COAL-MAC, INC.
PO Box 1050
Holden, WV 25625
304-792-8433
July 6, 2009
VIA Email
Brenda McCroskey, Chief Executive Officer (bmccroskey@scoc.org)
Pigeon Forge Chamber of Commerce (pifchamber@kmsfia.com)
Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce, Vicki Simms, Executive Director (vickis@gatlinburg.com)
Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Deborah K. Woolley, President (deb.woolley@tnchamber.org)
RE: Tennessee Tourism from Kentukcy, West Virgina, and Virginia
On June 25, 2009, several of our employees attended a Senate subcommittee hearing on “The Impacts of Mountaintop Coal Mining on Water Quality in Appalachia”, a bill introduced by Senator Cardin and Senator Alexander from Tennessee. Paul Sloan, Deputy Commissioner from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation was one of the panel witnesses promoting the end of our industry.
I want you to know that approximately 80% of our 300 employees usually travel monthly to your state for entertainment, shopping, and recreation. We have informed our employees of your representative’s position on this issue and asked them to travel within our states for their entertainment, shopping and recreation. Our two sister companies in Virginia and Kentucky have canceled their annual company picnics at Dollywood this year (780 employees and approximately 2,340 family members). We have also emailed other industry groups in our three states notifying them about the position your representatives have taken against our industry.
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.
Richard K. Phillips
Human Resources Manager
RKP/gbr