Upcoming Events and Special Session Recap
Following his call for a special legislative session to speed relief to Eastern Kentucky, Governor Beshear and lawmakers announced a plan to spend nearly $212.7 million over the next six months to help rebuild communities devastated by the deadly flooding that began July 26. See the full news release here.
On Wednesday August 24th, the House and Senate gaveled in for the three-day special session focused on emergency funding and recovery efforts in at least 11 counties affected by the record flooding, as well as continuing support for communities impacted by the earlier western Kentucky tornadoes. House Bill 1 was passed by the House and Senate, then sent to the Governor’s desk for his signature on Friday, August 26th.
The relief package included $115 million to the military affairs budget unit in the Division of Emergency Management, $40 million to the operations and support services budget unit in the Department of Education, $45 million to the highways budget unit in the Transportation Cabinet to repair roads and bridges, and $12 million in ARPA funds to repair water and sewer infrastructure. While the package included many other provisions to help these areas recover, major concerns remained over shortcomings such as adequate housing aid.
As with the Western KY. storms, many state parks had become a lifeline. Jenny Wiley, Buckhorn Lake, Pine Mountain and Paintsville state parks had been serving as makeshift shelters as these eastern KY. communities recover.
The fact that Kentucky has now had to deal with two major climate disasters in less than a year means that it is not enough to simply be reactive after the disaster hits. We agree with the recent post from the Ky. Center for Economic Policy that it is time to establish a Kentucky Office of Resiliency— a coordinated effort to identify strategies to reduce risk and harm long before it happens.
Voter Resources and Info on Ballot Measures
Check out KCC’s Voter Resource page for info on races, election deadlines, and info on measures that will be on the 2022 ballot. KCC is opposed to Ballot Measure 1, that would change legislative session end dates and includes a special sessions amendment.
Most states allow the legislature to call a special session and Kentucky doesn’t, BUT most states also require a two-thirds veto to override a gubernatorial veto and Kentucky has only a majority, so Kentucky’s office of the Governor is already weak compared to governors in other states. If ballot measure 1 were to pass, it would make the office of the Governor even weaker, and the position of KCC is that it’s important to keep as much checks-and-balance parity between the legislature and Governor as possible, especially because both exercise powers related to KCC’s conservation mission. More info here.
Exciting Developments for Electric Cars
Over the last several months, KCC has been participating in state forums to gather input for Kentucky’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment plan. The draft plan was submitted to the Joint Office of the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) and US Department of Energy (USDOE) on July 22, 2022, and is currently under review.
Kentucky is also rapidly becoming the leader in EV battery manufacturing, already announcing $7 billion in new investment coming to the state over the next few years…on August 30th, the Governor announced yet another project, Envision AESC’s vehicle battery factory in Bowling Green.
Federal Updates: Highlights of the Inflation Reduction Act
We at KCC recently spent time going line-by-line through the recently-passed Inflation Reduction Act. While the specifics are yet to come for how these funds are going to trickle down to local state agencies, we would like to flag just a few highlights:
The legislation contains several provisions in support of land conservation and wildlife, including the support for urban green spaces, funding for threatened species recovery plans, habitat restoration, protection of old growth ecosystems in national forests, and extensions of Farm Bill provisions that improve carbon storage. It also includes competitive grants for “forest legacy programs.”
The bill further supports the Rural Energy for America program that promotes energy efficiency and renewable energy support for small agricultural producers and rural areas.
Health impacts of the bill includes support for coal miners and their families through permanent funding for the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund.
The bill provides transportation incentives including subsidies for reducing the cost of new and used electric vehicles, and support for electric vehicle charging stations. This also includes converting a significant portion of the US Postal Service mail trucks to ‘clean electric’ vehicles.
It also provides clean electricity incentives that will support nonprofit rural electric and municipal utilities to move away from fossil fuel power, and incentives to improve the reliability of the electric grid.
These are just a few of the many positive aspects of the legislation. While the bill is far from perfect (with unfortunate provisions that allow new drilling in the Gulf and Alaska) it is an important step for achieving our climate goals and supporting clean energy and natural climate solutions. As we receive details on how some of these opportunities reach state government, we will keep you informed.
Town Halls— Coming to Covington, Ashland and Hopkinsville…and other special events
Save the Dates! KCC will be partnering with allies from American Civil Liberties Union KY, Black Leadership Action, and Kentucky People’s Union on a series of “Town Halls” where we'll talk with our neighbors, demand answers of our legislators, and decide together the solutions we need most for Kentucky. Please join us on September 15th in Covington, September 22nd in Hopkinsville, and September 29th in Ashland. Watch for details on KCC’s Facebook page.
Louisville Earth Walk— Register Now! KCC is one of many environmental groups participating in this family-friendly event. Join us on Saturday, October 22nd at Cherokee Park in Louisville. Details and registration here!
Upcoming Events in Support of our Allies and Flood Relief:
First, we want to THANK all of you for the tremendous response to all of the flood-related pleas for help. The impact of the floods will take a very long time to heal, so we appreciate every bit of your generosity, and will try to continue letting you know about friends and allies in need.
Appalachian Roots Pop-Up Benefit — Hosted by Friends for Environmental Justice, Saturday, Sept. 3 from 10AM-9PM. See details at the link.
Appalachian Citizens Law Center 20th Anniversary Celebration Benefit— At The Burl, Lexington, 375 Thompson Rd., Lexington, Saturday, Sept. 3, 8PM. Info at link.
Concert to Support Eastern KY Libraries — September 8, 7-9PM at the Kentucky Coffeetree Cafe in Frankfort.