GA 2024 Week 6 Recap
We are now on day 28 of the 60 day legislative session. The last day to file new bills in the House will be on February 26th. The last day to file new bills in the Senate will be February 28th.
Send a message this budget session:
“Sweep Back the Sweeps” for Land Conservation
Did you know that between 2014 and 2020, lawmakers “swept” approximately $18 million from the Heritage Land Conservation Fund in order to address state budget needs at that time? Now that lawmakers are debating how to use a healthy reserve of one-time funds, we are suggesting it’s time to “sweep those funds back.” Contact members of the Senate Appropriations & Revenue Committee and ask them to use one-time budget monies to restore funds that have been “swept” from the Heritage Land Conservation Fund over the past decade. And then go to KCC’s Facebook Page and “share” our post and graphic on this issue.
You can view the slide presentation on this issue from KCC’s Legislative Summit HERE.
Key Bills That Need More Support! - Spread the Word!
House Bill 116 (Kulkarni) Establishing a PFAS working group (Support). While this bill has bipartisan sponsorship, it has not yet been assigned to a committee even though we are almost halfway through the session. The bill establishes a PFAS Working Group to research the effect that exposure to PFAS has on health outcomes in the Commonwealth. And it establishes a reporting requirement for manufacturers that intentionally include PFAS in products manufactured for sale or distribution in the Commonwealth and for PFAS releases in the Commonwealth by manufacturers that intentionally include PFAS in manufactured products. ACT: Contact your Representative and ask them to co-sponsor this bill and then contact House Leadership to ask that this bill be assigned to a committee.
Please call the legislative message line at 1-800-372-7181 (Monday-Thurs. 7AM-9PM and Friday 7AM-6PM) to express your views on this bill. You may also email your legislators if the phone lines are closed.
Senate Bill 159 (Chambers) PFAS Bill and Firefighter Health (Strong Support) This bill creates a blood test reimbursement program for firefighters (firefighting foam is a common source of PFAS chemicals). That bill is now in the Senate State & Local Government Committee.
You may watch a video from KCC’s Legislative Summit from both of these lawmakers on the issue of PFAS here: https://vimeo.com/910157834 and then please contact your own Representative and Senator on these bills and ask for their support!
House Bill 180 (Willner) Utility Shutoff Bill. (Support). This bill makes it more difficult for utilities to disconnect service during extreme winter and summer temperatures, or following the receipt of a certificate of need from a physician, physician's assistant, community-based service program, or faith-based service program certifying that disconnection of service would threaten the health and safety of the customer or the occupants of customer's residence. Requires a hardship reconnection order for persons at risk who have had service terminated by the utility after meeting specific repayment requirements, and requires the Public Service Commission to issue an order setting forth any applicable rules and procedures.
ACT: Contact your Representative and ask them to co-sponsor this bill and then contact House Leadership to ask that this bill be assigned to a committee. Call the legislative message line at 1-800-372-7181 (Monday-Thurs. 7AM-9PM and Friday 7AM-6PM. And also don’t forget that Kentucky Conservation Committee is a partner of the "Kentuckians for Energy Democracy" Coalition (K4ED) where we are collectively fighting to address utility shutoffs. Come join us all on Feb. 15th for a lobby day at the Capitol.
House Bill 197 (Roberts) “An Act Relating to Recyclers” (Support). Requires a notice of violation by a recycling facility be sent to the local governing body where the facility is located. The bill has bipartisan sponsorship, but has still not had a committee assignment. This bill was prompted by repeated environmental problems and citizen complaints about a metals recycling facility in Northern Kentucky.
ACT: Contact your Representative and ask them to co-sponsor this bill and then contact House Leadership to ask that this bill be assigned to a committee.
On the Move: EV Charger Bill Gaining Momentum. More Calls Needed
Last week we told you that we, along with our partners at EvolveKY, have been working at top speed to build momentum for House Bill 389 (Huff), a bill on the Electric Vehicle Power Tax (KCC Support), which would exclude the additional surtax on public electric vehicle chargers that are 50kw or less. This would include “Level 2” destination chargers that have been a community benefit for many rural towns, churches, libraries and small businesses in the state that have installed these simple chargers. Right now, many of the existing sponsors of these chargers are being burdened with new reporting requirements and equipment upgrades in order to comply with a taxation that was passed two sessions ago, but recently became active, so House Bill 389 will not only address the taxation, but will make it retroactive to Jan. 1, 2024. The bill now has seven co-sponsors and has been assigned to House A&R. Please help us keep the pressure on!
ACT: Contact your Representative and ask them to co-sponsor this bill. And then contact members of the House Appropriations & Revenue Committee and ask them to support this simple bill. And then please also THANK Representative Huff for sponsoring this bill! It is important to thank lawmakers when they are moving good environmental legislation.
More on this issue, and other issues involving Electric Vehicles and their infrastructure in the video below. This video is a taping of one of the sessions from the KCC Legislative Summit which had been pre-empted, so we are providing that session for you now. Our thanks to Justin Harrod from the State Transportation Cabinet, and Mike Proctor and Michael Menor from EVolve Kentucky for participating in this panel. You may also find the slides being presented here and here.
Bills On The Move-Oppose
House Bill 136 (Oppose) on Environmental Audits. This bill has passed the House and now is in Senate State and Local Government. Please contact that committee to oppose.
House Bill 445 (Strong Oppose) Would prohibit the Public Service Commission from approving the retirement of fossil fuel-fired electric generating units unless the commission finds that the utility has “no undepreciated investment in the unit and that the costs to operate the unit are greater than the revenue that it generates.” This legislation builds upon last year’s SB 4, which also set several conditions for whether or not the Public Service Commission could retire a gas or coal-fired power plant. ACT: Contact House Leadership at 1-800-372-7181 (Monday-Thurs. 7AM-9PM and Friday 7AM-6PM) to oppose this bill. You may also email your legislators if the phone lines are closed.
KCC In the News- Kentucky’s Aluminum Dilemma
This week, the Kentucky Conservation Committee provided commentary on the recent curtailment of one of the few remaining aluminum plants in the U.S, the Magnitude 7 plant in Missouri. That announcement stands in contrast to Governor Beshear’s latest announcement for increasing the state’s investment to $1.3 Billion for electric vehicle production…an industry that is very dependent on aluminum production. To survive, the primary aluminum industry in Kentucky must be powered by clean energy in the future, and the Inflation Reduction Act is providing new tools to support that goal. Read more details in this week’s story in the Kentucky Lantern.