December 2019 – balancing the scales

VOLUME 38 NUMBER 7

INSIDE …

Reflections and reports on KFTC voter empowerment work Keep up the momentum ............ 4 Let’s turn it up! ............................ 5 VE organizers .............................. 6 M.O.R.E. Tour .................................. 9

DECEMBER 10, 2019

Reflections from members 2020 challenges ......................... 2 Look to the future on energy ... 13 KFTC in Madrid .......................... 13 Empower leadership ................. 14 And letters we signed Keep funding reclamation ........ 16 Thriving communities ............... 18

In 2019 Kentuckians showed up for each other.

Change Service Requested

scales

Kentuckians For The Commonwealth P.O. Box 1450 London, Ky. 40743

BALANCING THE

www.kftc.org | December 10, 2019

2 | Balancing the Scales

is a statewide grassroots social justice orga­­ni­ zation working for a new balance of power and a just society. KFTC uses direct-action organizing to accomplish the following goals: • foster democratic values • change unjust institutions • empower individuals • overcome racism and other discrimination • communicate a message of what’s possible • build the organization • help people participate • win issues that affect the common welfare • have fun KFTC membership dues are $15 to $50 per year, based on ability to pay. No one is denied membership because of inability to pay. Membership is open to anyone who is committed to equality, democracy and nonviolent change.

KFTC STEERING COMMITTEE Cassia Herron, chairperson Alan Smith, vice chairperson Rebecca Tucker, secretary-treasurer Fannie Madden-Grider, at-large member Meta Mendel-Reyes, immediate past chair Chapter Representatives Emily Baldridge, Big Sandy Tiffany Duncan, Central Kentucky David Miller, Cumberland Carl Shoupe, Harlan County Connor Allen, Jefferson County Alondra Garcia, Madison County Greta Elenbaas, Northern Kentucky Courtney Combs, Perry County Amelia Cloud, Rolling Bluegrass Alvin Madden-Grider, Rowan County Joy Fitzgerald, Shelby County Summer Bolton, Southern Kentucky Jim Gearhart, Western Kentucky Shannon Scott, Wilderness Trace Alternates: Mikaela Curry, Big Sandy; Rachel Norton, Central Kentucky; Stephanie Kingsley, Cumberland; Chase Gladson, Harlan County; Courtney Kearney, Jefferson County; Susan Haddix, Madison County; Paul Schwartz, Northern Kentucky; Bobby Duff, Perry County; Kali Reagan, Rolling Bluegrass; Allie Secor, Rowan County; Tammy Barrett, Shelby County; Teresa Christmas, Southern Kentucky; Shannon Davis-Roberts, Western Kentucky; Eric Mount, Wilderness Trace

Table of Contents KFTC News Executive Corner: 2019 victories will help us confront 2020 challenges .......................... 3 We’re in a moment – let’s keep it going! ........................................................................................ 4 KFTC Calendar of Events ................................................................................................................... 19 Become a Sustaining Giver, make a lasting difference .......................................................... 20 Voter Empowerment What going “All In” on elections looked like for KFTC in 2019 .............................................. 5 Time to turn all the way up .................................................................................................................. 6 Voter empowerment organizers helped election success ....................................................... 7 Racial Justice Movement for Black Lives Platform endorsed by KFTC .......................................................... 8 Economic Justice Poor People’s Campaign MORE tour lifts up systemic evils prior to election ................. 9 A thriving community requires a strong safety net ................................................................. 18 Local Updates – Building Grassroots Power NKY members learn of sustainability initiatives on tour ........................................................ 10 Successful pie auction and dance in Perry County ................................................................... 10 Julia Basil is the new organizer for Madison and Wilderness Trace .................................. 1 1 New Energy and Just Transition KFTC members show up in force at PSC net metering hearing.............................................12 PSC gives up some records, hiding others in Open Records case . ................................... 12 Mikaela Curry represents KFTC at climate summit actions in Madrid .............................. 13 Gov. Beshear should look to future, not past, when it comes to energy issues...............13 Empower Kentucky Leadership Network retreat reflections.................................................. 14 RECLAIM Act and black lung lead list of federal Just Transition legislation.....................15 Coal and Water KFTC supports, working for reclamation program renewal.....................................................16 Corporate welfare leads to widespread injustice in Martin County.......................................17

PLEASE CHECK YOUR MAILING LABEL Over the summer KFTC transitioned to a new database. We’re still working out a few glitches, so if there is anything not right about your address, the names on the label or the number of issues of Balancing the Scales that show up in your mailbox, please let us know.

Contact us at info@kftc.org or call Ashley at 606-878-2161.

Thanks!

Balancing the Scales is published by Kentuckians For The Commonwealth and sent as third class mail from Louisville. Reader contri­butions and letters to the editor should be sent to P.O. Box 864, Prestonsburg, KY 41653 or jhardt@kftc.org. Subscriptions are $20/yr.

www.kftc.org | December 10, 2019

Balancing the Scales | 3

executive committee corner

2019 victories will help us confront 2020 challenges

By Alan Smith KFTC vice chairperson Members of KFTC’s Steering Committee met November 22 & 23 at the Nazareth Retreat Center outside beautiful Bardstown.

This was the second meeting of the committee since new chapter representatives and statewide officers joined after the Annual Meeting in August, and the first meeting since the November 5 statewide elections.

The Steering Committee meets six times a year, including two overnight retreats. Retreats are often the best chance committee members have to deepen our relationships, gain a better understanding of where we are and where we’re headed, and engage on leading KFTC through our daunting program of work.

On Friday night, we had a chance to reflect.

KFTC is in the midst of two very ambitious projects at once. We are engaged in a racial justice assessment, to root out and banish white supremacy wherever we find it in our organization. And we are finding our way forward with the recent formation of the staff union.

There was a general feeling that we are moving into a new chapter for KFTC, one that is chock full of opportunities for growth and positive change, but also replete with challenges that could pull us apart.

Committee members reflected that we need to slow down, listen and be patient, and that we have a great responsibility to be fully present and to support each other.

So much is going on in KFTC these days that we’ve made it this far and I’ve yet to mention the hugely important Beshear/Coleman victory at the polls!

With a margin of right around 5,000 votes, we know our efforts had a major impact on the lives of Kentuckians for the next four years. Every call, text, door knock and lit drop mattered. Every voter we registered, empowered and mobilized brought about this win for everyday Kentuckians.

This is the right time for us to recognize and celebrate ourselves! At the Steering Committee meeting we also recognized that our work is being watched across the country. Despite the president’s efforts to nationalize this race, Kentuckians chose each other when we voted to get rid of a destructive and divisive governor. And the nation will be watching us next

year, when we have a chance to get Mitch McConnell broke into small groups, generating lots of ideas. There out of office. is so much we must do to lead our state forward, to live

With all these things in mind, our Saturday session into our best ideals, and to ensure justice and equity in started with a recap of the election, and KFTC’s work our organization and our work. around it, led by two of our talented staff members, I think the entire Steering Committee would agree Alicia Hurle and Dave Newton. We identified many with this statement from our immediate past-chair positives: the great work of our staff team, including Meta Mendel-Reyes: "White supremacy culture leads our voter empowerment organizers; the New Power us to destroy each other. So much is at stake. There are Voters we identified; the Democracy Leaders that no magic bullets and we'll make mistakes, but we have stepped up; and our integration of new technologies to pull together." and databases to achieve our goals.

Finally, we had time to discuss the collective bar To sharply focus on how we can improve, and how gaining process that is on the horizon for KFTC and we can achieve our ambitious electoral goals in 2020, the newly-formed staff union. Most all of us on the we broke into small groups to discuss volunteer en- Steering Committee have little experience with unions, gagement, staffing for our Action for Democracy work, let alone being part of bargaining negotiations. We improving our endorsement process and overall voter were led through a discussion by Meta, and cast our engagement. We know that our grassroots movement vision forward from many angles, discussing ideas like to achieve New Power in Kentucky means we have to the formation of a negotiating team. We all have so get results at the ballot box. We have massive goals to much to learn, but we are hopeful and positive as we elect progressive, New Power leaders across the state look toward a brand-new chapter for KFTC. next year, and it will take ALL of us to get there. The Overall, this was another fantastic retreat for work of our chapter-based Democracy Teams will be a Steering Committee members. I was encouraged to vital part of 2020. continue working for my state and my neighbors by Next, the committee turned to our racial justice Wilderness Trace rep Shannon Scott when she said, assessment process, with a discussion led by talented “This organization has given me a place to use my skills KFTC member Wendy Warren. The process is now at and knowledge to make the world a better place.” a turning point, where we have specific recommenda- That’s how I’ve always felt about KFTC. Togethtions from Frontline Solutions, the consultancy group er, let’s celebrate the victories of 2019, steel ourselves that led our racial justice audit. for the challenges to come in 2020, and continue to Frontline proposed that we: focus on healing choose each other. Together, we are our best hope for and conflict resolution; develop a standing training change. program on equity and racial justice for staff and members; and reimagine KFTC’s structure to make it more equitable.

The Steering Committee will continue to process the Frontline recommendations, and we welcome input The KFTC Steering Committee gathered at the Nazareth Retreat Center near Bardstown from all parts on November 22-23 for a working retreat. They reflected on KFTC’s work in the recent of the organiza- election and spent time discussing major pieces of work for 2020, including building tion. on the voter work, advancing the next steps in KFTC’s racial justice assessment process, We again and working with the staff union on collective bargaining.

www.kftc.org | December 10, 2019

4 | Balancing the Scales

We’re in a moment – let’s keep it going!

This past spring, KFTC’s Steering Committee voted to go “all in” to impact the important elections in 2019 and 2020. They saw the urgency when so many things – our health care, pensions, schools, environment and our democracy – are at stake. We made important strides toward our goals in 2019, as KFTC Chairperson Cassia Herron describes in the letter below. Even bigger challenges await us in the new year, and a successful end-of-the-year fundraising campaign will help ensure we meet those challenges.

To KFTC members and friends:

Here in Kentucky, we do better together. And this fall, we showed that when we choose each other – by having conversations with our neighbors and showing up together at the polls – we can stand up to politicians who want to divide us.

Electing a new governor wasn’t easy. Governor Beshear’s campaign knocked on one million doors. Ally organizations engaged voters across the state. And over 300 KFTC members and volunteers had conversations with thousands of Kentuckians at their front doors, on the phone, and at community events.

Kentuckians from our “hoods to our hollers” organized, energized our neighbors and made an impact in 2019. And we’re just getting started.

In 2020, we have the opportunity to elect dozens of state legislators, a senator, and a president. So many of the things we care about are still at stake. We’ll continue to fight for the kind of jobs we want to have, and for all Kentuckians to be able to go to the doctor when we’re sick. We’ll fight for how we want to treat our seniors and children – all of them. We get to decide how we treat poor and working-class families. Black folks. Immigrants. LGBTQ+ people. We’ll continue to fight for our climate. We will restore our democracy.

At the beginning of the year, we made a commitment to go all-in to build a grassroots movement that would impact the important elections of 2019 and 2020. It’s time to scale up – to turn all the way up!

This year proved how powerful conversations on the ground, in our communities can be. With your support, in 2020 we’ll do even more: • • • • • • •

Meet folks at ball games, in the checkout line, and at our kitchen tables to find out what’s on their minds.

Register voters at local events, campuses, and at their front doors.

Learn where candidates stand on issues and share that information with voters and constituents.

Organize town halls, forums, and community meet and greets.

Get out the vote on election day.

Hold elected leaders accountable in Washington, D.C., Frankfort and at home.

Share our stories online and in-person to show what’s possible in Kentucky.

Join me in giving thanks and celebrating the work that we’ve done together and that we’ll continue to do.

Will you renew your membership or make a special donation of any amount that works for you? Will you commit to continue registering Kentuckians to vote? Can you invite someone to join KFTC? Those of us dreaming of a better Kentucky – and a better world – have a responsibility to build it. It’s going to take all of us, choosing each other, to make it happen.

Thanks for all you do.

Cassia Herron KFTC Chairperson P.S. Visit our website WeAreKentuckians.org and sign up to volunteer for next year’s electoral work. And please consider donating – every gift helps fund this work. Do so at kftc.org/support or use the form on page 7 or 20.

www.kftc.org | December 10, 2019

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Voter Empowerment

What going “All In” on elections looked like for KFTC in 2019 Earlier this year, KFTC’s grassroots leadership made the decision to go “all in” for the 2019 and 2020 elections. This decision was rooted in the context that everything Kentuckians care about – from health care to fair wages to adequate funding for public schools to LGBTQ+ protections and so much more – is at stake.

While these issues won’t be won or lost in one or two elections, the results of each election will have a significant impact on the political and organizing landscape that will make achieving a positive vision for all Kentuckians possible. Any incremental progress can have significant long-term effects on Kentucky, and potentially the rest of the country.

To go “all in” this year has meant orienting all of KFTC’s work toward integrated voter engagement.

More than “just” registering voters, KFTC emphasizes having conversations about issues that matter locally and statewide.

Sometimes there is an additional action, such as getting the voter to sign a petition, come out to a community event or following up with more information later.

KFTC is not “just” knocking on doors about a specific party or candidate; members are talking with folks about what they care about, building relationships with them, and helping them connect the dots between the election and impacts on issues.

KFTC is not “just” getting out the vote; members are following up with the thousands of people they met at community events, at front doors, at festivals and elsewhere with the voter guide, offering rides to the polls and making sure they’re all set to vote.

And after election day, KFTC does not then shift focus to the next election. Time and resources are spent to follow up with the growing list of engaged voters, inviting them to chapter meetings, to trainings, to get involved in the General Assembly and local governance, to hold elected leaders accountable, and so much more that builds collective power for long-term changes that

benefit all Kentuckians.

In 2019, KFTC members and volunteers were active in all regions of Kentucky. Since the primary election in May, KFTC organized or participated in nearly 350 voter engagement activities. This included voter registration activities at nearly all the major colleges and universities in Kentucky, new citizens’ celebrations, multiple Pride events, community festivals like Roots & Heritage, Jenny Wiley Festival and Heritage Days, direct action support at a pre-election day Trump rally, and unique local events like Left Wing Hot Wings and Puppies to the Polls – as well as phone banks and texting banks, literature drops and numerous neighborhood canvasses.

“Together, we made an impact. And we can’t slow down,” wrote Cassia Herron, KFTC’s chairperson in

an email to members the day after the election.

“Those of us dreaming of a better Kentucky – and a better world – have a responsibility to build it. Electing leaders who will show up with us and for us is one important step. Last night’s result creates momentum for Kentuckians to choose state legislators, a new senator and a new president in 2020.

“This election also makes it more possible for us to protect public education and health care in the General Assembly, expand voting rights, and more. And grassroots leaders will need to hold Beshear accountable to his campaign promises and push him to bolder action.

“Thank you to every KFTC member and volunteer who showed up during this election.

“Let’s keep building grassroots power together.”

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www.kftc.org | December 10, 2019

www.kftc.org | December 10, 2019

Balancing the Scales | 7

Voter Empowerment

Voter empowerment organizers helped election success KFTC’s paid voter empowerment organizers made a big impact in all the regions of the state they worked in this fall. Many had invaluable community knowledge they brought to their regions and several were graduates of the KFTC Organizing Academy.

“My voter empowerment work consisted of connecting with my community, getting their opinion on the changes they want to see,” said Shirlisa Arnold, a voter empowerment organizer with the Southern Kentucky chapter in Bowling Green. “I did this over the phone through phone banking or at community events like the NAACP Unity in the Community event, or by knocking door to door.” “ W h e n having these conversations my overall feeling is hopeful. Having conversaHeather Kinney

tions about the changes needed in our government and the ways we can execute them helps to remind me that there are still level-headed, forward thinking and kind people in our society.”

KFTC hired 20 part-time voter empowerment organizers who worked in all regions of the state. Collectively they added more than 3,100 hours to the tens of thousands of hours put in by KFTC staff and member volunteers.

The emphasis for many was on having conversations with voters, or potential voters, with an emphasis on reaching those who often are ignored by mainstream political campaigns or otherwise shut out of the process.

KFTC electoral workers listened – their most important role – to let voters know their opinions are wanted, are heard and are needed to build the kind of Kentucky where everyone, no matter their color, income, geography or life experience, thrives.

“It is very refreshing in such trying times to hear real opinions from real Kentuckians like myself and find out they are wanting the same thing I want.

Health care. Affordable housing. Community enrich-

Shirlisa Arnold, left, and Summer Graves.

ment,” shared Summer Graves, who also worked with the Southern Kentucky chapter.

“Canvassing is hard work for sure,” said Heather Kinney, who participated in many Central Kentucky chapter door-to-door canvasses. “But you also have people open up to you in the most beautiful and unexpected ways when you ask what is important to them.”

Join KFTC or renew your membership during our fall fundraising campaign NAME:

_____________________________________________

ADDRESS: _____________________________________________ CITY:

_____________________________________________

STATE & ZIP: ____________________________

_________

HOME PHONE: ________________ CELL PHONE: ________________ EMAIL:

_____________________________________________

Select what organization you would like to donate to: □ KFTC: Membership dues and donations are not tax-deductible. □ Kentucky Coalition: Membership dues and donations are tax-deductible.

Mail this form to KFTC, P.O. Box 1450, London KY 40743 Join or renew online: www.KFTC.org/RenewNow

Announcing:

I will give: □$250 □$100 □$50

□$25

□$15 □$5

Other Amount: $_______

Suggested membership dues are $15-$50 annually, based on ability to pay.

We welcome you to give whatever amount you are able.

Payment Method:

□ Check or money order enclosed. □ Credit card: Complete information below. □ Visa □ Mastercard □ Am. Express □ Discover

Card Number: __ __ __ __ -__ __ __ __ -__ __ __ __ -__ __ __ __ Expiration Date ___ ___ / ___ ___ I authorize KFTC/KY Coalition and their authorized third-party processing vendor(s) to debit my account or charge my credit card in accordance with the information provided. I understand that this authority will remain in effect until cancelled or changed by reasonable notification to KFTC/KY Coalition.

Authorized Signature: _________________________________ Date: _______________________________________________

KFTC 2020 Annual Membership Meeting July 24-26, 2020 at Berea College

Mark your calendars now!

www.kftc.org | December 10, 2019

8 | Balancing the Scales

KFTC News

Movement for Black Lives Platform endorsed by KFTC KFTC has endorsed the Movement for Black Lives platform, reprinted below from the group’s website – https://policy.m4bl.org/. The site also lists the group’s demands with resources and toolkits to help learn about the issues at stake.

INTRODUCTION In response to the sustained and increasingly visible violence against Black communities in the U.S. and globally, a collective of more than 50 organizations representing thousands of Black people from across the country have come together with renewed energy and purpose to articulate a common vision and agenda. We are a collective that centers and is rooted in Black communities, but we recognize we have a shared struggle with all oppressed people; collective liberation will be a product of all of our work.

PLATFORM Black humanity and dignity requires Black political will and power. Despite constant exploitation and perpetual oppression, Black people have bravely and brilliantly been the driving force pushing the U.S. towards the ideals it articulates but has never achieved. In recent years we have taken to the streets, launched massive campaigns, and impacted elections, but our elected leaders have failed to address the legitimate demands of our Movement. We can no longer wait.

In response to the sustained and increasingly visible violence against Black communities in the U.S. and globally, a collective of more than 50 organizations representing thousands of Black people from across the country have come together with renewed energy and purpose to articulate a common vision and agenda. We are a collective that centers and is rooted in Black communities, but we recognize we have a shared struggle with all oppressed people; collective liberation will be a product of all of our work.

climate change, war, and exploitation. We also stand with descendants of African people all over the world in an ongoing call and struggle for reparations for the historic and continuing harms of colonialism and slavery. We also recognize and honor the rights and struggle of our Indigenous family for land and self-determination.

We have created this platform to articulate and support the ambitions and work of Black people. We also seek to intervene in the current political climate and assert a clear vision, particularly for those who claim to be our allies, of the world we want them to help us create. We reject false solutions and believe we can achieve a complete transformation of the current systems, which place profit over people and make it impossible for many of us to breathe.

Together, we demand an end to the wars against Black people. We demand that the government repair the harms that have been done to Black communities in the form of reparations and targeted long-term investments. We also demand a defunding of the systems and institutions that criminalize and cage us. This document articulates our vision of a fundamentally different world. However, we recognize the need to include policies that address the immediate suffering of Black people. These policies, while less transformational, are necessary to address the current material conditions of our people and will better equip us to win the world we demand and deserve.

We recognize that not all of our collective needs and visions can be translated into policy, but we understand that policy change is one of many tactics necessary to move us towards the world we envision. We have come together now because we believe it is time to forge a new covenant. We are dreamers and doers and this platform is meant to articulate some of our vision. The links throughout the document provide the stepping-stones and road maps of how to get there. The policy briefs also elevate the brave and transformative work our people are already engaged in, and build on some of the best thinking in our history of struggle. This agenda continues the legacy of our ancestors who pushed for reparations, Black self-determination and community control; and also propels new iterations of movements such as efforts for reproductive justice, holistic healing and reconciliation, and ending violence against Black cis, queer, and trans people.

We believe in elevating the experiences and leadership of the most marginalized Black people, including but not limited to those who are women, queer, trans, femmes, gender nonconforming, Muslim, formerly and currently incarcerated, cash poor and working class, disabled, undocumented, and immigrant. We are intentional about amplifying the particular experience of state and gendered violence that Black queer, trans, gender nonconforming, women and intersex people face.

There can be no liberation for all Black people if we do not Facebook center and fight for those who have been marginalized. It www.KFTC.org/facebook is our hope that by working together to create and amplify For chapter Facebook pages, a shared agenda, we can continue to move towards a world in which the full humanity and dignity of all people is visit: www.kftc.org/links recognized.

KFTC on social media

While this platform is focused on domestic policies, we know that patriarchy, exploitative capitalism, militarism, and white supremacy know no borders. We stand in solidarity with our international family against the ravages of global capitalism and anti-Black racism, human-made

@KFTC @NKY_KFTC @RBG_KFTC @MadCo_KFTC @EKY_KFTC

Instagram @jckftc @soky_kftc @centralkentuckykftc

@kentuckiansforthecommonwealth

@JCKFTC @WT_KFTC @SoKyKFTC @VotingRightsKY

To find our photos on Flickr: www.flickr.com/ photos/KFTCphotos

www.kftc.org | December 10, 2019

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Building Grassroots Power

Poor People’s Campaign MORE tour lifts up systemic evils prior to election In late October, the Kentucky Poor Peoples Campaign hosted the group’s national “We Must Do M.O.R.E. – Mobilizing, Organizing, Registering and Educating” tour for stops in several Kentucky communities.

“Following two years of organizing with the Kentucky Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, we returned to stand with Kentuckians For The Commonwealth to kick off our Kentucky MORE Tour with a press conference at Senator Mitch McConnell's in-state office, to request a meeting and deliver our Moral Agenda,” the Rev. William Barber later reported. “Last year, when we attempted to meet with him in Washington, D.C., we were turned away. This time we were threatened with arrest.”

The group gathered outside McConnell’s Fort Wright office, which is located in a private building and not accessible to the public. A security officer turned away PPC members who wished to deliver a letter for McConnell.

Later that evening at a mass meeting in Covington, the tour leaders heard from people like Juli Russ on her fears of being underinsured, in a state where 241,000 people are living without any health insurance at all.

“I still remember how the woman from the insurance company, who had to call my mother to tell her that my condition would not be covered, cried.

She said she was sorry, over and over,” Russ recalled.

“Being poor and sick I am terrified that someone in office will decide that my existence is too expensive."

The next day, MORE Tour leaders participated

in community meetings in Corbin and Hazard.

One hundred years ago, in October 1919, most of the Black residents of Corbin were expelled by white mobs. Today, residents are still acknowledging the town’s past while building new multi-racial coalitions.

As part of that local effort, the KFTC Cumberland chapter hosted a Dismantling Racism Workshop, led by state Rep. Attica Scott. That was followed by the Poor Peoples Campaign gathering, where residents testified about the systemic evils that lead to poverty and injustice.

A dinner and second community meeting took place that evening in Hazard.

Pike County KFTC member Tiffany Pyette told her story that illustrated the nation’s distorted values around health care.

“I am a walking pre-existing condition,” said Pyette, who lives in fear that she will lose access to the medicines she needs that cost several thousand dollars a month. “I don’t know what it is like to not live in medically induced poverty.

“I stand with the Poor Peoples Campaign because I believe I have a right to live.”

“Someone is hurting our sister, and it’s gone on far too long, and I won’t be silent any more,” Rev. Liz Theoharis reminded the crowd of the campaign’s oft-repeated phrase after Pyette and others testified.

“There is nowhere in the Bible, there is nowhere in the constitution, that God wills poverty,” Theoharis said. “The question is, are we going to build up the political will to end it.”

The Kentucky MORE Tour wrapped up with a march and mass meeting at Georgetown College,

where students and local residents learned from people like Amanda Hill about how poverty, ecological devastation and immigration justice impacts the people in their community.

“I remember in high school going outside, and the creeks were running black and the fish were all dead. Mines started shutting down, and the opioids started moving in,” said Hill. “I got addicted and went to jail. I would have holes in my state socks and I would think ‘this is what you deserve,’ because that’s what we tell people who are poor. But it’s not what I deserve.”

“If folks can find you to hurt you, they can find you to help you,” Rev. Barber pointed out on the tour.

“We do not have a scarcity of money in America, we have a scarcity of moral courage. That’s why we must continue to put a true face on poverty and the interlocking injustices that help entrench poverty.”

The MORE Tour visited Kentucky just before the November 5 election, and speakers noted the importance of the elections in 2019 and 2020.

“Racist voter suppression is alive and well in Kentucky,” Barber pointed out. “The states that have the highest poverty have the highest voter suppression.”

The MORE Tour started in Texas in September and will include at least 20 states before it wraps up in May 2020. That will be followed by a Mass Poor People’s Assembly and March on Washington on June 20, 2020, where thousands of poor people, advocates, and faith leaders will gather at the nation’s capital to demonstrate their power.

Testimony at the church in Corbin.

People were blocked from entering Sen. Mitch McConnell’s private office, paid for with public money.

The MORE Tour concluded with a mass meeting in Georgetown.

Photos by Steve Pavey, Hope In Focus

www.kftc.org | December 10, 2019

10 | Balancing the Scales

Building Grassroots Power

NKY members learn of sustainability initiatives on tour The Northern Kentucky Chapter hosted a Sus- people who came to the tour visited with local vendors tainability Tour in September with allies in Covington and walked to Redden Gardens. Brian Goessling, who to learn about ways local communities are trying to began the garden where his grandfather’s doctor’s office promote sustainability. had once sat, developed the concept as a way to invest Members gathered at Roebling Point Books and in the community and honor his Grandfather Redden’s Coffee at 306 Greenup Street to outline the day and legacy. then walked to the Covington Farmers’ Market on 3rd The conversation covered everything from solar Street. There they learned from Alexa Abner and Me- potential in Kentucky and the ongoing impact of legisgan Ayers about the Double Dollars Program, which is lation that limits the affordability of solar for residencused to double the buying power of people who utilize es by placing restrictions on net metering in Kentucky, the public safety net. to urban chicken farming, the challenges in creating a This program allows low-income folks to buy nonprofit community garden, and the threat that genlocally, support local farmers and have access to fresh trification brings to the community that benefits from food. Abner and Ayers also shared pop-up events they the extra food the garden provides. host in other neighbor Walking back to Lil’s hoods to promote local Bagels, members reflected Follow the Northern Kentucky chapter vendors, as well as how on the knowledge and on social media: Instagram @northernthe market seeks to reduce passion that everyone they ky_KFTC • Twitter: @NKY_KFTC • waste. spoke with had for the Facebook.com/nky.kftc.

After that, the dozen communities they lived in. They talked about the Energy Performance Assessment District that Covington has, and what on-bill financing for similar projects could mean for residents or other businesses.

They talked about the potential of cleaner energy, and how legislation like RECLAIM could help create jobs and clean water and land in former mining communities, including where some of the participants’ families still call home.

At Lil’s Bagels, Julia Keister spoke with the hungry attendees KFTC members, NKU Hiking Club members and others on the Sustainability Tour listen to Alexa Abner and Megan Ayers talk about the work to promote local, affordable food, while reducing waste, at the farmer's market. Renaissance Covington, which runs the Covington Farmers’ Market, also uses the market as a way to celebrate local culture, hosting a salsa tasting competition with the Esperanza Center, featuring local musicians, bringing in artists to demonstrate skills, and hosting pop up events around the city to increase accessibility.

Thanks

Brian Goessling talks about Redden Gardens' history, the inspiration of the mural, and the apple trees growing on the side of his grandfather's doctor's office.

and listened to the their talk of the day. She talked about local efforts to source food locally, including purchasing through the local food connections.

Roughly 50 percent of Lil’s food year-round is locally sourced, and they try to grow what they can in the small garden they have in their courtyard.

Following lunch, most of the attendees went on a hike at the Licking River Greenway Trail, walking to Randolph Park in Covington’s Eastside, following it to the Covington neighborhood of Levassor Park. People reflected on the day, what they enjoyed, and what they’d like to see more of.

At the end of the hike, NKU Hiking and KFTC agreed to host another NKY Sustainability Tour in Newport on April 11. Members plan to again reach out to the Poor People’s Campaign, Ride the Cov, and local businesses and nonprofits that are passionate about sustainability.

Successful pie auction and dance in Perry County The Perry County chapter held its second Pie Auction and Square Dance fundraiser in November, bringing together area members and introducing new friends to KFTC. Thanks to the 15 pies donated, stellar auctioneering by Randy Wilson and Terry Ratliff, square dances led by caller Will Bowling and many willing hands, the evening was a success.

for being a member or supporter of KFTC. You make the work you read about in Balancing the Scales possible – 38 years of it!

www.kftc.org | December 10, 2019

Balancing the Scales | 11

Building Grassroots Power

Rolling Bluegrass chapter celebrates with Y’all Fall for Justice fundraiser In November, the Rolling Bluegrass chapter gathered for a fundraiser at the Holiday Inn Express in Georgetown. Instead of their traditional Arty Pie Party, members held the Y’all Fall For Justice! While it included a silent auction and music, some of the things were a little different.

This year the silent auction included less art (though local artists and authors still donated work), and more special items – tickets to the Lexington Philharmonic, a murder-mystery dinner from Adventure Theatre, a stay at Kokovoko Bed and Breakfast, and so much more! There were “just desserts” to be bid on and shared, a women’s arm wrestling tournament, rocks to paint on, and crafts to entertain little ones. The music was provided by Liam’s Fancy.

Julia Basil joins staff for Madison and Wilderness Trace

Julia Basil joined the KFTC staff in November and will serve as the organizer with the Madison County and Wilderness Trace (Boyle, Garrard, Lincoln and Mercer counties) chapters.

Julia has roots in northern Kentucky, though now lives in south-central Kentucky. She studied the history of colonization as an undergraduate student at Ohio State University and completed a Master's in library science at the University of Kentucky.

In her free time, Julia enjoys reading, cooking, gardening and whatever her toddler wants to do.

She is based in the Berea office and can be contacted at Julia@kftc.org or 859-868-1179.

Thanks

The event was emceed by Amy Farrar. Speakers included Rosanne Fitts Klarer talking about KFTC’s work to choose Kentucky, Michael Dahl celebrating the success of Fairness, Brittany Martin sharing the work behind Lex Veg Fest, and Jeffrey Floyd sharing both struggles facing low-income people in local communities and a beautiful song that moved the crowd.

The event was a huge success, thanks to the tireless work of the event’s organizers. Amelia Cloud and Rosanne Fitts Klarer did the bulk of the heavy lifting, and were helped by Mary Marion, Amy Farrar, Kali Reagan, Pauline Shackleford, Brittany Martin, Leslie Bebensee, and Amy Farrar … just to name a few. Together, the chapter raised more than $3,000 between donations, silent auction, merchandise and in-kind contributions to cover the costs of the event, and recruited five new members!

Testing their strength in the women’s arm wrestling contest were Nyla Nims and Amy Farrar (above).

Below, Rosanne Klarer (left) invited Brittany Martin and Kat Holt to talk about the Lex Veg Fest.

Carla Wallace (far left) and Lisa Osanka (far right) with Lisa Nicholson, Debra Mumford and Africa Hands. To give a gift during KFTC’s Fall Fundraising Campaign, go to kftc.org/support or use the form on page 20.

This year we are making a donation to KFTC in support of Racial Justice, the KFTC Union and Workers’ Rights.

We have been part of KFTC for something like a combined 65 years. We believe in challenging corporate power and collective struggle against the abuse of the people and the land.

We believe that KFTC can only build the people power we need by centering racial justice in the work for economic and environmental justice.

Every single issue can include a racial justice lens – looking at how each form of oppression impacts communities of color, and poor and working class white folks too.

Part of racial and economic justice includes the right of KFTC organizers, and other staff, to unionize for a greater voice in the organization.

We are excited to encourage and support KFTC in this direction at this critical time.

–Carla Wallace and Lisa Osanka

for being a member or supporter of KFTC. You make the work you read about in Balancing the Scales possible – 38 years of it!

www.kftc.org | December 10, 2019

12 | Balancing the Scales

New Energy and Transition

KFTC members show up in force at PSC hearing Kentuckians who believe in a renewable energy future, including many KFTC members, showed up in force in Frankfort on a mid-November morning to show their unabashed support for rooftop solar,

They urged the Kentucky Public Service Commissioners to place a reasonable and high value on energy generated by rooftop solar panels that is added to the state’s electric grid operated by monopoly utilities.

The hearing was the culmination of a monthslong process for collecting feedback from the general public about how the PSC, the state utility regulator, should be implementing the anti-solar bill passed by the state General Assembly earlier this year.

Prior to 2019, rooftop solar in Kentucky was accessible and viable because of a policy known as solar net metering, which allowed rooftop solar customers to receive a kilowatt-for-kilowatt credit on their electric bills for the excess power they contributed to the electric grid.

During the 2019 legislative session, however, utility lobbyists succeeded in convincing Kentucky’s Republican-controlled General Assembly and Governor Bevin to gut net metering and allow the PSC to decide the value of those contributed kilowatts.

Monopoly utilities want solar customers to receive a much smaller credit for the energy they provide to the grid – a move that could put rooftop solar out of reach for most, cripple Kentucky’s thriving independent solar industry and the good-paying jobs that come with it, and allow utilities to carve themselves a monopoly over solar energy in our state.

In July, the PSC began preparing for its decision on what the new net metering credit should be by initiating a public comment period. The commission invited Kentuckians to submit written comments or to attend and speak at an in-person hearing.

Through the efforts of the Kentucky Solar Advocacy Network, to which KFTC belongs, nearly 400 written comments were sent to the PSC by its October deadline – despite the cumbersome and inaccessible restrictions the PSC required to submit comments.

“The November 13 hearing was divided into two halves, the first half allowing comments by members of the public. The second half included utility companies, their lobbyists and solar providers,” said KFTC New Energy and Transition Committee member Cathy Clement.

“Public turnout was impressive: there were about 100 Kentuckians present, 42 of whom spoke. All but one of those speakers presented arguments and data to

show the importance of preserving the current credit given to solar customers for energy fed to the grid.

“Representatives from small businesses, low-income communities, churches, nonprofits and local governments, as well as retirees on fixed incomes, argued that net metered solar was their path to energy affordability,” Clement said. “Speakers also cited studies that contradict the utilities’ false claims that net metering shifts costs to non-solar customers, and that show the value of solar for the utility system and therefore all customers.”

The one member of the public who spoke against net metering, from the Chamber of Commerce, ex-

pressed the mistaken belief that net metering raises energy bills for businesses. “This belief was disputed by several speakers who addressed the importance of net metering for reducing energy bills and for state economic development,” Clement said.

“Finally, speakers emphasized that it is the Public Service Commission’s duty to ensure that rates are not used as an anti-competitive tool and their duty to protect the public welfare and not just utility profits. As such the PSC must include in their decision making the public’s desire for clean energy and the benefits of solar in protecting public health and addressing the climate crisis.”

PSC gives up some records, hides others in Open Records case on net metering bill When anti-rooftop solar bill SB 100 passed the state legislature in 2019, members of the KFTC New Energy and Transition Committee suspected that the Kentucky Public Service Commission might have inappropriately collaborated or communicated with monopoly utilities – the very entities the PSC is meant to regulate.

To find out whether this was the case, KFTC submitted two open records requests to the Public Service Commission to determine if commissioners or their staff had communicated in inappropriate ways with legislators, utility representatives or lobbyists about Senate Bill 100 or House Bill 227 (the failed 2018 version of the bill).

Both open records requests were denied by the PSC, citing exemptions to Kentucky’s open records law. These rejections prompted KFTC to appeal both PSC denials to the Attorney General’s office, which ruled this fall in KFTC’s favor on both cases.

Months later, the PSC still has not entirely cooperated with the Attorney General’s rulings, which have the force of law.

Commissioners instead filed legal complaints against KFTC, hoping that if KFTC doesn’t fight the complaints in court, the Attorney General’s rulings could be ignored.

While these legal complaints still stand, the PSC recently – although still several months after they were legally bound to – handed over the majority of the records in question.

The documents the PSC released tell a lot about

the relationship the PSC has with the lobbyists of the utilities it regulates. The documents show: •

•

•

•

The PSC wrote a pro-SB 100 letter to House leadership directly in response to a request from a utility lobbyist (a move that a member of the Energy and Environment Cabinet noted later “helped [utilities] a lot”).

The PSC was getting direct updates from and was in pretty close contact with the utility lobbyist, but was much less responsive to a solar industry lobbyist.

In 2019, PSC members worked directly with Representative Jim DuPlessis to strip down his pro-solar amendment, in the event that SB 100 went to conference committee.

Gov. Bevin’s office specifically asked the PSC to share its pro-SB 100 letter more broadly with all members of the House of Representatives as the SB 100 vote approached, as a way to convince legislators to vote against rooftop solar.

In short, these documents spell out a cozy relationship between utilities and their regulators – a relationship that seems to have accelerated the passage of anti-rooftop solar bill SB 100.

A small handful of documents between the PSC and other governmental agencies on HB 227 remain unreleased, and KFTC’s leadership and solar allies are considering whether to meet the PSC in court over them.

www.kftc.org | December 10, 2019

Balancing the Scales | 13

New Energy and Transition

Gov. Beshear should look to future, not past, when it comes to energy issues

By Andy McDonald

Mikaela Curry (second from right, above) represented KFTC in on-the-ground events around the 25th session of the United Nations’ climate negotiations. The Conference of Parties (COP25) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change took place in early December in Madrid, Spain.

Curry, a Pike County member, traveled with the It Takes Roots delegation. It Takes Roots aligns the activities of the grassroots frontline community groups Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, Indigenous Environmental Network and Climate Justice Alliance. KFTC is a partner in the Climate Justice Alliance.

The delegation participated in inside and outside official conference actions and events, together with other international social movement groups.

“I had the opportunity to speak within the UN space on a panel at a side event called ‘Climate Emergency: Reclaim Power and the End of Fossil Fuels Event,’” Curry reported. “I did my best to bring as many stories, struggles and successes from our work in Kentucky as I could.

“I talked about mountaintop removal, black lung, the Revelation Energy/Blackjewel bankruptcy, policy violence, failings of regulatory oversight, acid mine drainage, coal ash, Benham $aves, capitalism and colonialism, the fight against the prison industrial complex in Appalachia, misuse of AML funds and touched on a few other things as well.

“The event was a six-person panel, with the other speakers representing coal impacted communities in Alaska, Philippines, Indonesia, Bangladesh and India. [The panel was] organized by the Jubilee South Asia Pacific Movement and Grassroots Global Justice and was aimed at gathering Climate Justice groups to share stories of struggles, impactful strategies and successful fights against coal and fossil fuel energy and considering the role of people’s movements towards rapid energy revolution based on equity, reparations and climate justice.

“Full disclosure, I lost my composure talking about MTR and briefly cried telling a story of my child asking me how long it would take this mountain to grow back.”

Governor-elect Andy Beshear will take office at a critical time for Kentucky and our world. Climate change has emerged as an urgent crisis demanding transformative changes to our economy. Recent scientific reports are clear that the world’s carbon emissions must peak and begin a rapid decline within the next several years to head off the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. There is international recognition of the need for urgent action.

An energy transition is underway. Renewable energy is expanding exponentially while the costs of wind and solar have fallen to where they are now often the least-cost energy sources. Coal plants are being retired throughout the country and natural gas is being challenged by low-cost renewables and battery-storage technologies. Electric vehicles have arrived and will transform the transportation sector.

If Kentucky continues to ignore and obstruct this energy transition, it will be both a moral failure and an opportunity lost. Governor-elect Beshear’s powers will be limited by the Republican-controlled legislature, but he has great influence through the work of the cabinets and state agencies.

I call on the new governor to appoint a Secretary of the Energy and Environment Cabinet who recognizes the reality of the climate crisis and the necessity of the energy transition, and who has the vision to lead Kentucky onto a new path.

For too long, energy policy in Kentucky has been dominated by the electric utilities and fossil fuel interests. In the past year alone, the monopoly electric utilities invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in lobbying and direct campaign contributions to pass legislation to limit Kentuckians’ ability to use solar power on their homes and businesses. Then there were the rollbacks of energy efficiency programs by KU, LG&E, and Kentucky Power, taking away resources that assist families to reduce their energy bills. Meanwhile KU and LG&E have increased their basic service fees, which further discourages conservation and hits low-income families the hardest.

Kentucky needs an energy policy that will serve the public interest and reckon honestly with the realities of the world we’re living in. Climate change demands a rapid shift to carbon-free energy. Energy efficiency and renewables are now the lowest cost energy options. A Beshear energy policy should seize the energy transition as an opportunity to uplift families and communities in every county of the Commonwealth and drive a new era of economic development.

A Beshear energy policy should also ensure a just and realistic transition for coal communities and those dependent on the waning fossil fuel economy. There’s already excellent work being done by organizations such as the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development and others. The Beshear administration should learn from these local leaders and scale up their successful programs.

Kentucky will be ill-served if we dither for another four years pretending that the coal industry is coming back, denying that the far-reaching effects of climate change will harm Kentucky, and ignoring the enormous opportunities clean energy offers. Governor-elect Beshear can provide the leadership Kentucky needs to build a clean energy economy and meet the challenge of climate change.

Andy McDonald is the director of Sustainable Systems Programs for Earth Tools Inc. and a board member of the Kentucky Solar Energy Society. This op-ed appeared in the Lexington Herald-Leader.

www.kftc.org | December 10, 2019

14 | Balancing the Scales

New Energy and Transition

Empower Kentucky Leadership Network retreat reflections

By Maria Truitt To be in a room filled with so much talent and passion. Openness to have difficult conversations, and brilliance in finding solutions to heavy issues. A rare treasure to find in this harsh world, which I discovered through the Empower Kentucky Leadership Network, a cohort of 35 Kentuckians committed to building a movement for a just transition and climate justice in our state.

Going into our first weekend retreat in Bowling Green, I expected nothing more than some good conversations while making a few connections along the way – how most meetings usually end up playing out.

By the end we created a family, with a new sense of hope, and a new sense of unity. A power spread among each of us that escalated our fire in this climate crisis.

The first evening, we gathered in the faculty house on WKU’s campus and enjoyed each other’s presence over dinner. One thing I appreciated was how much we got to know and dive into one another before tackling the many layers of the climate crisis, through simple banter and activities such as story circles.

There was a moment of silence dedicated to the native land we were inhabiting, in this case belonging to Shawnee and Eastern Band Cherokee. This was led by fellow member, Tiffany Pyette, a leader in the fight for the rights of indigenous people. We closed the night with a poem, read and written by Mikaela Curry titled “Up from the Grassroots.”

It’s ok to be uncomfortable, it’s ok what you don’t know.

But once we have the knowledge, we keep learning and don’t let go.

And we listen, and we listen – and then we listen more.

We follow the impacted – they know what they’re leading for.

A couple lines that really captured the theme of how the rest of the stay would go. On day two, the heaviness hit as we indulged on the climate crisis, but not only the matter itself; discussion of how we got here and steps to move forward were also included.

A big portion of the day was

also used conversing about what a Just Transition is and what it would look like in Kentucky. The definition conspired thus far is, “an all-in, inclusive process, to protect the well-being of workers and communities, address racial, economic and gender inequality, and build a new just and sustainable economy.”

But there is much more to a just transition than the definition. Not only is it a transition from an extractive to a renewable economy; it’s having that shift without harming frontline communities and folks most affected by these destructive industries. It’s about having inclusion and love for all, treating people like humans and not commodities, and recognizing it will not happen overnight and will require a lot of work.

It is important we recognize these challenges we face while also having empathy for the people working in these extractive industries – more than likely that is not what they want to be doing but must make a living like the rest of us.

For example, coal mining in Appalachian Kentucky has been part of that region’s economy for ages.

It isn’t fair to the people to come in and change everything when that is all they have come to know. So, yes, the need to transition is necessary, but so is doing it in a just, precautious manner.

“Transition is inevitable where we’re going. Justice is not.”

If it isn’t already obvious, our government is only trying to divide us further to weaken our stance,

whether it be through race, political party or religion.

This division isn’t based upon any of those things; it is rooted in the ideology of power. It is built into this system of oppression that the only way to hold power is being dominant over one another and suppressing something/someone so you feel higher up.

The Empower Kentucky Cohort and many others say NO MORE. We agreed it is time to take our government back because we ARE the people. We hold the power, and we need to elect people in office that represent us, ALL of us.

The only way to fix this system that has been designed to set communities up for failure is to re-build it, from the ground up, because when you start from the bottom and lift, everybody rises.

Along with looking at community examples of creating a better tomorrow, we asked ourselves what is it going to take? There is no one-size-fits-all solution and it will be no easy task. However, there is action we can take today to help and work towards the goal.

Things such as: door-to-door conversations, issue-based organizing, healing work and uplifting the voices of the most impacted. The key is to build a strong community, where every type of person is represented, working together and leaning on one another through this battle.

If we ALL demand change, change will happen.

POWER in the PEOPLE.

We closed the weekend with a cover of Bob Dylan’s song “Blowin’ in the Wind” performed by Shawna McCown, and followed by one last circle, where we shared our gratitude and love.

Spending the weekend with the fellow members not only educated me but woke me up to many things. With a heavy heart discussing pressing issues we face, accompanied by a hopeful soul as I look at the faces surrounding me.

When I look around to one another I realize the fight is not over, yet just begun.

We are Kentuckians, we choose each other. Join the fight or be part of the problem.

www.kftc.org | December 10, 2019

Balancing the Scales | 15

New Energy and Transition

RECLAIM Act and black lung lead list of federal Just Transition legislation KFTC and partner organizations in Kentucky, along with national allies, are pushing members of Congress to pass federal legislation addressing five key issues. Together, these bills make for a package of Just Transition initiatives that can create good jobs and opportunities in communities hardest hit by the withdrawal of the coal industry.

Specifically, the groups are calling on representatives in Congress to: •

•

• •

Restore funding for the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund to preserve essential benefits for miners with black lung disease and their families (H.R. 3876 and S 27).

Pass the RECLAIM Act (H.R. 2156) to create good jobs while restoring old mine sites and polluted waterways by investing $1 billion over five years from an existing fund.

Protect miners’ pensions and health benefits earned by retired miners and their surviving spouses (S 27, H.R. 935 and H.R. 934) Reauthorize the Abandoned Mine Lands Program, which requires coal companies to pay into a fund used to reclaim old mine sites and polluted waterways (H.R. 4248).

The Black Lung and the RECLAIM Act are the bills receiving the most attention by KFTC, while following the lead of the United Mine Workers of America on the pension and health care legislation (more info: umwa.org/take-action/preserving-our-pensions).

The Black Lung Disability Trust Fund provides health care and disability benefits to miners with black lung disease in cases where the miners’ employer is no longer paying. Yet last year Congress allowed the funding for this program, paid for with a fee on coal companies, to be cut by more than half. Even prior to that the fund was severely in debt.

If Congress doesn’t act to reverse its negligence, thousands of coal miners are at risk of losing the health benefits they depend on to breathe. This funding is vital for disabled miners’ essential needs, as well as providing basic support for the widows and dependents of miners lost to black lung.

H.R. 3876 strengthens funding for the Black Lung

Disability Trust Fund by restoring the excise fee paid by the coal industry for 10 years. Rep. John Yarmuth is the only cosponsor from Kentucky.

A separate Senate bill led by Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia (S 27) also calls for strengthening funding for the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund in addition to addressing a number of related issues, including protecting miners’ pensions and health benefits. Neither Kentucky senator, Mitch McConnell nor Rand Paul, are cosponsors though McConnell has a separate bill to address the miners’ pension and health care crisis.

ACTION: Call 855-980-2358 to hear a script and be connected with your representative. Tell them to strengthen funding for the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund by passing H.R. 3876. Visit www.BlackLungKills.org to learn more.

Contact members of Congress Sen. Mitch McConnell (202) 224-2541 – Washington Online: https://www.mcconnell.senate. gov/public/index.cfm/contactform Sen. Rand Paul (202) 224-4343 – Washington Online: https://www.paul.senate.gov/ contact Rep. James Comer, 1st District (202) 225-3115 – Washington (270) 487-9509 – Madisonville (270) 408-1865 – Paducah (270) 487-9509 – Tompkinsville Online: https://comer.house.gov/contact Rep. Brett Guthrie, 2nd District (202) 225-3501 – Washington (270) 842-9896 – Bowling Green Online: https://guthrie.house.gov/contact

The RECLAIM Act calls for investing $1 billion over five years to reclaim abandoned mine lands and polluted waterways – funds already collected for this purpose.

These reclamation projects will create good new jobs that fit the skills and work experiences of many laid-off miners, prioritizing projects that return unsafe mine lands and waterways to productive use.

Eastern and Western Kentucky would receive about $100 million over five years under the RECLAIM Act. To put that in perspective, Kentucky has a backlog of 1,089 sites that qualify for support from the Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Fund. The U.S. Office of Surface Mining estimates completing all the AML projects in Kentucky would require more than $400 million.

Kentucky Representatives Hal Rogers, John Yarmuth and Brett Guthrie are cosponsors of the RECLAIM Act, H.R. 2156. Reps. Comer, Barr and Massie are not.

H.R. 2156 was passed by the House Natural Resources Committee in the spring of 2019 but has seen no action on the House floor.

Rep. John Yarmuth, 3rd District (202) 225-5401 – Washington (502) 933-5863 – Louisville (502) 582-5129 – Louisville Online: https://yarmuth.house.gov/ contact-john2

ACTION: Call 844-672-5067 to hear a script and be connected with your representative. Tell them to pass the RECLAIM Act (H.R. 2156) to create urgently needed good jobs here in Kentucky. Visit www.ReclaimAct.com to learn more.

Rep. Andy Barr, 6th District (202) 225-4706 – Washington (859) 219-1366 – Lexington Online: https://barr.house.gov/contact

Rep. Thomas Massie, 4th District (202) 225-3465 – Washington (606) 324-9898 – Ashland (502) 265-9119 – LaGrange (859) 426-0080 – Crescent Springs Online: https://massieforms.house.gov/ contact Rep. Hal Rogers, 5th District (202) 225-4601 – Washington (606) 679-8346 – Somerset (606) 886-0844 – Prestonsburg (606) 439-0794 – Hazard Online: https://halrogers.house.gov/ contact-hal

www.kftc.org | December 10, 2019

16 | Balancing the Scales

Coal and Water

Groups urge Congress to restore funding for reclamation The Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Reclamation Program is a critically needed program for cleaning up mined land left unreclaimed or inadequately reclaimed – considered “abandoned” – before 1977.

The program was authorized with the passage of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) by Congress in 1977, signed into law by President Jimmy Carter.

In the years since, more than 800,000 acres of damaged land and water have been reclaimed nationwide. However, the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement estimates $10.1 billion in AML work is left to do nationwide.

That includes nearly $400 million of work still needed in Kentucky.

The AML program is funded by fees paid for each ton of coal mined. That fee is scheduled to end in September 2021 if Congress does not extend it. That would The Honorable Raul Grijalva U.S. House of Representatives 1511 Longworth House Office Bldg Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Alan Lowenthal U.S. House of Representatives 108 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515

leave unreclaimed tens of thousands of acres of dangerous and polluting sites across the state and nation.

In Kentucky, subsidence, clogged streams and dangerous slides are the top categories where AML funds have been spent and are still needed. (Learn more at https://amlis.osmre.gov/Summaries.aspx.

KFTC joined with the Appalachian Citizens' Law Center, Appalshop and the Center for Rural Strategies in Kentucky, as well as more than 40 other organizations across the country, to send the following letter to members of the U.S. House of Representatives responsible for moving legislation to reauthorize funding for the AML program.

House Resolution 4248 received an initial hearing in the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources on November 14. Rep. John Yarmuth is the only Kentucky House member to cosponsor the bill.

The Honorable Rob Bishop U.S. House of Representatives 123 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Paul Gosar U.S. House of Representatives 504 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515

December 2, 2019 Dear Chair Raul Grijalva and Subcommittee Chair Alan Lowenthal, Ranking Members Rob Bishop and Paul Gosar: On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we urge you to support the AML Reauthorization Act, H.R.4248, which would reauthorize the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Trust Fund. These funds are critically important for job creation, economic development, wildlife habitat and the environmental health of communities across the United States.

Throughout Appalachia alone, an estimated 5.5 million people live within one mile of an abandoned mine land. Abandoned mine lands create negative impacts on local economies by destroying recreational opportunities, lowering land values, limiting the potential for residential, forestry, commercial or agricultural uses, and threatening human health and safety of people living near AML sites.

The reclamation of AML sites adds to the economy by creating jobs and providing sites that can be used for commercial or industrial endeavors. In the history of the program, amazing strides have been made, including the restoration of over $5.7 billion worth of AML projects and the reclamation of nearly 800,000 acres of damaged land and water across the country.

The current fee that supports the AML fund (ranging from 8 to 28 cents per ton of coal) is set to expire in September 2021. However, the reclamation work is far from complete. According to the AML inventory, unaddressed abandoned mine sites represent more than $10 billion in unfunded taxpayer liability, and a continuing threat to the health, economy, and living environments for citizens of these communities.

The AML Reauthorization Act (H.R. 4248) will: • • • •

Extend states’ authority to collect fees at current levels for 15 years; Expand funding for states that have not been certified for reclaiming high-priority coal AML areas; Provide for the delegation of emergency AML programs to states; And reimburse states for AML fees that were sequestered since Fiscal Year 2013.

Without reauthorization of the AML fee, a disastrous amount of AML work is likely to remain unaddressed. Dangerous mine hazards will persist and unforeseen AML emergencies will continue to cause property damage, illness, injury, and economic stagnation in communities across the country.

Continued contributions of the AML Program to AML-impacted communities is one thing that is needed in order for these communities to reach their true potential. We urge Congress to pass the AML Reauthorization Act, H.R.4248, which would reauthorize the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Trust Fund.

Signed by 46 organizations

www.kftc.org | December 10, 2019

Balancing the Scales | 17

Coal and Water

Corporate welfare leads to widespread injustice in Martin Co. There is an ongoing water crisis in Martin County that made headlines across the country in 2019. But it is nothing new for the residents of Martin County who have dealt with an unsafe and unreliable public water system for decades. After another influx of government money was announced in September, local resident and KFTC member Nina McCoy wrote this piece, which appeared in the Lexington Herald-Leader as an op-ed.

By Nina McCoy State dignitaries came to Inez bearing gifts. Before a select group of invited luminaries from the state and local government, they announced money “they” would bestow upon Martin County.

Seemingly unrelated stories of a dilapidated water system, an empty industrial park, and a carpentry classroom left desolate in a brand new school provide clear evidence of the folly of the trickle-down, “job creator,” billionaire boondoggles that have hollowed out the American dream across this whole country.

Martin County is not an outlier. It is a microcosm of what the Wall Street-anointed politicians like our governor have been doing to this country for the last 40 years: making a mockery of our democracy as well as the core ideals of true capitalism.

After the news stories about Martin County water, one might be surprised (as are the citizens) to learn that almost $10 million was spent on this water system between 2000 and 2007 — especially when we see that the new money is going to redo everything the old money did, but didn’t do properly.

In 2000, $2.55 million was designated to get water to a new federal prison and an industrial park on

a taxpayer-funded “reclaimed” mountaintop removal site. Another $3 million promised to “totally” renovate the water plant, but was purportedly used for a new raw water intake instead.

Fifteen years later, $4 million of the new money has been earmarked to get water to the same federal prison and industrial park because the previous system was so poorly done that it is dangerous. Another $3.4 million of the new money will go to a “newer” raw water intake (because the one built before never worked properly) along with “some” renovations to the water plant that was built in 1968.

The good news is that if there is any of the $3.4 million left, it can be used to repair water lines to the peasants who live in the valleys, who pay their taxes and water bills, but do not get invited to lunch with Gov. Bevin and U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers.

Millions of additional federal dollars went to construct the prison, as well as office buildings meant to lure in potential “job creators” who strangely have never been enticed by the overcrowded prison, the flattened mountains, a new four lane highway, or the ready-made office and warehouse buildings already there.

In all their wisdom, and without citizen input, the same leaders are going to put another $2 million into more empty buildings for the East Kentucky Industrial Park.

An age-old saying warns that “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”

All of this illustrates the abomination that these so-called elected leaders are passing off as capitalism in a democracy: a system where the company is given

tax breaks while the taxpayer funded government constructs the factory so the citizens have jobs in order to pay taxes to fund the government so the corporation can make profits for the stockholders who will then get tax-breaks by donating money to the politicians who keep the whole system going.

And finally we look to the empty carpentry class in the new Martin County High School Area Technology Center. After the heartbreaking and untimely death of our beloved carpentry teacher Mr. Mike Jude a little less than a year ago, the talking heads at the Kentucky Area Technology Centers in Frankfort decided that a good way to save some money was to NOT hire a teacher for this most popular class.

Saving money by NOT funding a program that would allow students to learn to be their own job creators and provide a service to the community in which they grew up and where they want to raise their own families is asinine at best and diabolical at worst.

Ever since President Johnson kicked off the War on Poverty in 1964 with a visit to Inez, our beautiful home has been victim shamed as a poster child for the welfare state. Perhaps a look at the guest list at the Martin County Community Center on Sept. 5 along with an intense study of the true recipients of the spending proposals for the $34 million across the Eastern Kentucky region could pull back the curtain on how it is really corporate welfare that leads to widespread injustices for which all Kentucky voters can share blame.

Instead of a cultural or economic anomaly in this great nation, Martin County is simply a thinly veiled, concentrated exemplification of the vile workings of a democracy corrupted by greed.

Nina McCoy is a retired high school biology teacher and chairperson of the Martin County Concerned Citizens.

Some context for the Martin County water crisis How the crisis grew

Why problems persist

A national crisis

Martin County Drinking Water Affordability Report by the Appalachian Citizen’s Law Center

Coal baron Jim Booth owes his home county more than $2 million in overdue taxes

Ohio Valley residents among millions In U.S lacking access to clean water, sanitation

What’s happening in Martin County has implications for all of eastern Kentucky

Money is owed to county government and local schools that struggle for resources

Communities in Appalachia among nation’s “hot spots” for inadequate water access

https://bit.ly/356QDoF

https://bit.ly/38lqxjG

https://bit.ly/345Bu5x

www.kftc.org | December 10, 2019

18 | Balancing the Scales

Economic Justice

A thriving community requires a strong safety net Safety net programs like Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) fill gaps in access to food, financial support and medical care across the commonwealth – and recently, these critical programs have been in the public conversation.

• Members of the Public Assistance Reform Task Force have concluded their work and recommended further exploration of adjustments to these programs.

• At the same time, Governor-elect Beshear is building an administration that will have the opportunity to make broad changes to programs that have supported hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians in making ends meet.

As each of these proceed, we the undersigned urge Kentucky’s leaders to recognize the importance of these programs in the lives of their constituents throughout the commonwealth.

Kentuckians look out for each other when we hit a hard patch and struggle to make ends meet, and our safety net should reflect that. We all need a hand sometimes. White, Black or Brown; urban or rural; abled or disabled; unemployed or underpaid – we all need access to health care, housing, groceries, and financial security. Medicaid, SNAP, and TANF are critical to helping individuals, families, and communities weather hard times.

Solid research shows programs like these improve health and the ability of people to more fully contribute to our commonwealth. These programs strengthen struggling economies when they most need it by bringing in federal dollars that circulate through local communities. We believe improvements to Kentucky’s safety net programs should be guided by these shared principles:

• • • • • •

Utilize a “welcome mat” approach, making public assistance as accessible as possible for Kentuckians, and meeting them with respect, dignity, and without stigma.

Integrate the eligibility, application, and enrollment of programs so that no one unknowingly leaves vital assistance on the table.

Give kids a strong start by ensuring they and their families glean the full benefit of public support when they need it, including financial assistance that is flexible to meet a variety of needs.

Prioritize racial, ethnic, and geographic equity among Kentuckians who face historical and systemic barriers to meeting basic needs.

Take down barriers to enrolling in and using public assistance in order to reduce administrative costs and the hassle people face while getting back on their feet.

Support, not penalize, underpaid workers whose jobs do not pay a living wage, provide consistent hours, or offer access to benefits. This includes supporting workers in areas where jobs are scarce.

Many Kentuckians are simply a lost job, reduced work hours, a new baby, or an accident or illness away from qualifying for programs like Medicaid, SNAP or TANF. In fact, that’s why we call it a safety net: it catches people so they don’t fall through the cracks. Maintaining a strong safety net honors the dignity of every Kentuckian, and provides the foundation we need to thrive as a commonwealth.

We are ready and willing to work with members of the General Assembly and the Administration to that end.

Signed: AARP of Kentucky ACLU of Kentucky Advocacy Action Network Align Wealth Management Alliance for Pediatric Behavioral and Mental Health of Kentucky Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana Bridgehaven, Inc. Catholic Conference of Kentucky Coalition for the Homeless Community Coordinated Child Care (4-C) Community Farm Alliance Council on Developmental Disabilities DOVES of Gateway Family and Children’s Place Family Circle Inc. Family Health Centers, Inc. Family Promise of Northern Kentucky, Inc. Family Scholar House Feeding Kentucky Forward Kentucky

Gateway Homeless Coalition, Inc. Healthy Reentry Coalition of Kentucky Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky Jefferson County Teachers Association Jewish Family & Career Services KCEOC Community Action Partnership Kentucky CancerLink Kentucky Center for Economic Policy Kentucky Chapter of the AAP Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence Kentucky Council of Churches Kentucky Council on Problem Gambling, Inc. Kentucky Equal Justice Center Kentucky Nurses Association Kentucky Primary Care Association Kentucky Psychological Association Kentucky State AFL-CIO Kentucky Voices for Health Kentuckians For The Commonwealth KIPDA – Area Agency on Aging and Independent Living

Matthew25 AIDS Services Mental Health America of Kentucky Mission Behind Bars and Beyond (MB3) Mountain Comprehensive Care Center NAMI Kentucky NAMI Lexington NAMI Louisville National Association of Social Workers – Kentucky Chapter Neighborhood House Northern KY Justice and Peace Committee Oasis, Inc Park DuValle Community Health Center Pathways, Inc. Shawnee Christian Healthcare Center The Arc of Kentucky Union Church United Food and Commercial Workers Local 227 Wellspring, Inc. Wesley House Community Services

www.kftc.org | December 10, 2019 K

Balancing the Scales | 19

CALENDAR OF EVENTS More events at kftc.org/calendar December 17 and January 21 Northern Kentucky December holiday party, regular chapter meeting in January 7 p.m. at Center for Great Neighborhoods 321 ML King Boulevard, Covington Info: Joe@kftc.org or 859-380-6103 December 19 Harlan and Letcher county holiday party 6 p.m., Southeast Community and Technical College, 700 College Rd in Cumberland Info: Jacob@kftc.org or 606-497-9262 December 19 and January 16 Rowan County December holiday party, regular chapter meeting in January 6 p.m. at St. Albans Church 145 E. 5th Street, Morehead Info: Nikita@kftc.org or 502-488-3830 December 21 Southern Kentucky annual chili cookoff 4 p.m. at the Little Fox Bakery 314 E. Main Street in Bowling Green Info: Laura@kftc.org or 270-282-4553 January 6 Wilderness Trace chapter meeting 7 p.m. at InterCounty Energy 1009 Hustonville Road, Danville Info: Julia@kftc.org or 859-868-1179 January 9 Perry County grassroots lobbying training 6 p.m. at the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky office, 420 Main Street in Hazard Info: Jacob@kftc.org or 606-497-9262

January 9 Rolling Bluegrass chapter meeting 6:30 p.m., Scott County Public Library 104 S. Bradford, Georgetown Info: Joe@kftc.org or 859-380-6103 January 13 Jefferson County chapter meeting 6:30 p.m. at the First Unitarian Church 809 S. 4th St., Louisville Info: Coreydutton@kftc.org or 502-589-3188 January 20 Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday Participate in a local event; Kentucky General Assembly does not meet January 27 Perry County chapter meeting 5:30 p.m. at the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky office, 420 Main Street in Hazard Info: Jacob@kftc.org or 606-497-9262 January 27 Madison County chapter meeting 7 p.m. Berea Friends Meeting House 300 Harrison Road, Berea Info: Julia@kftc.org or 859-868-1179 January 28 Southern Kentucky chapter meeting 6 p.m. at The Foundry 531 W 11th Ave. in Bowling Green Info: Alexa@kftc.org or 502-599-3989 February 1 KFTC Steering Committee meeting 10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Info: Heather@kftc.org or 859-276-0563

2020 General Assembly Calendar January 7 – first day January 20 – MLK legislative holiday February 17 – Presidents' Day holiday February 21 – last day for legislators to make new bill requests March 2 – last day to file new bills in the House

March 3 – last day to file new bills in the Senate March 30 – legislature does not meet March 31-April 1 – concurrence days April 2-13 – veto recess April 14-15 – final days

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KFTC OFFICES AND STAFF MAIN OFFICE Morgan Brown, Burt Lauderdale, Ashley Frasher 131 North Mill Street P.O. Box 1450 London, KY 40743 606-878-2161 | Fax: 606-878-5714 info@kftc.org

FIELD OFFICES Louisville E’Beth Adami, Alicia Hurle, Carissa Lenfert, Chandra Cruz-Thomson, Corey Dutton 735 Lampton Street #202 Louisville, KY 40203 502-589-3188 Bowling Green Laura Harper Knight and Alexa Hatcher 958 Collett Ave., Suite 500 Bowling Green, KY 42101 270-282-4553 Northern Kentucky Joe Gallenstein, Caitlin Sparks and Dave Newton 640 Main Street Covington, KY 41005 859-380-6103 Central Kentucky Jessica Hays Lucas, Heather Mahoney, Laura Greenfield, Erik Hungerbuhler, Meredith Wadlington, Tayna Fogle and Nikita Perumal 250 Plaza Drive, Suite 4 Lexington, KY 40503 859-276-0563 Floyd County Jessie Skaggs, Jerry Hardt, Jacob Mack-Boll and Taylor Adams 152 North Lake Drive P.O. Box 864 Prestonsburg, KY 41653 606-263-4982 Berea Lisa Abbott, Amy Hogg, Michael Harrington and Julia Basil 210 N. Broadway #3 Berea, KY 40403 859-868-1179

Email any staff member at firstname@kftc.org except for Laura Greenfield use lauragreenfield@ kftc.org

20 | Balancing the Scales

www.kftc.org | December 10, 2019