The following story is cross-posted on the website of the Kentucky Sustainable Energy Alliance (www.kysea.org/blog). 

According to a recent article in the Danville Advocate Messenger, a home-grown business has just announced plans to begin manufacturing solar panels in Danville, Kentucky in mid-December.

The company, Alternative Energies Kentucky, LLC already has nine employees, and intends to expand to about 25 as production gets underway. The company has already secured $1.125 million in state tax incentives.

Company owner Troy Lay of Harrodsburg stated in the article,

“Cleaner energy is just smart, and we are probably five years behind what a lot of the rest of the world is doing with technology like this.”

(Photo by David Brock of the Advocate Messenger. Pictured are employees of Alternative Energies Kentucky, LLC.)

KFTC member Angela Baldridge had folks over to her home on Wednesday night for a screening of the film "Deep Down" and a discussion on ways that we can transition from our dependence on coal.

 We talked about the importance of education each other as well as the  folks within  our communities about where our energy comes from, and the true cost of coal. We also discussed the importance of conservation and shared  low-cost ways that we could make are living areas more energy efficient.

There was also an abundance of very delicious desserts!

UPDATED: Check the bottom of this blog post for news updates as they come in.

We have some great news to announce: The coal-burning power plant proposed by the East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC) has been canceled by the utility.

EKPC has entered into an agreement with Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, Kentucky Environmental Foundation, the Sierra Club, three individual co-op members, the Kentucky attorney general, and Gallatin Steel (EKPC’s biggest industrial customer). Under the agreement, EKPC will halt its plans for the proposed coal-burning power plant in Clark County by abandoning the permits it needed to proceed with construction. The cooperative also committed $125,000 toward a collaborative effort in which the public interest groups, EKPC and its member co-ops, and other parties will work together to evaluate and recommend new energy efficiency programs and renewable energy options.

This is a new day for Kentucky’s rural electric co-ops, and a great step toward new power for Kentucky. KFTC member Steve Wilkins, a Blue Grass Energy co-op member, has been active in the campaign to stop the Smith plant and bring new power to the co-ops. About today’s agreement, he said:

The Smith coal-fired plant meant nearly a billion-dollar investment and a further 50-year commitment to dirty power. Canceling the plant is a breath of fresh air. Even better, resources can now be redirected and the window opened to collaboration on clean energy alternatives letting the sun shine in on a New Power tomorrow; a tomorrow where rural electric cooperatives work shoulder-to-shoulder with their communities making electricity more affordable through energy-efficient housing and renewable energy sources.”

KFTC members, along with our allies at the Sierra Club and the Kentucky Environmental Foundation, have been very active in urging EKPC and the distribution cooperatives to pursue energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions instead of the Smith plant. Studies have shown that clean energy technologies would be a cost effective way to meet EKPC’s demand, while also reducing financial risk to customers, generating jobs throughout the region, and benefiting health and the environment.

KFTC members are excited by the news. Tona Barkley, a member of Owen Electric Cooperative who ran for her co-op board of directors earlier this year, shared her thoughts:

“I say Hallelujah! I believe this decision by EKPC is the right one for Kentucky. I am heartened by this new development and the commitment EKPC has made to work in a collaborative fashion with co-op members and the other parties to the agreement. This new openness and more democratic method will, I believe, help bring the co-ops back to their original purpose--serving its rural members in a transparent fashion.  And I am very hopeful that this moment marks a turning point in Kentucky towards energy efficiency and renewal energy, both of which will provide economic and job development much greater than another coal plant would have done.”

The four main provisions of the today’s agreement include:

• EKPC will withdraw all the permits it needs for construction of the Smith plant, including its Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, air permit and dredge-and-fill permit.
• EKPC will form a collaborative with KFTC, our allies, and other key stakeholders to expand the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency programs by the co-ops.  
• KFTC and our allies will dismiss a number of lawsuits and administrative challenges that are currently pending against EKPC.
• KFTC and our allied groups will not oppose EKPC’s effort to recover costs already spent on the plant.

Many people involved with this campaign are especially delighted with EKPC’s agreement to lead and fund a collaborative effort to expand the co-op’s use of energy efficiency and renewable energy. This working group will include representatives from KFTC, our allies, the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General, the distribution co-ops, plus other key stakeholders. EKPC has agreed to provide initial funding for the collaborative’s efforts, including up to $100,000 for studies of wind resources or other forms of renewable energy. The group will meet at least quarterly to evaluate and recommend cost-effective clean energy solutions.

KFTC members earlier proposed a set of ideas in a plan called “Renew East Kentucky” that could become a focus for discussion within the collaborative. This plan describes clean energy strategies that could create thousands of new jobs in eastern and central Kentucky for construction trades, engineers and electricians, while also helping customers to save energy and money.

“Sometimes it can feel like you are a voice in the wilderness,” said KFTC member Randy Wilson, who emphasized energy efficiency during his run for Jackson Energy’s board of directors in 2009. “But it’s important to get involved and keep pushing for solutions. Now we have a chance to work together with the co-ops to create jobs here at home while at the same time helping people save energy and money.

Folks throughout Kentucky, both in the co-ops and out, have worked toward this moment. Each and every action you took helped create the conditions for this good outcome!

• 

  100 - 200 folks attended the public hearings for the Smith plant’s air and dredge-and-fill permits, asking the agencies to consider the clean alternatives to the coal-burning plant

• KFTC members supported their fellow members who ran for their co-op boards of directors, helping to gather thousands of petition signatures and speaking up in support of democracy and clean energy in the co-ops

• Many of us throughout the region scheduled meetings with and made calls to their local co-op directors, informing them of alternatives to the Smith plant and moving some toward a cleaner energy vision

• Hundreds of Kentuckians sent letters to the Kentucky attorney general, asking him to speak up on behalf of Kentucky co-op members before the Public Service Commission

• Members throughout the state have spoken with their local media, offered quotes for news stories, been interviewed for radio shows, and sent in numerous letters to the editor and op eds in support of clean energy in the co-ops and a better Kentucky

• Members hosted house parties and spoke with neighbors, and groups, and colleges about the risk of the Smith plant and the potential for the clean energy alternative.

• And too much more to list here...

KFTC members have much to be proud of, and are thankful to our allies, including the Sierra Club and the Kentucky Environmental Foundation, who have recognized from the beginning that this hasn’t been a campaign simply to stop a coal plant, but a movement of Kentuckians taking action for clean energy and a better future for Kentucky.

Now we can all say, as Randy Wilson said at I Love Mountains Day two years ago, “We were there when we started to turn this thing around!”

UPDATED: This section will be updated periodically with news coverage of the Smith plant cancellation.

• Nick Engelfried, Just Means, "Electricity Co-op Chooses 'New Power' over Coal Energy and Emissions." This blog post puts the Smith plant cancellation in a national context.
  
• Sue Sturgis, Yes! Magazine, "In Coal Country, a Win for Clean Energy." This blog was also posted on Facing South, the online magazine of the Institute for Southern Studies.
  
• Ronnie Ellis (with reporting from Bill Robinson), Richmond Register, "EKPC drops plans for coal-fired Clark County plant." This article also appeared in the Ashland Daily Independent, the Morehead News, and other papers throughout the state.
  
• James Bruggers, Louisville Courier Journal, "East Kentucky Power cancels Clark County plant" In this article, EKPC spokesperson Nick Comer said the decision was largely based on the economy, but "acknowledged that pressure from environmental groups played a role."
• Scott Sloan, Lexington Herald Leader, "East Ky. Power abandons plans for controversial power plant"
  
• Jeff Biggers, Huffington Post, "BREAKING: Kentucky Cancels Coal Plant, New Power Movement Electrifies Grassroot Alliance"

Last night, Central Kentucky continued calling members to ask them to renew their membership dues and continue to support KFTC's work. We had folks calling from all over the place. A few volunteers called from the Lexington office while UK KFTC members made calls from campus. Members were excited to talk about the work that's been happening in 2010, and plenty of folks were happy to renew.

 "I feel that making calls was important because the election has just ended and fall fundraising helps engage our members in a different way. " Jared Flanery

 If you'd like to help out with Fall Fundraising, please contact your local organizer. If you live in Central Kentucky, we could use your help at these phonebanks: 

• Monday November 29th- 5pm-8pm  
• Tuesday November 30th- 5pm-8pm
• Wednesday December 1st- 5pm-8pm
• Thursday December 2nd- 5pm-8pm
• Sunday December 6th- 2pm-6pm

For a number of years, clean energy jobs in the US have been growing steadily, even in a time of high unemployment and a severe recession. But the good news has often been hard to spot, given the relatively small size of the renewable energy sector and the dreadful shape of the overall  economy.

But now evidence is pouring in that clean energy jobs, especially in solar energy, are surging. An article posted today on RenewableEnergyWorld.com describes remarkable job growth in most renewable energy fields in 2010 and projects strong growth in the year ahead, in part due to investments contained in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

For example, the article states:

"The solar power industry doubled the number of people that worked in the industry from 2009 to 2010, from approximately 50,000 in 2009 to 100,000 in 2010...In 2011, it is expected to grow the number of (US) jobs in the industry by 26%."

In contrast, in 2006, there were 82,595 people employed in coal mining in the US.

The article cites data from the Solar Foundation showing that solar installations in the US more than doubled in 2010 compared to the year before. "Firms are adding employees in all 50 states and the fastest growing jobs are installers and electricians."

Of course, public policies matter. That's why jobs in the solar industry are being created at a rapid clip in states like Ohio and North Carolina - both of which recently passed legislation requiring utilities to get an increasing share of their power from renewable sources, including solar energy. Kentucky's lawmakers will have the opportunity to support similar legislation when they return to session in 2011.

Stay tuned for more information about ways you can get involved!

Now that the election is over we're moving into our fall fund raising campaign. The membership dues and donations we receive help us to organize in Kentucky.

Thanks to the contributions we've received KFTC has had a pretty remarkable year;

·      KFTC members testified before top federal and state administrators and Whitehouse officials about harmful impacts of mountaintop removal mining and the opportunity to create new jobs and healthier communities through clean energy solutions.

·      We brought more than 200 KFTC members and allies to Frankfort to promote a bill that would restore voting rights to nearly 200,000 citizens in Kentucky.

·      We sent more than 50 members to Washington DC to take part in an event called Appalachia Rising to call on the Administration to stop Mountaintop Removal and invest in job creation in Appalachia.

·      We contacted more than 30,000 voters in Kentucky to make sure they were well informed and motivated to vote in this fall’s election.

If you'd like to help us with our fund raising campaign over the next few weeks, please contact your local organizer. If you live in the central Kentucky area we have phone banks scheduled on the following nights:

Wednesday 11/17 between 5pm-8pm
Saturday 11/20 between 12pm-2pm
Monday 11/29 between 5pm-8pm
Tuesday 11/30 between 5pm-8pm
Wednesday 12/1 between 5pm-8pm
Thursday 12/2 between 5pm-8pm
Sunday 12/5 between 2pm-6pm

If you are available for any of these shifts and would like to help out, contact Ondine at ondine@kftc.org

Daira and her translator at Old Louisville Coffee Shop

Afro-Colombian human rights activist Daira Elsa Quinones visited Kentucky in October to speak out about the impacts of foreign corporations seeking natural resources in her home country. The tour was sponsored by Witness For Peace.

Daira was brutally removed from her home village by private militia hired by extractive-industry companies. She has endured multiple death threats against her and her family for her work fighting for human rights. During her visit to Kentucky, Daira told crowds about how the brutality, threats and murders inflicted on her people by multi-national and American corporations seeking Colombian natural resources inspires her to work even harder against the oppression.

"Everyday I feel stronger, I feel a great responsibility to do something about these problems - and it is not just Colombia. These problems exist in countries across the world."

She called on all of us to join the effort, saying "We all have a responsibility to work for a world that is more just. We are all human beings - the only way to go forward is to unite and work for a more just world. This is the only way this world will change. These politics are affecting all of us."

To bolster the exchange, KFTC member Cari Moore of Knott County, spoke with Daira at several events. Cari visited villages near where Daira used to live on Witness For Peace's recent tour to Colombia in July 2010, entitled "The People Behind the Coal in Appalachia and Colombia." (To learn more about the Kentucky-Colombia exchange, click here).

Daira and Cari Moore

In her presentations, Cari discussed the cultural connections and the legacy of destruction by outsiders that is shared between her home of Appalachia and Daira's Colombia. After hearing Cari speak so eloquently about her home, Daira recognized their shared love of land and sense of place.

As a result of her connection with Cari, Daira chose to spend the only days she had open on her schedule in Kentucky - her "rest" days - traveling to Appalachia learning about the human rights struggles, the struggle for clean water and health, faced by Cari and others. After touring with several KFTC members and staying with Randy Wilson, Daira, just like Cari, found herself in love with Appalachia and yet torn by its destruction.

KFTC co-sponsored a few events during Daira's tour through Lexington, Bowling Green and Appalachian Kentucky as a part of our ongoing exchange with Colombia. Please learn more about the Kentucky and Colombia connection here. You can join the delegation to Colombia next year!

Congress is back in session, and our elected leaders have some critical votes to cast, and some important priorities to define.

KFTC has long supported policies that help us create the Kentucky that we all want: good, safe, communities; good, secure jobs; and good schools—all the things that we pay for with our public dollars. We support taxation that is balanced, fair, and reasonable.  In that spirit, KFTC endorses letting the Bush era tax cuts for the wealthy expire at the end of the year.

• These tax breaks have cost Kentuckians.  Before the cuts, the federal government shared revenue from the estate tax with the states.  The LRC estimates that here in Kentucky, our General Fund has been shorted around $50 million a year due to the phase-out of the federal estate tax.  
  
• In 1979, the richest 1 percent took home almost 9% of the income.  Today, this richest 1 percent takes home a whopping 24% of income.  It's time for economic policies that don't widen the gap between the very rich and everyone else.
• Continuing these tax cuts for the wealthy will cost upwards of $700 billion dollars.

Take Action!

Call Senators Bunning and McConnell and your representative at 1-800-830-5738. Leave a message for them telling them that you're a constituent, and it’s time to stand for economic policies that work for all of us, not just the richest 2%, and that you support letting the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy expire on schedule.

p.s. Instead of giving $700 billion away in tax breaks to the wealthy, Congress could use part of it to put Americans back to work.  Many of the same members of Congress who are fighting to hang on to these tax breaks for the rich are blocking unemployment insurance for folks who lost their jobs during the recession and haven’t been able to find work.  These benefits will expire on November 30th unless Congress acts.  To take action to extend unemployment insurance, check out this link from today's action alert from Citizens for Tax Justice.

This weekend, we had a great little event in Georgetown we called the "Arty Pie Party" - a shindig with music, art, and delicious pies to raise some money to support KFTC's work and have fun doing it.

Rosanne Fitts Klarer and Tim Klarer hosted the event in their beautiful home, lots of KFTC members pitched in by donating pies to eat and pieces of art for the silent auction, and Stir Fry and former KFTC Chairperson Jane Harrod provided some great live music.

Somewhere between 60 and 70 people came out to the party, which lasted well into the night. 

Rosanne, Tyler Birdwhistell, and Homer White talked briefly about our campaigns around Mountaintop Removal Mining, Voting Rights, and Tax Justice, respectively, and we had lots of great space throughout the evening to talk to people about KFTC in greater depth.  

In all, we brought in over $1,400 and lots of membership renewals in Scott County, Lexington Frankfort, and other areas.

The Klarer family has hosted many house parties for KFTC over the year and Rosanne says they're already looking forward to the next one - after we all recover from this one, of course.

Scott County KFTC members kicked off their Fall Fundraising calls this weekend, with a handful of members calling the chapter list and some other counties - asking our members to renew or to become sustaining givers.

We also invited folks out to the Arty Pie Party this weekend, and invited them to come to our next chapter meeting on December 2nd.

Chapter members intend to come together again to call through the list a second time and to follow-up with people we missed through email, hand-addressed letters, or other means.  

This was the first Fall Fundraising Phonebank in KFTC this year, but in the coming week, chapters all over the state will start calls. 

Please contact your local KFTC Organizer to find when we'll be making calls in your area.

You can also go aead and take this opportunity to renew your KFTC membership or make a special donation right here on our website.  Click Here to donate online today!