Wild Times
Which wild times are we talking about? Well, you might assume the upcoming legislative session (starting on Jan. 2) could be wild. However that is not what we are referring to for this week’s blog. As you may know, KCC has been spending quite a lot of time helping our allies and communities in leveraging some of the many, many grant possibilities arising from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Inflation Reduction Act, CHIPS and Science Act, and similar major initiatives that have the benefit of impacting climate change at the local level.
So we were excited this week to see that one of the initiatives we had been putting the most time into, the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program, has announced their first round of grants, with Kentucky being one of the first round recipients. This is a project that we have been working on for some time, even at the earliest stages where we were working to ensure that the program made it into the final Infrastructure law. And then afterwards, working with the state Transportation Cabinet to help supply information and research that would support their grant application. Kentucky will now receive $1.2 million in funds to support their pilot project, which will focus on the I-64/US60 corridor between Louisville and Frankfort. For this grant, we worked with our land conservation partners at Kentucky Natural Lands Trust, The Nature Conservancy, and Bluegrass Land Conservancy to identify other corridors of priority interest. We hope that this pilot project will set up the systems needed to promote more wildlife-friendly transportation projects in the future.
Southeast Solar
This past week, KCC was invited to be part of a Kentucky panel at the Southeast Renewable Energy Conference, along with allies from the Kentucky Solar Energy Society, Kentucky Solar Energy Industries Association, and Mountain Association. Our discussion centered around Kentucky’s progress and challenges for our ongoing energy transition, and the opportunities for leveraging the power of the state’s existing energy infrastructure for cleaner and greener options. The conference also gave us the opportunity to discuss strategies for building a clean energy labor force leveraging the two grants submitted to the EPA’s Solar for All program. If Kentucky is fortunate enough to be a recipient for at least one of the two grants submitted, we feel this can go a long way to help build the renewable energy workforce of the future.
Kentucky Voices This Friday! Upcoming Events:
KCC’s ”Kentucky Voices” event on December 8, 2023
KCC’s Legislative Summit on January 21st, 2024.
Ky Voices Registration OPEN NOW! Kentucky Voices is back to an in-person gathering to highlight Kentucky's authors and artists, and to benefit the Kentucky Conservation Committee and its mission. It’s a great time to get together in preparation for the 2023 legislative session. Authors will be on hand to sign and sell their books at this event, so it’s a great time to grab your favorite books in time for the holiday gift season.
This year’s event will feature these distinguished Kentucky authors including former Governor Paul Patton, LeTonia Jones, Byron Crawford, and Richard Taylor. The event is FREE for KCC members in good standing, and if it is time for your renewal, we encourage you to use this opportunity to renew with us and bring a friend to help build our membership in time for the upcoming session. Details HERE.
Mark your calendars for KCC’s Annual Meeting and Legislative Summit which will be held once again on Sunday Afternoon, Jan. 21, 2024 at Kentucky State University…this will be your opportunity to get the updates on the legislative session, plus trainings to sharpen your legislative advocacy skills. Watch this space for updates!