The BP/ Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a tough thing to fathom.  Although estimates of the size of the spill vary greatly and oil continues to gush into the gulf at a rate of millions of gallons per day, most credible recent estimates put the leak between 67 million and 153 million gallons of oil, covering and area that dwarfs the size of some US states.

If the oil rig explosion started in Bowling Green, the size of the spill would spread across Lexington, Louisville, Berea, Somerset, Paducah, and well into Tennessee and Indiana. 

Many of us remember the devastating 1989 Exxon Valdez spill, which dumped 11 million gallons of oil into the Pacific Ocean.  The BP/ Deepwater Horizon spill has grown to 6 to 14 times that size since the leak began on April 20th.

It's so large, it can easily be seen from space, as evident by these June 19th images from NASA (click here for update NASA / Earth Observatory pictures and information)

It's the largest oil spill in the history of the United States and getting bigger every day.

As huge and profoundly damaging as the oil spill is to local fishing, the environment in the gulf, the lives of the 11 workers who died in the explosion, the economy, and damaging in so many ways we might not realize for years... there is one spill that is much larger and much less well-known,even in the state it happened in less than 10 years ago - Kentucky.

The Martin County Sludge Disaster happened in October of 2000 when a coal sludge impoundment owned by Massey Energy in Martin County, Kentucky gave way and exploded into nearby  waterways and communities, burying roads and houses and playgrounds.  

The Martin County spill was 306 million gallons of coal sludge, or almost exactly twice the current highest estimate of the BP/ Deepwater Horizon spill.

The much-deserved media attention, public scrutiny, and millions of dollars of fines to BP to mitigate the damages caused by their actions is a far cry from the quiet, behind-closed-doors investigation that lead to Massey energy's $5,600 fine and virtually no media attention in Martin County ten years ago. 

As different as the struggles in the Gulf and the struggles in Appalachia are, there are more similarities in terms of what we're up against.

The rest of the US bears some responsibility for what happened in Martin County, as our collective demand for "cheap" energy and the election of public officials who readily bow to the coal industry allowed Massey to cut corners, minimize safety, and get away with it all at the end of the day.  

And the rest of the US (including Kentucky) bears a measure of responsibility for what has happened in the Gulf for the same reasons. 

Some Eastern KY KFTC members say "Different holler, same story."

The Coal and Oil industries are profit maximizing machines.  They generally work for the highest profit margins, and along the way, they minimize everything else - worker pay, safety precautions, environmental protections, and they externalize costs any way they can to get communities and taxpayers to pay the costs of their business. 

And it's our job to stop them and hold them accountable - here at home where we live - and in solidarity with our neighbors in the Gulf when the problems are where they live.

KFTC has no official stance on the BP/ Deepwater Horizon oil spill, but as individuals we can all find a way to help make a difference - consume less, support government regulation of industries so these disasters happen less often, and help us put pressure on BP to spend every dime needed to clean up the spill and repair damages done to local industries and workers.

We're all in this together.

On the first Saturday in August every year, hundreds of politically-minded people (most associated with either the Republican or Democratic party), along with many candidates and public officials come to a tiny, tiny town in far, far western Kentucky for a rigorous day of stump speeches and barbecue that often set the tone for the three months leading to Election Day in November.

This year, the Fancy Farm Festivities fall on Saturday, August 7th.

In 2007, 2008, and 2009, KFTC sent between about 6 and 15 members to witness the spectacle of the event, but also to pass out stickers and balancing the scales newsletters and to engage the crowd and politicians alike on deeper issues and to build support for our campaigns.

Some of us are talking about what it would be like to try to make out mobilization this year much bigger, possibly with heavy support from the Bowling Green and Jefferson County chapters that are closest to Fancy Farm. 

If you're interested in participating, please contact Dave Newton at Dave@kftc.org for more information.  We'll likely carpool over on Friday, August 6th and return home late on Saturday, August 7th.  If we have a member with an RV that would like to come out with us, that would be especially great.

We've just launched new kftc.org chapter pages for both our new Scott County Chapter and our Northern KY Chapter. 

We'll continue to add to them over the course of the next few weeks with input from the members of both chapters and the pages will stay active with feeds from both our blog and calendar of events.

About thirty people gathered in Georgetown this weekend to speak out in favor of restoring voting rights to former felons who have served their debt to society.  

The demonstration of KFTC members and friends happened just outside of Canewood Golf Course in Georgetown during a fundraiser hosted by Senator Damon Thayer, the person most directly responsible for holding up legislation that would enfranchise former felons.

The Georgetown News-Graphic covered the event with a great story and all of the people in the neighborhood who stopped to talk to us were very supportive - including one woman who lived in the neighborhood who had a brother who is a former felon.

KFTC members in both the Scott County and Northern Kentucky chapters say they will continue to put pressure on Senator Thayer to allow HB 70 to come to a vote until he does the right thing. 

Scott County KFTC members will follow up this event with a monthly chapter meeting this Thursday (7pm at St. John Church) and are planning a big Gospel Fest event focused on Voting Rights on Saturday, July 31st at 5pm at the Ed Davis Learning Center

Northern KY KFTC members are planning a series of community tabling events in Southern Kenton County - also part of Thayer's district. 

Thanks to Bree Tracy for taking the fantastic photos of the event!

For the last five days, two dozen KFTC members, joined with dozens of Kentucky allies (from Jobs with Justice and other groups) and tens of thousands of allies from across the US and the rest of the world gathered in Detroit for the US Social Forum.

There were over 1,000 workshops focusing on a broad range of topics including environmental justice, anti-racism, immigration reform, lobbying, gay rights, anti-war, economic justice, non-violent civil disobedience, and much more.  There were also plenary sessions, actions, social events, and other activities.

KFTC members hosted two powerful workshops with about sixty people attending between them.  The workshops were “The Struggle For Justice in the Coalfields of Central Appalachia and Colombia” and “A Discussion About the Life and Example of Anne Braden.” 

       

Both were well-attended by an engaged group of people who asked good questions and seemed to get a lot out of the experience.

The Alliance For Appalachia (including KFTC members) set up a booth throughout the Social Forum to talk to people about mountaintop removal mining and other damages inflicted on communities by the coal industry.

KFTC members are just starting to really digest and analyze their experience this week and are getting a sense of what they’re bringing back to Kentucky with them.  Here are some parting thoughts from the last hours of the Social Forum:

“I’m bringing back a deeper knowledge and commitment to the interconnectedness of social change.  - Gina Chamberlain, Madison County Chapter

 “It’s overwhelming in a wonderful way to be here with so many kind-hearted people struggling for what’s best” - Becki Winchel, Jefferson County Chapter

“No matter how isolated we feel sometimes, we are part of this broader, bigger, energetic movement - and it’s good to be reminded of that.” - Vanessa Hall, Pike County Chapter

“This week has re-instilled my faith that America is a place for everyone… regardless of gender, physical ability, financial status, race, etc.  Some people forget that we are supposed to have inalienable rights, but here, it felt real.” - Howard Owens, Jefferson County Chapter

“I’m bringing back a sense of hope, grounded in the knowledge that this is a long-term struggle and we need patience.” - Steve Pavey, Scott County Chapter

 “I’m an old radical and I’ve never been around this many other radical people – including lots of young people in leadership roles.  It was an opportunity to kind’ve pass the torch to the next generation.” - Jack Norris, Jefferson County Chapter

Yesterday the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) launched an investigation into East Kentucky Power Cooperative's (EKPCs) request for a new coal-burning power plant in Clark County.  The PSC decided to open their investigation after responding to a complaint that KFTC and our allies filed last October. 

If built, the Smith plant would cost nearly $1 billion dollars -- which would be passed onto rate-payers who are also owners of the co-ops.  We are pleased that the PSC is taking a good, hard look at the need for the Smith plant.  Given the large expense and financial burden it would be for rate-payers, and the potential for more affordable, cleaner energy options, a closer examination of the Smith plant is a logical step for the PSC.

The PSC investigation centers around a “Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity” that EKPC must receive from the Kentucky PSC to build its proposed plant. EKPC applied for and received the certificate for the proposed plant more than three years ago.  However, costs, electricity demand, technology and EKPC’s financial stability have since changed significantly, undercutting EKPC’s arguments that it still needs the plant.

The PSC's investigation has the power to stop the proposed Smith plant and help move EKPC in the direction of more affordable and cleaner energy options.  As part of its investigation, the PSC will be holding a public hearing.  Stay tuned as we learn more and the campaign moves forward.  And thanks to all KFTC members who have taken action in this campaign.  With great steps forward like this one -- where the PSC listened and responded to us --  it is clear that all our efforts are paying off!

Read some of the great news article by clicking on the links below:

Lexington Herald-Leader story
Courier-Journal article

Associated Press article that was picked up in Business Week

The Public Service Commission's press release

KFTC members have finished their first day of the U.S. Social Forum, taking part in the opening ceremonies and the big march to Cobo Hall.  Our folks have registered and are getting some much-needed rest before jumping into a day packed with workshops tomorrow. 

Here are some pictures from Day 1

The Highlander Center is working with KFTC to produce a set of digital stories, about our campaign to restore voting rights to former felons who have served their debt to society. 

The stories will mostly be in the voice of former felons themselves, telling their stories of what it is like to be excluded from our democracy in Kentucky.  The final product should be unveiled in July.

If you know a former felon or a family member of a former felon who would be good to interview as part of this process, please contact Dave Newton at Dave@kftc.org. 

We'll also be shooting footage of field events for the next week or so.  Below are some pictures of Restoration of Voting Rights for Former Felons field work at Douglas Park in Lexington this past weekend.  We helped many dozens of former felons to start the process of requesting a partial pardon from the Governor and over 100 signed postcards to legislators calling on them to restore voting rights to all former felons.  The below pictures were taken by William Isom II.

Live Twitter coverage of the USSF

Social Forum participants from around the country will be reporting their experiences via Twitter. You can follow with them below:

Live Video

Free Speech TV is providing live coverage of much of the USSF. You can watch online here:

At 1am last night, the first KFTC members boarded buses that would take them across the country, picking up activists to bring them to the US Social Forum in Detroit.  Twelve hours later, we have arrived!

For the rest of the week, we'll meet with grassroots organizers and leaders from across the country and beyond to learn from one-another in a wide range of workshops, actions, and other events.

KFTC members will help to facilitate workshops such as "The Struggle for Justice in the Coal fields of Appalachia and Colombia," "A discussion of the life and example of Anne Braden, and "Appalachian Economy in Transition."

Later tonight is the opening ceremony and march.  Check back for pictures of that and other updates throughout the week.