KCC Legislative Summit and
2023 Annual Meeting
Special Keynote:
U.S. Representative Morgan McGarvey
Former State Senator and Minority Leader, and now our newest U.S. Representative for Kentucky’s 3rd Congressional District, Morgan McGarvey will be our keynote this year. We are very excited to see how this new U.S. Representative will present Kentucky’s important environmental issues to the U.S. House.
Sessions and Trainings on Environmental Issues Before the State General Assembly and Beyond
Join us on Sunday afternoon (1:00-4:30 ET) on January 22nd either in person or virtual. Our in-person conference will be held at Kentucky State University, and you can also select attending virtually via zoom. Want the latest information on environmental issues impacting Kentucky? Want to be a more effective citizen advocate during the General Assembly? Want to know how to put recent federal funding initiatives such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act into local action? .
We will discuss continuing and emerging environmental issues during Kentucky’s 2023 legislative session. We will also provide resources you will need to be an effective advocate for a wide range of environmental issues impacting Kentucky.
We will be asking our keynote, Morgan McGarvey, on how to effectively connect recent federal funding resources toward implementation for critical conservation and environmental needs in Kentucky.
Logistics:
In-Person attendees: The in-person meeting is located at Kentucky State University campus, 400 East Main St, Frankfort, In Extension building, Room 238. Wifi will be available in the meeting room to view materials online. We ask that due to the rise in Covid at this time, we encourage you to self-test before attending. We will provide masks and sanitizer for attendees. Please bring your own water bottle for the day. Snacks will be provided for the break.
Virtual attendees: If you are attending virtually, you should be receiving a zoom link.
KCC Conference Resources: Navigating the General Assembly
Explore our training videos on our 2023 Legislative Resources Page
KCC Conference Resources: Conservation Issues and Federal Funding
Go to our 2023 Legislative Resources Page, where you will find issue briefs on: Energy Democracy, Wildlife Corridors, Socially Responsible Investing, Nuclear Energy, Hydrogen Hubs, Merchant Solar, Cryptocurrency, Electric Vehicles, Civil Liberties, Federal Funding for environmental projects.
KCC Conference Resources: New Federal Funding for Conservation Projects
Go to our 2023 Legislative Resources Page, where you will find: several summaries detailing new federal funding including the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Conference Schedule (Subject to change). Wifi will be available on site to view docs online.
1:00-1:10 Welcome and Introductions- Dr. Benjamin Knoll, KCC Board President
1:10-1:40 Legislative Process and Bill Highlights- Lane Boldman, Randy Strobo (Link to Citizen Lobbying Presentation Slides). More materials on our Resources page.
1:40:2:10 State Rep. William Lawrence, House District 70 (Maysville)- Who will discuss issues in his area including Solar and Land Use.
2:10-2:50 Keynote Presentation- U.S. Representative Morgan McGarvey
Morgan McGarvey is our newest U.S. representative for Kentucky's 3rd congressional district, succeeding Rep. John Yarmuth. Rep. McGarvey was formerly a member of the Kentucky Senate representing the 19th district.
Break (10 min)
3:00-3:30 Land Conservation, Biodiversity Updates- (Link to Presentation Slides) Sunni Carr from the Kentucky Office of Nature Preserves- “Building a Conservation Community”- How you can support new initiatives at the local level
3:30-4:00 Energy and Transportation –Federal funding initiatives relating to the state’s Electric Vehicle Transportation Plan and Energy issues in Kentucky, plus a Cryptocurrency Mining Update (Link to Crypto Mining Presentation Slides) More on our Resources page.
4:00-4:30 The Attack on Socially Responsible Investing- Special Guest Jordan Haedtler from the Sunrise Project. (Link to Presentation Slides here). More materials on our Resources page.
4:30 Putting these issues into Actions
Speakers and Topics during KCC’s Legislative Summit
Our Special Guests and Presenters Include:
Rep. William Lawrence- State Representative, House District 70
Sunni Carr-Leach, Director of the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves
Jordan Haedtler, Sunrise Project
Benjamin Knoll, KCC President
Lane Boldman, Kentucky Conservation Committee
Randy Strobo, Strobo-Barkley PLLC.
General Assembly Overview, Citizen Lobbying Tools, Federal Initiatives
We’ll provide a broad look at environmental bills before the General Assembly, and related issues including the impacts of funding initiatives such as the Federal Infrastructure law, Inflation Reduction Act, and other important federal initiatives that will impact state government, but also community agencies and nonprofits.
We will provide tools on on ways for citizens to engage as a “citizen lobbyist”, plus tips on how to navigate legislative issues in a virtual world.
We will be placing a special emphasis on what communities can do to support the investments being made at the federal and state level.
Topics You will Learn About
“The Attack on Socially Responsible Investments (aka ESG investing)” (Link Here)
During the 2022 General Assembly, the legislature passed, and the Governor signed, SB205, “An Act relating to state dealings with companies that engage in energy company boycotts.”. Now The target of this is the trend of socially responsible investing, also known as ESG, which stands for “Environmental, Societal and Governance” investing. We will be presenting an update for how these kinds of laws are playing out in various states
Special Guest: Jordan Haedtler with Sunrise Project
“Building a Conservation Community” (Link Here)
With all the conversations around infrastructure improvements and opportunities it is important to consider all factors in decision making. Communities have many resources available to help identify elements to consider when making commitments that impact land use and citizens in a wholistic manner. There are public resource professionals available and tools that can help identify areas that may need attention and collaboration to identify solutions.
Special Guest: Sunni Carr-Leach, Director of the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves
Climate Impacts of Cryptocurrency Mining- Update (Link Here)
During last year’s conference, we introduced you to the highly energy-intensive crypto mining industry, which some communities were just starting to hear about. Here is our comprehensive update detailing the climate threats and current activities of this industry in Kentucky.
