The company sent a letter to four Tennessee Chamber of Commerce offices, saying, “if you want our industry’s business, we suggest you let your representatives know that the industry they are trying to destroy is a major source of your tourism money.” Letter (pdf)
Coal-Mac Human Resources Manager Richie Phillips sent the letter.
"We’re not bullies," he said. "The only thing that we want to do is work and make a living and support our families."
The letter also said that Lone Mountain Processing and Cumberland River Resources, two other out-of-state subsidiary companies, have cancelled their annual company picnics to Dollywood this year.
Coal-Mac says this boycott will cost the region more than 2,340 visitors.
Phillips says the Appalachian Restoration Act sponsored by Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) would ban mountaintop mining.
Phillips says this would leave 300 workers at Coal-Mac unemployed and create more ghost towns in West Virginia.
"If they were to shut down mountaintop mining they would be hitting the state of West Virginia in the wallet," Phillips said.
"We're trying to say to our employees and to other coal miners, that let's him them in the wallet wih their tourism. Tourism is how they make a living coal mining is how we make a living."
He says the boycott will end after Alexander visits a mountaintop removal site which Phillips believes the representative would change his mind about the legislation.
"We invite them to see reclaimed areas," he said.
"There is a federal prison that’s been built on a surface mine. There’s been schools there’s been hospitals there’s been shopping centers … we don’t have the luxuries of having level land in the state of West Virginia nor in east Kentucky or Virginia but we are creating level land."
Phillips says the boycott is affecting some miners’ travel plans.
"Some were going to Tennessee; some have cancelled their trip," he said.
"Some cannot cancel they can’t get out of it but they’re taking this letter and when they leave the hotel they’re saying here read this letter and we won’t be back until this changes."
Phillips says there are other companies in the industry following suit. Roger Horton, with the Citizens for Coal group says he’s also asking all members to boycott Tennessee travel.
Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Vicki Simms says she has no comment at this time. Alexander’s office did not return calls for comment Tuesday afternoon.
Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.) is also a co-sponsor of the bill. Coal-Mac is not boycotting Maryland.