More than 20 KFTC members and staff have traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in the End Mountaintop Removal Week in Washington sponsored by Appalachian Voices and the Alliance For Appalachia.  In D.C. we are joined with more than 200 other community activists and coalfield residents representing 27 different states.

We traveled to Washington to lobby for H.R. 1310, the Clean Water Protection Act and S.696, the Appalachia Restoration Act. Starting today through Thursday, March 11 we will be meeting with Representatives and Senators to help educate them about both pieces of legislation, and to also gain as many more cosponsors as possible. 

Just partially through day one we have already gained two new cosponsors.

Members will continue to meet and lobby with legislators and different governmental agencies over the next few days.

This week the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA, pronounced: "en-REEK-uh") is holding its annual meeting in Atlanta. Active co-op members across the country took the opportunity to highlight some of the best and worst co-op practices with a national press conference. KFTC member Steve Wilkins participated by phone.

A bit of background on the nation's electric co-ops and the issue of co-op reform from the press release for the teleconference:

Today, 900 co-ops still provide power to 42 million Americans in 47 states, but often these associations look more like big private corporations than the democratically-managed cooperatives of earlier days. These days, co-op members are asking a host of questions about the governance and energy decisions of their co-ops, and what they are doing to move toward democratic transparency and encourage energy efficiency and clean alternative energy production.

Some of the cooperatives represented at the [NRECA] conference, such as Texas’ Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC), have had a change in direction and now aim to embrace 21st century energy planning by developing aggressive, cost-effective efficiency programs and integrating renewable energy into their generation portfolios. This mode of operation represents a seismic shift from Pedernales’ previous approach. Board member Dr. Patrick Cox is excited about the co-op’s transparency, democratic board elections and adherence to business planning. He addressed the NRECA conference to spotlight changes at PEC. “I believe advocacy for member rights, ethical leadership, environmental accountability and responsible investment has resulted in and will continue to provide positive changes in PEC’s effectiveness and its relationship to its membership.”

The press conference also highlighted best practices of other co-ops in the country:

The public electric association that stands out as a champion for democratic process and for successful implementation of cost effective renewable energy is Colorado’s San Miguel Power Association (SMPA).  Board leaders have worked to make SMPA a rural electric association that is a true American institution and a model of clearly articulated democratic principles that give members a voice at every board meeting.

In addition to lifting up some of the best practices of the most open and democratic co-ops, the press conference highlighted many of the most regressive policies and decisions of co-ops across the country. KFTC member Steve Wilkins spoke of some of the problems that co-op members in Kentucky face.

In Kentucky, Steve Wilkins, a ratepayer/member of Blue Grass Energy Cooperative, which is one of 16 co-ops that distribute power generated by East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC), says that from what he can see “democracy has been lacking in EKPC where directors are almost universally handpicked by the co-ops and elected without opposition due to a lack of encouragement for open elections.” Given that EKPC “is in a relatively weak financial position because of its large debt, members are baffled that financially safe energy investments such as energy efficiency and renewables are not being pursued instead of building a financially risky coal plant, which is what EKPC is currently committed to doing.”

However, Steve didn't just tell the nation what EKPC members are up against, but also spoke about the solutions that co-op members here in the commonwealth are seeking: the plans for new power that members are sharing with EKPC and the local distribution co-ops, a strategy that would create thousands of new jobs throughout the state in energy efficiency and renewable energy while helping EKPC avoid the further financial risk of a coal burning power plant.

The work that members, including Steve, are doing here in Kentucky would bring EKPC on par with co-ops in other parts of the nation, if EKPC would pay heed:

In Colorado, Texas and New Mexico, member-owners of electric cooperatives have implemented changes to ensure open meetings, voting and election safeguards, and to guarantee other fundamental rights.

And the reforms that other co-op members are working toward, mirror similar options for reform proposed by co-op members here in Kentucky:

Former Georgia Congressman Fletcher Thompson, a Cobb EMC member, believes that adopting a “bill of rights” for the co-op will help..."We want our electric co-op to welcome input from members. We believe that sound business practices go hand-in-hand with sound energy investments.”

You can find links to watch the debate live here or you can listen to it live on WV Public Radio.

The Canary Project will also try to do some live streaming video interviews with members of the audience. You will be able to watch these interviews by clicking this Ustream link.

If you have suggested questions you would like asked please post them in the comment section for this blog post.

Downstream Strategies, an environmental consulting firm, recently released a report that urges Appalachian states to invest in developing their renewable energy infrastructure. According to an ABC News story the report:

predicts production in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee will fall nearly 50 percent within a decade and urges those states to adopt laws, low-interest loan programs and other measures to support the development of renewable energy sources.

The report goes on to say that this decline will be in part due to competition from cleaner burning natural gas but it also points to a dramatic decrease in easy to recover coal and increasing environmental controls.

Studies have shown that local ownership of renewable energy projects generates greater jobs and local revenues than corporate-owned projects. Therefore, support for local ownership of energy development will help to maximize the potential economic benefit of developing renewables.

Improvements and investment in energy efficiency can also generate new jobs and revenue, while saving businesses and residents money on energy consumption. Supporting measures include: energy efficiency resource standards, expanded demand response initiatives, building energy codes, low-income efficiency programs, and research and development support.

Finally, policy attention must be focused on developing workforce programs that will provide the skills and knowledge required for emerging and potential renewable energy industries, and should be coupled with energy-and investment-related policies aimed at spurring project development. 

According the the Energy Information Administration web site, power plants reduced their coal consumption by ten percent last year and the projections are for demand to continue to be low in 2010.

As Senator Byrd said late last year, "West Virginians can choose to anticipate change and adapt to it, or resist and be overrun by it. The time has arrived for the people of the Mountain State to think long and hard about which course they want to choose." (Byrd, 2009)

You can download the report here. And a link to the ABC News story about the release of the report is here.

From Renewable Energy World 
comes this interesting news:

On January 7, 2009, a key legislator in Indiana introduced a proposal to establish a comprehensive system of “feed-in tariffs,” designed to spur the rapid development of jobs and in-state renewable energy generation.

A feed-in tariff is a fancy name for a guaranteed rate that utility companies can be required to pay for approved types of in-state renewable energy generation. This approach has been used successfully in many places to encourage private investment in renewable energy facilities and systems. The costs are covered by a small charge on all utility customers bills.

Sustainable energy legislation, including a proposed feed-in tariff, is expected to be introduced in Kentucky during the 2010 legislative session. More information about the concept of feed-in tariffs is available in this white paper commissioned by the Kentucky Conservation Committee.

The legislation proposed in Indiana has a number of unique features. The bill would provide different rates for renewable energy projects that qualify for federal incentives and those that don’t – a provision that helps non-profits and individuals who can’t benefit from large income tax credits because their incomes aren’t large. It also contains a system of different rates for wind energy that is based on the quality of the wind resource in a particular area. This is intended to spread development of wind turbines across the state and avoid concentrations in only the windiest areas. There is also a special rate for small residential-scale wind turbines. The legislation establishes guaranteed rates for a range of wind, solar, hydro and biomass technologies, excluding biomass from forestry and coal-bed methane gas.

The 2010 state legislative session in Frankfort began last Tuesday.  15 KFTC members from all across the state were at the capitol to greet the legislators to another session and to inform them of the issues at hand. KFTC welcomed back many of the legislatures and hand-delivered pieces of informational material. The book, Plundering Appalachia and a report, Who Pays, from the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy were given to every legislature possible in order to inform and educate them on the background to some of our most important issues.

KFTC citizen lobbyists met with 21 legislatures throughout the course of the day. The legislators were all smiles and handshakes- attentive and respectful.  And all those with KFTC were boasting smiles and nodding their heads when asked if they would come back and lobby again at the end of the day.

Being in Frankfort gives people a firsthand look into politics and the opportunity to hear stories from inside the closed office doors of legislatures. KFTC is ready to take on another legislative session and welcomes any participation. Mark your calendars for our upcoming events: “I Love Mountains” rally and lobby day is February the 11 and the "Bake Sale for the Budget" is January 20!!!

***Be on the look out for more first-hand lobbying updates***

KFTC’s annual “I Love Mountains” day at the state capitol is just around the corner.  This big event, which attracts more than 1,000 Kentuckians each year, calls attention to the scale of destruction created by mountaintop removal coal mining in Kentucky and the need for a clean water and energy future.

This year the day includes a special emphasis and participation from young Kentuckians – including a youth-led delegation to meet with Governor Beshear.

KFTC has requested a meeting with Governor Beshear in the afternoon of “I Love Mountains” day on February 11. Would you like to be part of this youth-led delegation or do you know a young person within the ages of 5 and 25 who would be? 

What it involves:  Each youth would be responsible for attending a planning meeting (hopefully a face-to-face, but maybe on a conference call) with other youth group delegates, as well as the meeting with Governor Beshear on February 11 in Frankfort.  In the event that Governor Beshear is unwilling to meet with us, the youth-group will also discuss and develop an alternative plan for making our voices heard.

How to get involved:  If this sounds like you, please write a short letter telling us about yourself, how old you are, and why you are interested in talking to Governor Beshear about mountaintop removal coal mining. A committee of KFTC members will review the letters and select the delegation. Letters are due by the end of the day on Friday, January 15.  You will be notified of a decision by Friday, January 22.  And the youth group will schedule a meeting sometime between January 25 and February 6.

Spread the word:  Also, please pass this announcement along to anyone you may know who would be a great addition to the youth team! 

Where to apply:  Letters can be emailed to carissa@kftc.org or mailed to KFTC, 435-R Chestnut St, Suite 2, Berea, KY, 40403.  Please call or email Carissa Lenfert (859-893-1147) with any questions.

After warming up from the cold and grabbing a bite to eat, join with youth from all across Kentucky to discuss next steps for youth in the important fight to end mountaintop removal coal mining. We will hear a debrief from the youth delegation that meeting with the governor and formulate different ways for youth to continue to have a strong voice on mining and energy issues for the remainder of the legislative session and beyond. Join us in the Capitol Annex, room 129, at 2 p.m. Please call or email Beth Bissmeyer at (502) 751-2998 and beth@seac.org with any questions or suggestions for agenda items.

In addition to the recent explosion of letters to the editors of papers throughout eastern and central Kentucky, the campaign to halt the coal-burning Smith plant has also shown up elsewhere in the media. A few days ago, Father John Rausch, KFTC member from Powell County, and one of the folks who are petitioning the Public Service Commission to revoke EKPC's original, and now invalid, approval for the plant, published an op-ed piece in the Lexington Herald-Leader. He detailed his reasons for opposing this ill-conceived power plant and why he chose to be among the folks taking legal actions to stop it. Here is his reflection in its entirety. After reading it, consider writing a letter to the editor of the H-L, showing your support for Fr. John, co-op ratepayers who are already paying too much for EKPC's poor decisions, and for a cleaner Kentucky. (Details on how to submit your letter below).

Rethink Clark County plant

By John S. Rausch

On Oct. 28, I joined Wendell Berry and others to petition the Kentucky Public Service Commission to revoke the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity granted to the East Kentucky Power Cooperative to build a coal-fired electrical plant in Clark County.

I live approximately 10 miles east and downwind of the proposed Smith plant. As a member of Clark Energy Cooperative, I feel awkward taking action against our own second-tier co-op.

Yet I hope our petition will ultimately enhance the excellent service our co-ops have historically provided to Eastern Kentucky.

We need to re-examine our direction, in light of health and environmental concerns and renew our purpose to better the community. I offer three considerations concerning the proposed coal-fired plant.

First, generating electricity from coal is problematic. Evidence about the ill health effects of burning coal is mounting. The Environmental Protection Agency found, and other studies confirm, that fine particle pollution from coal-fired power plants causes more than 20,000 premature deaths per year. Other health effects include respiratory illnesses, heart attacks and brain damage. The data are readily available. Groups like the American Lung Association and Physicians for Social Responsibility cite the studies.

"Our current economic crisis came from quick profits without regard to community. The cardinal virtue of prudence dictates that when we can meet our electric needs through greater efficiency or renewable and sustainable methods, we choose them."

More regulation of coal-fired plants and increases in operating costs appear inevitable as we grapple with health and environmental issues. This 19th century technology will eventually yield to the renewable energy technologies of the 21st century, which will cost less in the long run.

Second, as a co-op, community comes first. Because co-ops are membership organizations, they seek to serve their members with a social vision. Cooperatives from their founding, a full generation before the abolition of slavery in the U.S., practiced the principle of open membership which forbids discrimination by race, religion, nationality, gender or other incidental factor.

The principle of one person, one vote (not one stock share, one vote) makes money the servant, not the master, of co-op decision making. And, the promotion of education seeks to share information that leads to a better society.

Given this social vision intended to empower members and enhance the local community, how can we justify using fuel from sources like coal waste piles, tires and possibly mountaintop removal coal mining? Teaching members ways of conserving energy and investing in renewable energy sources better fulfills our co-op's social vision.

Finally, a renewed economy depends on high moral and ethical standards. Our current economic crisis came from quick profits without regard to community. The cardinal virtue of prudence dictates that when we can meet our electric needs through greater efficiency or renewable and sustainable methods, we choose them.

Generating electricity while endangering the health of others is a violation of the common good of the present generation, but destroying the environment violates the common good of future generations.

Also, the poor, the low income and those without health insurance will remain the most vulnerable to the sicknesses and diseases from the coal-fired plant's emissions, thus causing the greatest harm to the least among us.

In Catholic theology, violations of social justice like this fall under the Commandment, "Thou shalt not steal," because a violation of the common good is theft from all.

East Kentucky Power Cooperative has an opportunity to lead into a new era. We don't need to walk in the dark, though we can turn off unnecessary lights.

Coal miners will still have jobs, though their sons and daughters will find different employment. Green technology will create employment, but we'll need the proper investment.

For these reasons, I petition the Public Service Commission to revoke the certificate of need to encourage the utility to renew its vision of community service that promotes a healthy environment and fulfills its co-op vision.

The Rev. John S. Rausch, a Glenmary priest, lives in Stanton.

 It's easy to submit a letter to the editor of the Lexington Herald-Leader in support of Father John's op-ed. At this link, simply fill out your contact information and post your 250-word or less letter in the "Questions or Comments" field. Editors generally like to publish punchy, to-the-point pieces, and pieces that referred to previous articles published in the paper or that state how an issue relates personally to the author.

If you would like some more background on this campaign before writing your letter, click here. Since the PSC still hasn't made any move on this petition, it might be helpful in your letter to ask that the Attorney General weigh in on the side of the ratepayers and plaintiffs. It would be good for the AG's office to hear that folks think this is an important issue worthy of their attention, and that they are urged to take action.

Stay tuned to this blog for another great piece in the media about this campaign...

202-224-3954

(The following text is an opinion piece U.S. Senator Robert Byrd issued on Thursday.  It appears below in its entirety.) Click here if you want to list to the audio version from Senator Byrd.

For more than 100 years, coal has been the backbone of the Appalachian economy. Even today, the economies of more than 20 states depend to some degree on the mining of coal. About half of all the electricity generated in America and about one quarter of all the energy consumed globally is generated by coal.

Change is no stranger to the coal industry.  Think of the huge changes which came with the onset of the Machine Age in the late 1800’s.  Mechanization has increased coal production and revenues, but also has eliminated jobs, hurting the economies of coal communities. In 1979, there were 62,500 coal miners in the Mountain State. Today there are about 22,000. In recent years, West Virginia has seen record high coal production and record low coal employment.

And change is undeniably upon the coal industry again.  The increased use of mountaintop removal mining means that fewer miners are needed to meet company production goals. Meanwhile the Central Appalachian coal seams that remain to be mined are becoming thinner and more costly to mine. Mountaintop removal mining, a declining national demand for energy, rising mining costs and erratic spot market prices all add up to fewer jobs in the coal fields. 

These are real problems. They affect real people. And West Virginia’s elected officials are rightly concerned about jobs and the economic impact on local communities.  I share those concerns.  But the time has come to have an open and honest dialogue about coal’s future in West Virginia.

Let’s speak the truth. The most important factor in maintaining coal-related jobs is demand for coal. Scapegoating and stoking fear among workers over the permitting process is counter-productive.

Coal companies want a large stockpile of permits in their back pockets because that implies stability to potential investors. But when coal industry representatives stir up public anger toward federal regulatory agencies, it can damage the state’s ability to work with those agencies to West Virginia’s benefit. This, in turn, may create the perception of ineffectiveness within the industry, which can drive potential investors away.

Let’s speak a little more truth here. No deliberate effort to do away with the coal industry could ever succeed in Washington because there is no available alternative energy supply that could immediately supplant the use of coal for base load power generation in America. That is a stubborn fact that vexes some in the environmental community, but it is reality.

It is also a reality that the practice of mountaintop removal mining has a diminishing constituency in Washington. It is not a widespread method of mining, with its use confined to only three states.  Most members of Congress, like most Americans, oppose the practice, and we may not yet fully understand the effects of mountaintop removal mining on the health of our citizens. West Virginians may demonstrate anger toward the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over mountaintop removal mining, but we risk the very probable consequence of shouting ourselves out of any productive dialogue with EPA and our adversaries in the Congress.

Some have even suggested that coal state representatives in Washington should block any advancement of national health care reform legislation until the coal industry’s demands are met by the EPA. I believe that the notion of holding the health care of over 300 million Americans hostage in exchange for a handful of coal permits is beyond foolish; it is morally indefensible.  It is a non-starter, and puts the entire state of West Virginia and the coal industry in a terrible light.

To be part of any solution, one must first acknowledge a problem. To deny the mounting science of climate change is to stick our heads in the sand and say “deal me out.” West Virginia would be much smarter to stay at the table.

 The 20 coal-producing states together hold some powerful political cards. We can have a part in shaping energy policy, but we must be honest brokers if we have any prayer of influencing coal policy on looming issues important to the future of coal like hazardous air pollutants, climate change, and federal dollars for investments in clean coal technology.

Most people understand that America cannot meet its current energy needs without coal, but there is strong bi-partisan opposition in Congress to the mountaintop removal method of mining it. We have our work cut out for us in finding a prudent and profitable middle ground – but we will not reach it by using fear mongering, grandstanding and outrage as a strategy. As your United States Senator, I must represent the opinions and the best interests of the entire Mountain State, not just those of coal operators and southern coalfield residents who may be strident supporters of mountaintop removal mining.

I have spent the past six months working with a group of coal state Democrats in the Senate, led by West Virginia native Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), drafting provisions to assist the coal industry in more easily transitioning to a lower-carbon economy. These include increasing funding for clean coal projects and easing emission standards and timelines, setting aside billions of dollars for coal plants that install new technology and continue using coal. These are among the achievable ways coal can continue its major role in our national energy portfolio. It is the best way to step up to the challenge and help lead change.

The truth is that some form of climate legislation will likely become public policy because most American voters want a healthier environment.  Major coal-fired power plants and coal operators operating in West Virginia have wisely already embraced this reality, and are making significant investments to prepare.

The future of coal and indeed of our total energy picture lies in change and innovation. In fact, the future of American industrial power and our economic ability to compete globally depends on our ability to advance energy technology.

The greatest threats to the future of coal do not come from possible constraints on mountaintop removal mining or other environmental regulations, but rather from rigid mindsets, depleting coal reserves, and the declining demand for coal as more power plants begin shifting to biomass and natural gas as a way to reduce emissions.

Fortunately, West Virginia has a running head-start as an innovator. Low-carbon and renewable energy projects are already under development in West Virginia, including:  America’s first integrated carbon capture and sequestration project on a conventional coal-fired power plant in Mason County; the largest wind power facility in the eastern United States; a bio-fuel refinery in Nitro; three large wood pellet plants in Fayette, Randolph, and Gilmer Counties; and major dams capable of generating substantial electricity.

Change has been a constant throughout the history of our coal industry. West Virginians can choose to anticipate change and adapt to it, or resist and be overrun by it.  One thing is clear.  The time has arrived for the people of the Mountain State to think long and hard about which course they want to choose.

Click here to watch the animated video, The Story of Cap and Trade.