Introduction
Stop Smith is a campaign to persuade East Kentucky Power Cooperative to invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy and cancel plans to build two proposed coal-burning power plants.
EKPC's plan to build a new coal fired power plant is both expensive and bad, as it ignores the reality that carbon dioxide will soon be regulated and taxed in some way. The already burdened people of south eastern Kentucky should not be asked to pay for taking what is obviously the wrong fork in the road to our energy future,
-Susan Dansereau, Jackson Energy Co-op Member
Background
Learn more
Learn about coal-burning power and clean energy solutions.
- New Report: How investing money in green energy and weatherization instead of new coal plants can create jobs across the entire EKPC service area.
- Report: How EKPC will be financially impacted by proposed carbon legislation
- Report: The Right Decision for Changing Times: How East Kentucky Power Cooperative Ratepayers Benefit from Canceling Plans for a New Coal Burning Power Plant In Clark County
- Report: Don’t Get Burned: The risks of investing in new coal-fired generating facilities.
- Report: Energy Efficiency in Appalachia: How much is available. At what cost? By when?
- Other research about energy issues
The proposed coal-burning power plants would be built by the East Kentucky Power Cooperative. EKPC is a non-profit electric utility that provides wholesale energy to 16 rural electric cooperatives to that serve 500,000 customers across 87 Kentucky counties.
Ninety-seven percent of the electricity produced by EKPC comes from burning coal. The cooperative is now pursuing plans to build two new 280 MW coal-burning power plants in Clark County, Kentucky: Smith 1 and Smith 2.
Building more dirty and expensive coal plants is the wrong direction for rural electric cooperatives and co-op customers!
- Coal-burning power plants are increasingly expensive and financially risky for utilities and ratepayers.
- Coal-burning power plants release large amounts of toxic pollutants that harm our health.
- Coal-burning power plants are a major source of greenhouse gases that endanger our climate.
Join the campaign to Stop Smith! We need your to help to persuade EKPC to:
- Abandon its plans to build the Smith 1 and 2 power plants.
- Help customers save money and energy by investing in energy efficiency and clean, renewable energy solutions.
Sign-up here if you want to join this campaign.
Who is part of this campaign?
This campaign is a collaborative effort among Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, the Cumberland Chapter of the Sierra Club, and the Kentucky Environmental Foundation.
Many other individuals and organizations are involved in a variety of ways, and we need your help!
Contact us if you are interested in learning more and becoming part of the campaign to Stop Smith.