Join KFTC's delegation to a conference and day of action focused on transition and the future of Appalachia. The events aim to advance the dialogue about current energy extraction practices, with a specific focus on ending mountaintop removal coal mining, and advocate for a renewable energy future for Appalachia on a national stage

"We envision a vibrant weekend during which thousands will learn about the challenges Appalachia faces and ways to build a movement to end the destruction and plant the seeds of a sustainable and prosperous Appalachia," said the organizers of the events.

The conference, entitled Voices from the Mountains, will be held on September 25-26, 2010. Organizers of the Voices from the Mountain conference are planning a space for regional participants to grow and connect through strategy sessions, workshops, learning, and cultural events. Topics will include both exploration of the issues facing the region and ways to move forward.

The day following the conference, September 27th, many people from the Appalachian region will gather with conference attendees for a day of mobilization and rallying on Capitol Hill. 2000 people, including movement leaders from the region, celebrities such as Ashley Judd and Silas House, and many Appalachian residents are expected to gather.

Click here to sign up or learn more.

A group of well-known local community activists, writers, academics and business leaders have contributed to the issue. including Wendell Berry, Vernon Haltom, Stephen George, John Todd, Adam Lewis, Sarah Forbes and many more. An article titled A Cooperative Approach to Renewing East Kentucky was written by KFTC member Randy Wilson and staff person Sara Pennington. Erik Reece contributed an interview with Joe Childers, a founding member of KFTC and current chair of the Kentucky Mine Safety Review Commission.

The premise for the special issue, according to Solutions editors, is a recognition of Appalachia as a special place and one of the most biologically diverse and culturally rich regions on the planet. Central Appalachia has the potential to become a national model of the positive transition to a clean energy future.

This July/August special Appalachia issue of Solutions is now available on newsstands and by subscribing. A year's subscription (6 issues) is $29.99 but if you identify yourself as a KFTC member by using Coupon Code APP2010 you will receive a $5 discount. If you want your subscription to start with the current special issue, please email julie.thorpe@thesolutionsjournal.com and make this request. Most of the content will also be available online, but KFTC encourages support of this nonprofit venture with a subscription or a donation.

Solutions is an online forum and print publication devoted exclusively to showcasing bold and innovative ideas for solving the world's integrated economic, social, and environmental problems.

Yesterday, Kentucky First Lady Jane Beshear announced that nearly $1.7 million in unclaimed funds remain in the Kentucky Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program. During phase one of the program, residents could ‘reserve’ rebates. Nearly half of Kentuckians who reserved a rebate have not purchased an appliance, making those unclaimed funds now available. 

Rebates range from $50 for energy efficient appliances like refrigerators and dishwashers to $400 for solar water heaters.

Find out more here, or apply for a rebate here.

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

Roughly 50 protesters paid a visit to the PNC branch at Main and Deweese streets in Lexington and released a banner inside attached to some helium balloons, which said “PNC + Your Money = Toxic Tap Water.” Activists also passed out literature about the issue to bank customers and employees and delivered a letter to the bank branch manager asking that PNC end its financing of mountaintop removal.

“Several banks have realized that they shouldn't be involved with companies that are causing the total annihilation of a culture by their use of MTR. It's unfortunate that PNC, like Massey, is putting profits over people and over God's creation,” said Mickey McCoy, a Martin County resident whose community was affected by a coal sludge flood in 2000.

Since January 2008, PNC has become the number one U.S. financier of mountaintop removal coal mining. The bank has provided more than $500 million in loans and bonds to six companies practicing mountaintop removal: Massey Energy, Patriot Coal, Alpha Natural Resources, International Coal Group, Arch Coal and Consol Energy (Source: Bloomberg). These six companies are collectively responsible for almost half of all mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia.

"PNC needs to stop financing the destruction of our mountains, our water, and our homes," said KFTC member Miranda Brown from Winchester. "People in Lexington need to know where they're putting their money."

The action was organized by Mountain Justice, a pan-Appalachian organization that demands an abolition of MTR, steep slope strip mining and all other forms of surface mining for coal. For more information about Mountain Justice, check out their web site at http://mountainjustice.org

Check out the YouTube video here.

Check out the Lexington Herald Leader coverage at here.

An important step to achieving a clean and economically viable future for rural electric cooperatives, their member-customers, and their local economies will be the establishment of “on-bill financing” programs which will help overcome the up-front costs of implementing energy efficiency and weatherization measures.

The Rural Energy Savings Program Act

(S. 3102 / H.R. 4785)

On March 10, 2010, the Rural Energy Savings Program Act was introduced in Congress. The bill was introduced in both the House and the Senate with bipartisan support.

Under the new program proposed by the bill, the US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) will create a $4.9 billion loan program available to cooperatives with a zero percent interest rate. Cooperatives in turn will make this money available to consumer members in the form of micro-loans with an interest rate of no more than 3 percent, which can be paid back primarily through savings on their electric bills. This type of loan program is called “on-bill financing” because the loan payments would be made right on the utility bill. Another key component is that the loan would stay with the real property (i.e. the electric meter) rather than with the utility customer.

Bipartisan co-sponsors of the Senate version of the bill (S. 3102) include Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tim Johnson (D-SD), and Michael Bennett (D-CO).

A companion bill in the House of Representatives (H.R. 4785), was introduced by Representatives James Clyburn (D-SC), Tom Perriello (D-VA), Ed Whitfield (R-KY), and John Spratt (D-SC).

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is supporting the two bills, and you can find more information on their website.

Why this bill is important and its implications for Appalachia

The East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC) is a non-profit electric utility that provides power to 16 rural electric cooperatives across 87 Kentucky counties and is currently in the permitting process for the proposed construction of a new coal‐burning power plant in Clark County, KY, called the Smith plant. About half of the counties served by EKPC are in Appalachia, and about a quarter are coal-producing counties. Many of these are some of the most economically distressed counties in the nation.

A recent report commissioned by Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, Kentucky Environmental Foundation, and the Cumberland Chapter of the Sierra Club found that an investment in a combination of energy efficiency, weatherization, hydro-power and wind power initiatives in the region would generate more than 8,750 new jobs for Kentucky residents, with a total impact of more than $1.7 billion on the region’s economy over the next three years. This alternative approach would meet the energy needs of EKPC customers at a lower cost than the proposed coal plant.

Federal and state policies that make possible on-bill financing for the energy efficiency and weatherization portion of the alternative are important steps toward a clean energy future for EKPC co-ops and their members. Passage of the Rural Energy Savings Program Act is integral to this future, and the jobs and positive economic impact it will bring.

____________________________________

UPDATE: As of May 12, bill now has 15 co-sponsors for the Senate version. And the House version is now co-sponsored by four of Kentucky's six representatives: Rep. Ed Whitfield (KY-1), Rep. Ben Chandler (KY-6), Rep. Hal Rogers (KY-5), and Rep. Brett Guthrie (KY-2).

Also, we should mention that on the state level, the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED) is working on a pilot of the on-bill financing idea with four distribution co-ops in eastern Kentucky. MACED and those co-ops are waiting for Public Service Commission approval but are currently working together to get the systems in place to provide on-bill financing options to co-op members. 

"KyGREENtv," an internet based television station dedicated to all things green in Kentucky, will launch on Earth Day, April 22, 2010.  The station will feature programmingour focused on a clean and sustainable activities happening across the state.

Ky Green TV will have information about many things, including energy rating contacts, rebates, green products, websites and green collar job postings. Several KFTC members will be featured as a part of the programming.

Visit www.kygreen.tv tomorrow to check it out.

-Article taken from Kentucky Housing Corporation
Kentucky Home Performance, the quickly developing home energy retrofit program at Kentucky Housing Corporation, uses a nationally certified training system for approved professionals from the Building Performance Institute (BPI). Here’s their online address: www.bpi.org. The current standard is the “BPI Building Analyst Certification”.

Those who get the training first will be well placed to implement this program when it is operational (60-90 days).
 
Kentucky is a national leader in setting up a statewide system for training and standards in home energy audit and retrofit work. Aside from training there is also a ‘Quality Assurance’ component that will assist the training system to ensure that professions working in Kentucky homes will meet minimum ‘best practice’ standards. As the program is finalized you can follow our progress online: www.KYHomePerformance.org.
 

The required BPI “Building Analyst” Certification is a course with field work and a test. Various trainers use a 4-day “boot-camp” up to 10-days of training (KCTCS).
 
The first scheduled training will be hosted by the Home Builders Association of Lexington in April and May. There are rebates available for those who take the class and become certified. Up to $1000.
 

Class # 1 – Four Days – for Hers Raters only to become Building Analysts – April 27 – 30 – Class to be capped at 20 Students - $1,250 per student
 

Class # 2 – Six Days – From the ground up to become Building Analysts – May 10 – 15 – Class to be capped at 20 students - $1,450 per student
 
Sign-up is available at: www.hbalexington.com. Call Sandy Beck at 859-273-5117 for more information. KCTCS will be providing training in the near future. You can find KCTCS information at their website for training: www.kctcs.edu/Workforce_Solutions/.

Kentuckians who want to purchase energy-efficient appliances will soon be eligible for a financial rebate, thanks to funding made available through the federal stimulus act. Kentucky's $4 million rebate program will launch on Earth Day, April 22 and continue while funds last. Rebates will be administered on a first come, first serve basis.

The following rebates will be offered for the purchase of eligible Energy Star appliances:

Clothes washers:                                        $100

Dishwashers:                                              $50

Refrigerators:                                             $50

Freezers:                                                     $50

Room air conditioners:                               $40

Electric pump water heaters:                      $400

High efficiency gas storage water heaters: $50

High performance gas storage water heaters: $100

Gas tankless water heaters:                         $300

Solar water heaters (electric or gas backup): $400

Central air conditioners:                              $100

Air source heat pumps:                                $400

Geothermal heat pumps:                              $400

Gas furnaces:                                               $300

Gas boilers:                                                  $200

Eligible consumers are residents of Kentucky making purchases of replacement appliances from Kentucky retailers. This means that the consumer must be an individual with a Kentucky residence who is looking to get rid of an older appliance and replace it with a qualified ENERGY STAR appliance, and it must be purchased in Kentucky.   

Appliances with an ENERGY STAR label have met strict energy efficiency guidelines set jointly by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These guidelines are designed to help consumers save money and to protect the environment.

As part of this year’s “I Love Mountains” day, more than 20 KFTC young people – all between the ages of 5 and 25 – met with five members of Governor Beshear’s staff.  The purpose of the meeting was to discuss concerns about the harm that mountaintop removal coal mining creates as well as talk about creating a transition towards a clean and sustainable energy economy.  The KFTC meeting was entirely youth-planned and youth-led.

Six-year old Makayla Urias from Pike County shared what it is like living next to a mountaintop removal operation.  She talked about her polluted water, being scared from the large blasting noises, and having to cover her face when going outside because of the dust pollution.  She even brought some of her dirty water to share with the Governor’s office. 

The young KFTC members presented scientific information about the pollution and destruction created by mountaintop removal coal mining.  They also presented information about the economic benefits and jobs that could be created in Eastern Kentucky and the rest of the state if Kentucky chose to invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy alternatives.

The group used a large board to list the questions they asked the administration with a space to mark answers they received as a “yes”, “no”, or “waffle.”  By the end of the meeting, the group received a commitment to meeting with Governor Beshear within a month.  The youth delegation is excited to begin preparing to meet with Governor Beshear.  They are even talking about having their next planning meeting over waffles! 

Below is a complete summary of their questions and responses received.

1.) Will Governor Beshear support S.B. 139 and H.B. 416, the Stream Saver Bill?
    Answer:  Waffle

2.) Will the Governor create and announce a plan to end mountaintop removal and valley fills coal mining?
    Answer:  No

3.) Will Governor Beshear support H.B. 408, the Clean-Energy bill?
   Answer:  ? (Will get back to us soon once they study the bill – stay tuned for their response.)

4.) Will the Governor begin working vigorously to create new, green jobs and a new clean energy economy in Kentucky, especially for coal-producing areas and workers?
    Answer:  Yes

5.) Will Governor Beshear meet with KFTC – within a month – to talk about mountaintop removal and Kentucky’s clean energy future?
    Answer:  Yes

Here is a 7-minute video summary of their meeting.  Click on the video to watch it.

KFTC youth-led "I Love Mountains" meeting with Governor Beshear from Kentuckians For The Commonwealth on Vimeo.

Here is a 2-minute video summary of just the discussion around renewable energy possibilities in Kentucky.

"Renewable is Doable" KFTC youth meeting with Beshear Administration from Kentuckians For The Commonwealth on Vimeo.