KCC Legislative Summit and
2026 Annual Meeting

VOTE KCC Board Elections 2026

Sessions and Trainings on Environmental Issues Before the State General Assembly and Beyond

[DUE TO ANTICIPATED WEATHER CONDITIONS WE ARE NOW ALL “VIRTUAL” ]

Join us on Sunday afternoon (1:00-5:00 ET) on January 25th on 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 the recent elections will impact state and federal policy on environmental issues?

We will provide resources you will need to be an effective advocate for a wide range of environmental issues impacting Kentucky and discuss continuing and emerging environmental issues during Kentucky’s 2026 legislative session with a range of topic experts and lawmakers.

Logistics:

Due to recent weather predictions, we have moved the hybrid event to “all virtual.”
Bills we will be discussing: Our current bill list for the House and Senate. Check back for regular updates.

Conference Topics (Check Back for updates and additional background materials)

1:00-1:10 [10 min] Welcome and Introductions ,
- Gerry James, KCC Board President; Lane Boldman, KCC Director
  - Resource: KCC Citizens Guide to the General Assembly 2026
- VOTE for the KCC Board of Directors (only members in good standing may vote).
1:10-1:50 [40 min] Legislative Process, Bill Highlights
- Randy Strobo, Lane Boldman- KCC Legislative Agents
  - KCC House and Senate bills reviewed to date
  - Presentation Slides: Bill Highlights to Date
  - Resource: List of Lawmakers and Issues 2026
  - Resource: How a Bill Becomes a Law in Kentucky
1:50-2:25 [35 min] State Budget Overview
- Pam Thomas- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
  - Presentation Slides: Ky Policy Budget Preview
  - KyPolicy Budget Preview, Governor’s Proposal, Executive Summary
2:25-3:10 [45 min] Land Use, Nature-Based Solutions
- Brian Storz, Licking River Basin Coordinator, Kentucky Division of Water
  - Presentation Slides: Green Sink Stormwater Mitigation
  - Resource: Nature’s Solutions for Stormwater Management
  - Resource: Building a Flood Resilient Kentucky (Related to HB61, HB166, HB208, HB221, SB11, SB47.
  - Resource: Kentucky Needs Assessment for land conservation, one page summary, and Talking Points to support the Ky. Heritage Land Conservation Fund.
    - Backgrounder: Ky. Heritage Land Conservation Fund 2025 Report
3:10-3:40 [30 min] Data Centers and Community Action
- Max Moran, Janet Garrison with “We are Mason County” Citizen’s Group
  - VIDEO of the conference presentation on data centers here.
  - Presentation Slides: Data Centers and Community Action
  - Resource: KCC webpage on data centers, KCC one-pager on data centers.
3:40-4:40 [60 min] Energy Updates, Nuclear History and Lessons
- Lane Boldman, Kentucky Conservation Committee Director- Current Nuclear Initiatives and history
  - VIDEO of the conference presentation on Nuclear Communities here.
  - Presentation Slides: Nuclear Communities - Lessons from History
  - Backgrounder: Nuclear Players in Kentucky, KCC’s Nuclear Energy Webpage
- Sarah Lynn Cunningham, Louisville Climate Action Network- Nuclear advocacy history
- Byron Gary (KRC), Andy McDonald, Apogee - Climate & Energy Transitions
  - VIDEO of the conference presentation on Kentucky’s Energy Transition here.
  - Presentation Slides: Kentucky’s Energy Transition
  - Resource: Kentucky’s Energy Transition report- Current Energy
4:40-5:00 [40 min] Putting issues into Actions
Supplemental Public Information on bills (watch for more updates):
- Senate Bill 23 - (Strong Support) Essay on Heirs Property , Farmland Transition website.
- Senate Bill 49 - (Support) NFPA Education Page on Battery Disposal
- Senate Bill 57 (Strong Oppose) “Ky. Lawmaker Proposes $75m Program to Fast-Track Nuclear Development”
- House Bill 371 (Strong Support with Changes) Outdoor recreation talking points for this bill.
- House Bill 377 and Senate Bill 88 - (Strong Support) Utility Disconnections Talking Points, First Responders
- House Bill 196 - (Strong Support) - PFAS legislation. Resource: Kentucky PFAS Explorer and state page on PFAS.
- House Bill 197 - (Strong Support) Healthy Soils legislation. Supplemental info from the Soil Policy Network, Soil4Climate, and Nerds for the Earth.
- Federal legislation: The Ohio River Restoration Act

Give us your feedback here.

Other Helpful Resources

Topics You will Learn About during KCC’s Legislative Summit

Our Special Guests and Presenters are being updated, so watch this space

Gerry Seavo James, KCC President and Deputy Director of the Sierra Club “Outdoors for All” program
Lane Boldman, Kentucky Conservation Committee
Randy Strobo, Strobo-Barkley PLLC.
Brian Sortz, Kentucky Division of Water
Max Moran, Janet Garrison: “We Are Mason County” Mason County, KY.
Pam Thomas, Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
Andy McDonald: Apogee - Climate & Energy Transitions

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 the state budget.

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

Legislative Process, KCC Bill Highlights and Emerging initiatives

We will go over key environmental bills filed to date with KCC legislative agents, as well as an overview of emerging and continuing issues being discussed in state government.

KCC Legislative Summit and 2026 Annual Meeting