KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency official is warning lawmakers about the destructiveness of mountaintop removal by coal companies.

David McKinney, chief of TWRA's Environmental Service Division, says the agency's preference for coal removal is through deep mining, not mountaintop removal.

McKinney wrote to lawmakers and Tennessee Department of Environment Director Paul Davis earlier this month, saying the wildlife agency is concerned with mountaintop removal's impact on the state's aquatic system and freshwater mussels.

State legislative committees are scheduled this week to hear a bill that would prohibit mountaintop removal coal mining.

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Information from: The Knoxville News Sentinel, www.knoxnews.com

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