in the US have faced criticism from Asian-American groups.

The environmental non-profit Appalachian Voices says they don’t agree with the entire message. In a statement, the group says they’re against mountaintop removal, whether the people doing it are “from Beijing or Bristol.”

Tomorrow, two committees in the General Assembly will consider a bill outlawing certain new mines 2,000 feet above the ridgeline. The proposal wouldn’t shut down any of the dozen or so coal mines operating above that height. Similar bills have died in previous legislative sessions.