Mar 30 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn.



A House subcommittee today voted unanimously to strengthen legislation banning mountain-top mining of coal in Tennessee.

But immediately afterwards, the panel angered proponents of the measure by adjourning the panel for the year without taking a final vote.

"Tennesseans should be outraged that tactics like this are used to kill legislation after members of the committee voted for the amendment that makes the bill," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Mike McDonald, D-Portland.

Earlier, the House Environment Subcommittee voted 6-4 to adjourn the panel, subject to the call of the chairman. Rep. Joe McCord, R-Maryville, the chairman of the full House Conservation and Environment Committee, said the bill needed to be delayed to see if the Senate Environment Committee was going to act.

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