This is is a Moms Clean Air Force exclusive interview with Mayor Dwain Land from Dunlap, Tennessee:
What is unique about protecting your city’s resources?
Dunlap is a beautiful place. It’s nestled in between the Cumberland Plateau and Walden’s Ridge. We’re fortunate in that we’ve never had to deal with issues of smog. Hopefully, we’ll never have to deal with poor air quality. We certainly want to keep it that way. Over the years, we’ve cleaned up our water and restored the integrity of our natural streams. Dunlap residents enjoy using our land and water for kayaking, canoeing, hiking, hunting, and fishing.
Are you worried about the effects of air pollution on the children of Dunlap?
Our mountain ridges protect us from air pollution from neighboring cities. We’ve also never had major industry in Dunlap contributing to air pollution. We’re fortunate that our children have some of the cleanest air in the state to breathe. Naturally, I’d like for it to be cleaner, but we’re blessed that it is as clean as it is in Dunlap. However, the children throughout Tennessee are not as fortunate, and I would like to see that changed.
Why is a bipartisan effort so important when working on issues of air quality?
Air quality is not just an issue for either side, it’s a bipartisan issue. Air pollution impacts our health, so it’s everyone’s issue. If any issue should be a bipartisan issue it should be our children’s health. (Tweet this)
Mayor Dwain Land became Mayor of Dunlap in 2009. He has led his city to unprecedented growth by using his 35 years experience in real estate, restaurant ownership and investigative work to shepherd his community. He currently serves as the President of the Tennessee Renewable Energy and Economic Development a worldwide organization of 96 mayors working together to link economic development with renewable energy. Mayor Land is a frequent present at renewable energy conferences in the United States, Philippines, Japan and South Korea.