Follow-up and media coverage of the Peabody meeting and rally
It seems the outcome of yesterday's meeting between the governor and state legislators with Peabody executives is that state republican and democratic leaders will join together to push for incentives for Peabody Energy on the promise that they will locate their coal gasification plant in Kentucky. CNHI news service reports:
Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, and House Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, emerged from a two-hour meeting at the Convention Center in Louisville on Wednesday to announce that Peabody CEO Greg Boyce assured lawmakers that if they pass the incentive measures he will recommend that Peabody “focus our project review exclusively in Kentucky.”
To get these incentives passed legislators will come together on Monday to adjourn this current special session and then ask that Governor Fletcher convene another special session in August to deal only with the incentives issue.
It seems our side of the issue wasn't discussed in the meeting yesterday, but we did get decent coverage from a few different media outlets. Television station Wave3 spoke with Harlan county chapter member Carl Shoupe. WHAS11 also had some video coverage from the rally. The Courier-Journal has a photo gallery from the demonstration accompanying an article about the meeting but did not give any real coverage of our members and their problems with this proposed deal with Peabody.