Your Vote, Your Voice
We hope you encourage all your friends and neighbors to get out the vote on November 7th. The state’s voter information can be found at the official state board of elections website. You can also find your polling locations at this link. And we also encourage you once again to check out Election Protection (866OurVote.org) which not only walks you through the voting process, but also includes information and toolkits on protecting your voting rights.
Questions continue on how the candidates for the Kentucky Governor’s race have been handling the issue of climate change. We at KCC have continued to receive our share of questions about the Kentucky Governor’s race, with the most recent article published in Grist. While we certainly understand the interest on whether or not the candidates are actually using the phrase “climate change” in their campaigns, and while we wish they were being more vocal about climate change, what we care most about is the substance of their actions. And on that, we will continue to watch their feet.
Perhaps our candidates can learn how to talk about climate change from our youth…for that, we will provide this opportunity to enjoy this performance below from Mighty Shades of Ebony, who performed at last Saturday’s Louisville Earth Walk!
we want to thank everyone who came out to the Earth Walk in support of eight environmental nonprofits, including KCC’s foundation. While the day was a bit damp, the rain stayed away just long enough for hundreds of walkers to celebrate the earth at Louisville’s Shawnee Park and explore information tables from local groups. Local performers like the above-mentioned Mighty Shades of Ebony certainly made the day brighter as well.
Interim Session Highlights of the Week
This past week, lawmakers in the Interim Joint Committee on Transportation heard presentations on the potential for expanded use of recycled asphalt. This was in response to a resolution adopted during the 2023 session, H.R.93 (Blanton), Lawmakers have been looking at this process as a way to help assist with the backlog of road maintenance projects throughout the state. Many states re-use the cuttings from virgin asphalt as an amendment, with Kentucky currently utilizing Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement or RAP for about 15% of their road pavement mixtures. With the national average being closer to 20%, the IJC on Transportation raised questions on Kentucky’s opportunity to expand the use of this material. Transportation Committee lawmakers also heard from local developers of a portable EV charging unit designed to address emergency deployment of charging services for electric vehicles.
In the News:
The Kentucky Supreme Court struck down a new law that let participants in lawsuits involving constitutional challenges to change the venue from Franklin Circuit Court. The court ruling is a blow to Republicans, who passed the new law as Senate Bill 126 last session over a gubernatorial veto. Writing for the court’s majority, Chief Justice Laurance B. VanMeter said the new law amounted to a violation of constitutional separation of powers.
Franklin Circuit Court has been an important body for upholding environmental laws. Read the full AP story here.
We also want to highlight this important story from the Kentucky Open Government Coalition, Case No. 2022-CA-0192-MR, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Commission Vs. the Kentucky Open Government Coalition, Inc, where the Coalition won an important victory for government transparency, addressing how private cell phone and email messages that involve public business are addressed and what is a “public record”: “…it is nearly impossible to overstate the importance of the Court of Appeals' October 27 opinion in Kentucky Open Government Coalition v Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Commission.” Read details HERE.
Kentucky Voices is Back!
Join us in Frankfort on December 8
This annual event is back to an in-person gathering to highlight Kentucky's authors and artists, and to benefit the Kentucky Conservation Committee and its mission. The event is free as a member benefit for KCC members in good standing, but we also encourage members to renew their membership at this time, or invite a friend to join or donate, to help us raise funds in preparation for the 2023 legislative session.
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. Details HERE.
