On February 23, 2021, a letter signed by 100 organizations - including KFTC - was sent to members of Congress, urging support for a 7-part platform of policies to transform rural electric cooperatives and the communities they serve. KFTC and Mountain Association are founding members of the Rural Power Coalition, which drafted and circulated the sign-on letter.
This summary was prepared by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities to inform people about the impact of the Heroes Act (HR 6800) on people and communities in Kentucky. The Heroes Act was passed by the US House in June of 2020 and contains many provisions to provide robust federal aid to people, workers, states, local governments, and local and state boards of election.
This is a slightly updated version, released in July 2019, of a report KFTC first published in 2018 about a trio of legislative proposals Congress needs to pass to do right by our miners and communities: The Reclaim Act, a bill to strengthen funding for the black lung disability trust fund, and a bill to protect miners' pensions.
In December 2018, the Harlan County Fiscal Court passed a local resolution calling on Sen. McConnell and all members of Congress to support and pass three measures needed to do right by our miners and communities. The resolution urges passage of the RECLAIM Act, stronger funding for the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, and shoring up the federal fund that gurantees miners' pensions.
Downstream Strategies, Appalachian Voices, Appalachian Citizens Law Center, Coalfield Development Corporation, and Rural Action
This report was released in November 2018 by Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, Appalachian Voices, Coalfield Development Corporation, Rural Action, and Downstream Strategies. It describes a range of projects supported by a federal pilot project that invests in reclaiming old mine sites and supporting innovative development projects in affected communities.
This report, published by KFTC in October 2018, outlines actions Congress must take to support a Just Transition for our miners and communities, including strengthening the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, passing the RECLAIM Act to create jobs restoring damaged land and waterways, and protecting miners' pensions.
On October 16, 2018 the Knott County Fiscal Court passed a local resolution calling on Sen. McConnell and members of Congress to strengthen the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, pass the RECLAIM Act, and protect miners' pensions.
In October 2018 the City of Jackson, Kentucky in Breathitt County unanimously passed a local resolution calling on Congress to pass the RECLAIM Act, strengthen the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, and protect the pension fund that supports miners who worked for coal companies that have since gone bankrupt.
On September 26, the Breathitt County Fiscal Court unanimously approved this resolution, calling on members of Congress to support a package of Just Transition bills in Congress.
