balancing the scales - march 2012

balancing the scales Volume 31 Number 2 March 15, 2012

No

N-Pr

ofit

U.S. Po

Stag

e PaiD

LexiNg

toN

, Ky.

Perm

it No

. 513

Change Service Requested

Kentuckians For T

he Com

monw

ealthP.O

. Box 1450London, K

y. 40743

I Love Mountains Day 2012

On a cold rainy day, 1200 handmade pinwheels shined with hope pg. 15

A tribute to Mike Mullinspg. 3

40 years after the Buffalo Creek Flood: what has changed?

pg. 5Legislative Update

pg. 6Cross county potluck turns into “Hands Across Pine Mountain”

pg. 8Hazard Diversity Club helps focus local and regional fairness

pg. 10Arriving by the busloads, mem-bers pack a bus and head to capitol

pg. 16Members find stark contrast in the Kentucky that they want to see, and the Kentucky that the legislators will fund

pg. 18Energy audit is the start of saving money for Rick Handshoe

pg. 19Breakthrough in Voting Rights Campaign

pg. 21

balancing the scales, March 15, 2012

Table of Contents Kentuckians For The Commonwealth

is a statewide grassroots social justice orga nization working for a new balance of power and a just society. KFTC uses directaction organizing to accomplish the following goals:

• fosterdemocraticvalues• changeunjustinstitutions• empowerindividuals•overcomeracismandotherdiscrimination• communicateamessageofwhatispossible• buildtheorganization•helppeopleparticipate• winissuesthataffectthecommonwelfare• havefun

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 toequality,democracyandnonviolentchange.

KFTC Steering Committee

SteveBoyce,ChairpersonSue Tallichet, Vice-Chairperson

DanaBeasleyBrown,Secretary-TreasurerK.A. Owens, Immediate Past ChairRick Handshoe, At-Large Member

Chapter RepresentativesRosanne Fitts Klarer, Scott County

Erika Skaggs, Central KentuckyTed Withrow, Rowan CountyBenBaker,NorthernKentuckyMaryLove,JeffersonCounty

TravisLane,BowlingGreen&FriendsCarl Shoupe, Harlan CountyClevelandSmith,PerryCounty

Megan Naseman, Madison CountyElizabeth Sanders, Letcher County

Nathan Hall, Floyd County

Alternates: Vacant, Scott County; Christian Torp, Central Kentucky; Lisa Bryant, Rowan

County; Katie Meyer, Northern Kentucky; Chris-tine Farmer, Jefferson County; Vacant, Bowling Green & Friends; Roy Silver, Harlan County; Tif-fany Stiles, Perry County; Meta Mendel-Reyes, Madison County; Ada Smith, Letcher County;

Bev May, Floyd County

balancing the scales is published by Kentuckians For The Commonwealth and mailed third class from Lexington, Kentucky. Reader contri butions and letters to the editor should be sent to 250 Southland Drive Suite #4, Lexington, KY. 40503 or [email protected]. Subscriptions are $20 per year.

I want to help KFTC build power!

Name:

Address:

City, State Zip:

Phone:

Email:

I wish to make my donation to the following organization (check one):____ KFTC (not tax-deductible) ____ Kentucky Coalition (tax-deductible)

Bank Withdrawal/Credit Card Payment Authorization: I authorize KFTC/KY Coalition 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.

Who asked you to join KFTC?

Suggested membership dues are $15-$50 annually.____ One-time Gift: Amount $_________________ Pledger: I will contribute $___ every (check one): __ Month __ 3 Months __ Quarterly __ Annually

Authorized Signature: ________________________

Date: _____________

Circle one: Mastercard Visa American Express Discover

Card #:__ __ __ __ - __ __ __ __ - __ __ __ __ - __ __ __ __

Expiration date: ___ ___ / ___ ___

Cardholder’s name (as it appears on the card):

_____________________________ Date: ____________

For bank drafts, return this form with a voided check from the account you wish to have the withdrawal made. Make checks payable to KFTC or the Kentucky Coalition and mail to: KFTC • P.O. Box 1450 • London, Ky. 40743-1450.

A tribute to Mike Mullins, a KFTC friend page 3

Member CommentaryYouth rallied, lobbied, and spoke out to protect their own future page 4A first-time lobbyist reflects page 440 years after the Buffalo Creek Flood: what has changed? page 5

KFTC Legislative Update page 6

Local UpdatesLegislators get sticky letters from annual “Crepes of Wrath” party page 8Cross county potluck turns into “Hands Across Pine Mountain” page 8Madison County members push for fairness page 9Energy audit moves Lynch efficiency project along page 9Hazard Diversity Club helps focus local and regional fairness page 10Wilson Creek residents use setback as opportunity to work closer with the state Energy and Environment Cabinet page 11Tar sands oil is a filthy fuel, Louisville members learn page 12

Canary Project UpdateValley fills excluded but in-stream ponds may be allowed Army Corps of Engineers to issue new Nationwide Permit page 13 On a cold rainy day, 1200 handmade pinwheels shined with hope page 15Arriving by the busloads, members pack a bus and head to capitol page 16The health impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining page 17

Economic Justice UpdateMembers find stark contrast in the Kentucky that they want to see,and the Kentucky that the legislators will fund page 18

New Energy and Transition Update Energy audit is the start of saving money for Rick Handshoe page 19Clean Energy Lobby Day leads to hearing for HB 167 page 20

Voting Rights Update Breakthrough in Voting Rights Campaign page 21Former Felon Voices: James Snyder, Scott County page 22Democracy wins against political games in redistricting case page 22Forming a KFTC Chapter page 23


Social Media: Find us on

FlickrTwitter and Facebook

In Memory of...

e-mail any staff member at [email protected] except for Jessica Hays Lucas use [email protected]

KFTC Offices and StaffMAIN OFFICE

MorganBrown,RobinDaugherty&BurtLauderdaleP.O.Box1450

London,Kentucky40743606-878-2161

Fax:[email protected]

FIELD OFFICESLouisville

JessicaGeorge,JerryHardt,

Colette Hendersonand Nancy Reinhart901 Franklin StreetLouisville,Ky40206

502-589-3188

WhitesburgTanya Turner P.O.Box463

Whitesburg,Ky41858606-632-0051

BereaLisa Abbott, Amy Hogg,

Carissa Lenfert,SaraPenningtonandKevinPentz

140MiniMallDriveBerea,KY40403859-986-1277

TeriBlanton118BaughStreetBerea,Ky.40403859-986-1648

Central KentuckyTimBuckingham,

JessicaHaysLucas,Erik Hungerbuhler,

Heather Roe Mahoney, DaveNewtonand

Ondine Quinn250PlazaDriveSuite4Lexington,Ky40503

859-276-0563

Northern KentuckyJoeGallenstein859-380-6103

Floyd CountyKristi Kendall606-226-4159

by Randy Wilson

On Sunday, February 19, Mike Mullins, the 35-year director of Hindman Settlement School, died suddenly of a heart attack. When one of the mourners heard the news all he could say was, “Im-

pact.” Indeed, Mike was an impact player in the east-ern Kentucky region. He was instrumental in so many important proj-ects in the region – the artisan center, the craft school, the business incubation program, the dyslexic reading program, building the community college extension with new library and daycare center, the Appalachian Writer’s Workshop, the Family Folk Week that sup-ported local artists. Mike was always on the go, raising money and serving on local, regional and state boards. He had a hand in developing an ongoing series of leadership training workshops for eastern Kentucky. The last time I saw Mike, he was promoting a trust fund devoted to Appalachia Kentucky. I told his wife, Frieda, that he just worked too hard. She said, “He enjoyed it. He looked forward to work. He liked getting things done.” Mike and Frieda were very caring parents. They raised two of their own children and adopted two more kids as well. They were caretakers of a member of the extended family who was a special needs adult. They were very active in their church. Mike was busy calling a youth league basketball game the weekend that he passed away. He out walked everyone in the annual walk-a-thon to prevent cancer. Mike Mullins was a fearless friend and neighbor. His neighbor, Bill Weinberg, was running for attorney general out in the western part of the state when Mike got a call in the middle of the night from Bill’s wife,

Lois. She asked him to come over quickly because someone had shot through one of the windows of the house. Mike grabbed his pistol, roared over there in the car, jumped out, fired two shots in the air, and dared the intruder to show his face. Mike Mullins was a friend of KFTC. He opened the door of the settlement school to many annual meetings and local chapter events. He understood the challenges that coal brought to the region. His father was a miner with black lung. Both he and his father were familiar with organizing in the mountains. But Mike also knew that he had to keep in mind the security of the settlement school. He told me one day, “I’ve had to walk a fine line in

A tribute to Mike Mullins, a KFTC friend

Sidney Cornett presented a plaque of appreciation to Mike Mullins in the 1980s. For 30 years, KFTC has had many steering committee meetings, anniversary gatherings and other events at the Hindman Settle-ment School through the years, and it was a common meeting place in KFTC’s first decade.

Celebrate I Love Mountains Day every day with KFTC’s pinwheel-themed coffee mug.

These stainless steel mugs are insulated to keep your coffee warm and come with a lid to minimize spillage.

For a $20 donation (plus $3 s/h), we will renew your membership and send you a mug as a thank you gift.

Visit www.kftc.org/pinwheel-mug to purchase and instantly renew your dues with KFTC!

this community” to find a way to support social move-ments and keep this institution thriving. Mike told one of KFTC’s organizers that he looked forward to retire-ment so that he could go to bluegrass festivals and fight mountaintop removal. Impact. Impact. In life and in death he made such a lasting impact in our lives. Please keep the settlement school in your thoughts and prayers as we struggle to keep his vision for the region alive.

The family asks that memorial gifts be made to Hindman Settlement School New Office Fund, P.O. Box 844, Hind-man, Ky. 41822. Cards can be sent to Frieda Mullins at the Settlement School address.


Member CommentaryYouth rallied, lobbied, and spoke out to protect their own future

by Jeri K. Howell

Being the president of Frankfort High School’s Earth Club is amazing. I get to implement efforts to make our school more “green,” set up volunteer opportunities, and organize club par-ticipation in environmental activism. Naturally, our club goes to KFTC’s I Love Mountains Day every year. It is a tradition at Frankfort High School – a tradition that, even though we are glad to participate, we hope will be obsolete in the near future due to Kentucky’s governor hearing our pleas! As a club concerned about advo-cating for the environment, we are against the harmful mining practices of mountaintop removal. We recognize that with Kentucky’s state capitol within walking distance from our campus it is our responsibil-ity as citizens and Kentucky teens to take advantage of that location and have the voice of Kentucky’s youth be heard. Before I Love Mountains Day this year, Earth Club participated in the weekly sit-ins at the governor’s office through the organization Sit-In for the Mountains. Members of the club went as far as to play dead in the governor’s office, “killed” by toxins from our streams in eastern Kentucky. We were ready for I Love Moun-tains Day, and we were ready to lobby for the Stream Saver Bill, the Clean Energy Opportunity Act, and to speak with our legislators. KFTC connected me with Franklin County’s Rep. Derrick Graham and Sen. Julian Carroll. Both Rep. Graham and Sen. Carroll were friendly and en-couraging, and most importantly, they listened. We caught Rep. Graham as he was coming out of his Education Commit-tee meeting, and we met with him for an hour. Our relationship with Rep. Graham was confident and easy-going on both sides, as we know him as a history teacher at our high school. We told him why we were there, and he proceeded to give us all of the knowl-edge and opinions he had on the issue of mountaintop removal coal mining. When we asked him to co-sponsor the Stream Saver Bill, he stated that he had co-sponsored in the past but de-

cided to take his name off the bill after a visit to eastern Kentucky and after talking with his fellow legislators from eastern Kentucky. Rep. Graham decided, it seemed, that the issue was too sticky. He agreed that mountaintop removal coal mining was bad for water quality and health, but that he was not ready to support a bill that would take away any jobs in eastern Kentucky. We respectfully refuted his argu-ments, and in turn, he urged us to immerse ourselves in the other side’s opinion as much as we had the anti-mountaintop removal opinion. We told him the new health sta-tistics (higher cancer rates and birth defects near mountaintop removal coal mining sites). After hearing those statistics, Rep. Graham seemed a bit shocked. He asked if we had a folder for him. So gladly we gave him a folder. Hopefully, he will reconsider being a co-sponsor again and share the folder’s content with other House members. Meeting with Sen. Carroll was an absolute treat. He spoke with us exten-sively about the issue of mountaintop removal. He admitted that he had never read the Stream Saver Bill, but that he strongly feels that mountaintop removal coal mining has been abused in Appalachia and must stop. Another colleague of his pointed out to us that it is important, in order for this bill to be taken seriously or get a hearing, that we get some Republican backing on the Stream Saver Bill. Currently, there are only Democrat-ic cosponsors; his colleague suggested trying to talk with Republican House members and get them to cosponsor. We closed the meeting by having Senator Carroll agree to talk to some House members on the issue and urge them to support the bill. The youth of Kentucky have a very strong voice; it is our health, our water, our future and our children’s future. Lobbying for the Stream Saver Bill was a great experience, and we will persist in acting and speaking against mountaintop removal coal mining un-til there is justice for the mountains and people of Kentucky. Thank you, KFTC, for providing the frameworks for Frankfort High Earth Club to lobby at I Love Mountains Day!

KFTC member Jeri Howell (right) and her friend attended I Love Mountains Day with their high school “Earth Club.”

A first-time lobbyist reflectsDear Editor, My name is Nicholas Brooks and I recently went to Frankfort to lobby for the first time. We drove to the Capitol to meet other KFTC members there for training and to do some lobbying. The reason we all gathered there

was so we could all learn more about all the bills we wanted to pass and how we could get legislators to vote for them. The other KFTC members that I got to meet for the first time are all pretty amazing people. They are some of the most devoted people I have ever met. They know what bills they want to pass. They know why they want them to pass. They even know how they are going to get them passed. They also know that it will take time. If we don’t get it done this time, we will just come back next year and keep trying! It was a great experience overall. Honestly, I can’t wait to go again.

Nihcolas Brooks,Prestonsburg, Kentucky

Letter to the Editor

KFTC.ORG/BLOG


Member Commentary

Last Gift Date Printed On Front Cover! We’ve heard from a lot of members that they would love to stay current in their membership dues, but just don’t know when their renewal date is. So now we are printing your last gift date with your mailing label*.

Renew by mail: Send in a contribution and the form.Renew by phone: Call Morgan to pay by credit card: 606-878-2161.Renew online: It’s easy to make a donation online at www.kftc.org/donate.

* Let us know if the last gift date looks wrong. Databases can be imperfect. Keep in mind that it takes about two weeks for the paper to be printed and on your doorstep. If you’ve made a donation in that time, it won’t make it on the label.

40 years after the Buffalo Creek Flood: what has changed?by Mimi Pickering

February 26 marked the 40th anni-versary of the Buffalo Creek Flood. On that day in 1972 a coal waste dam at the head of a crowded hollow in Logan County, WV, collapsed sending a wall of water, sludge and debris barrel-ing through the 16 small communities along Buffalo Creek. 125 people were killed, and more than 4,000 were left homeless. An of-ficial of the Pittston Company, the coal company owning the dam, stated in the immediate aftermath that it “was an act of God.” The dam was simply “inca-pable of holding the water God poured into it.” I had just moved to Whitesburg to work at Appalshop after interning with the West Virginia Black Lung Associa-tion. Friends called to say a citizens com-mission had been formed to investigate the disaster because there was little confidence the state would do an hon-est job, and asked if Appalshop would come to Buffalo Creek to document the hearings. We went. The devastation was horrifying, and survivors were anxious for their stories to be told. I decided to document what had happened and why, and in the process received help from numerous filmmakers and photographers who had covered the story. The Pittston Company never admit-ted liability for the disaster although they did settle a number of lawsuits for

around $19 million. The Governor’s Commission was not the whitewash many had feared, rather it called out numerous state agen-cies and stated: The Pittston Company, through its officials, has shown flagrant disregard for the safety of residents of Buffalo Creek and other persons who live near coal-refuse impoundments. This attitude appears to be prevalent throughout much of the coal industry today. The disaster also spurred passage of the 1977 federal Surface Mining Con-trol and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) and federal and state regulations re-garding dam construction and inspec-tion that eliminated the greatest threats. Unfortunately, many people from Buffalo Creek were prevented from do-ing the one thing that they most wanted — to go back home. Misguided and culturally inap-propriate government redevelopment plans delayed their return. But most significantly, almost three quarters of the land in Logan County was owned by outside corporate interests that ve-toed resettlement in favor of reserving the land for mining. Today all that remains of Saunders, the first community below the dam, is the Saunders Preparation Plant and sur-rounding deep mines and strip opera-tions. Forty years after Buffalo Creek, experts report that waste dams are better engineered and monitored. But coalfield communities are increasingly

threatened by huge impound-ments on the top of moun-taintop removal jobs, l ike the one in Martin County, Ky that broke through into older mine workings in 2000 and created the worst environ-mental disaster east of the Mis-sissippi River. Deadly and de-structive flood-ing is taking place through-

Unfortunately, many people from Buffalo Creek were pre-vented from doing the one thing that they most wanted — to go back home. Misguided and culturally inappropriate government redevelopment plans delayed their return. But most significantly, almost three quarters of the land in Logan County was owned by outside corporate interests that vetoed resettlement in favor of reserving the land for future mining.

out the region where mountaintop removal coal mining is most concen-trated, and scientists are documenting a direct connection. In 2010, Upper Big Branch, a mine that was known to be dangerous and in violation of safety laws, exploded and 29 miners died. Forty years ago, when these di-sasters occurred, at the very least we

expected our representatives to pass new laws and regulations that sought to correct the problems and better protect the people and the land. Today, in Kentucky, our legislators have failed to even pass a requirement that dam owners develop emergency action plans to evacuate communities below their impoundments. It is a travesty.

Above is a drawing that a young survivor did to depict their experience of the Buffalo Creek disaster.


Issue Summary Status Action Needed

Saving Streams(and mountains)HouseBill231KFTC position: Strongly Support

This legislation would prohibit the dumping of mine wastes into “an intermittent, perennial, or ephemeral stream or other water of the Commonwealth.”

These are mostly headwater streams that are essential to the quality of waterways upstream and downstream. Mine wastes could be placed back on the mine site as partofthereclamationprocessalreadyspecifiedinstateandfederallaw-ratherthandumpedoverthesideofthehillintothevalleysandstreamsbelow.

HB231wasintroducedonJanuary9with7cosponsorsandhasbeenassigned to the House Natural Resources andEnvironmentCommittee.NohearingorvotewillbeallowedbyHouseleaders.

AllmembersoftheGeneralAssemblyandthegovernorareignoring their responsibility to protect the people and land of Kentucky. Let them know this. Contact them and ask why they are ignoring the tremendoushealth,humanandenvironmental cost of mountaintop removalmining.

Voting RightsHouseBill70KFTC position: Strongly Support

HB70callsforaconstitutionalamendmenttoautomaticallyrestorevotingrightstomostformerfelonsuponthecompletion of their sentence.

HB70passedtheHouseonFeb.16.Thevotewas78-18.ThebillisnowassignedtotheSenateJudiciaryCommittee.

Contact all members of the SenateJudiciaryCommitteeandrequestthatHB70receiveavote.

Tax FairnessHouseBill127KFTC position: Strongly Support

HB127containsfourdifferenttaxreformstomakeourtaxsystemmorefairandtoraisemorerevenueinorderto make progress in key areas like education, higher education, health care, housing and the justice system.

HB127isintheHouseAppropriationsandRevenueCommittee.

Contact House and Senate leadership and ask that they come up with a plan to raise revenueandmakeourtaxsystemmorefair.Attendthe“127YardSale”onMarch26.

Clean Energy Opportunity ActHouseBill167KFTC position: Strongly Support

PassaRenewableandEfficiencyPortfolioStandardrequiring utilities in Kentucky to get an increasing share of their energy from clean, renewable sources and energy efficiencyprograms.

Establish Feedin Tariffs that will set a guaranteed rate for renewable energy producers.

HB167hasbeenassignedtotheHouseTourism,Development,andEnergyCommittee. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday,March22.

CalltheLegislativeMessageLine(800-372-7181)andleavea message for all members of theHouseTourism,Development and Energy Committee in support of the Clean Energy OpportunityAct,HB167.

Expanded Net MeteringHouseBill187KFTC position: Strongly Support

Net metering allows people who generate electricity with their own renewable systems to put it back into the electricgridandreceiveacreditfromtheirutilityprovider.Thisbillexpandseligibilitybyallowingusers(notjustowners,asrequirednow)oftherenewableequipmenttoparticipate,andincreasingthemaximumcapacityforeligible systems.

HB187hasbeenassignedtotheHouseTourism,Development,andEnergyCommittee

CalltheLegislativeMessageLine(800-372-7181)andleavea message for all members of theHouseTourism,Development, and Energy Committee insupportofHB187aswellasHB167,theCleanEnergyOpportunity Act.

Green SchoolsHouseBill255KFTC position: Support

HB255fundsaGreenSchoolsInitiativebymaking$50millioninloanmoneyavailabletoschoolsforprojectsthatwillsaveaminimumof25%inenergycosts.

HB255haspassedoutoftheHousebyavoteof96-1.ThebillisnowassignedtotheSenateAppropriationsandRevenue Committee.

Contact Rep. Rocky Adkins andtellhim,“HB255isagoodstartbutHB167isKentucky’sFuture.”

Death PenaltySenateBill63KFTC position: Support

SB63wouldreplacethedeathpenaltywithalifewithoutparole sentence.

SB63hasbeenassignedtotheSenateJudiciaryCommittee.Itwasgivena“discussion only” hearing on March 1.

Contact members of the SenateJudiciaryCommitteeinsupportofSB63.

Death PenaltyHouseBill145KFTC position: Support

HB145wouldendtheuseofthedeathpenaltywhenthedefendantisseverelymentallyill.

HB145hasbeenassignedtotheHouseJudiciaryCommittee,whereithasbeenposted.

Contact members of the House JudiciaryCommitteeinsupportofHB145.

2012 KFTC’s Legislative Issues at a glanceHere’s a quick look at the bills KFTC has a position on so far in the 2012 General Assembly. The

KFTC Executive Committee (which serves as the legislative strategy team) reviews bills and amendments weekly. This information is current as of March 14. For a more recent update, visit www.kftc.org/billtracker.


Issue Summary Status Action Needed

Payday LendingHouseBill332KFTC position: Support

HB332wouldcaptheinterestrateonpaydayloansandprovideprotectionsforconsumers.

HB332hasbeenassignedtotheHouseBanking&InsuranceCommittee,whereitfailedlastyeartogetenoughvotestoget out of committee.

Contact members of the House Banking&InsuranceCommittee and House leaders asking themtopassHB332.

Anti-discriminationHouseBill188SenateBill69KFTC position: Support

These bills would prohibit discrimination because of sexualorientationandsexualidentity.

HB188andSB69areintheirrespectiveHouseandSenateJudiciaryCommittees.HB188hasbeenposted.

Contact members of the respectiveJudiciarycommittees asking their support of this legislation.

Public assistance drug screeningHouseBill26KFTC position: Oppose

This bill would require drug testing for applicants and recipients of public assistance “if the caseworker suspects substanceabuseattheinitialinterview,andonanyother occasion.”

HB26washeardintheHouseHealthand Welfare Committee, but the bill was notcalledforavote.

Monitor.

Telephone deregulationSenateBill135KFTC position: Oppose

Thisbillwouldremovetheobligationfortelephonecompaniestoprovidestand-alonebasictelephoneservice,including911,toallpersonsinageographicareaservedby that utility.

SB135wasrolledintoSB12intheSenateEconomicDevelopment,TourismandLaborCommitteeonMarch13andiscurrentlyontheSenatefloor.

ChecktheonlineKFTCBillTracker for current status, and contact House or Senate members to help stop this bill.

Nuclear powerHouseBill559KFTC position: Oppose

This bill partially lifts the moratorium on constructing new nuclear facilities on the condition that electricity is not the primary output and these plants are used to help convertcoaltoaliquidorgasfuel.

HB559isnowgoingtotheSenateafterbeingapprovedbythefullHouseonMarch14.

Contact senators and ask them to oppose this misguided effort to make us more dependent on dirty fossil fuels.

ImmigrationSenateBill118KFTC position: Oppose

SB118wouldrequiredocumentationoflegalpresenceintheUnitedStatesinordertoreceivepublicassistanceoradriver’slicense.

SB118isintheSenateJudiciaryCommittee.

Contact senators and ask them toopposeSB118.

Administrative RegulationsHouseBill450SenateBill4SenateBill10KFTC position: Oppose

Thesebillsweakentheabilityofexecutivebranchagenciestodevelopandenforcenewregulationstocontrolpollution and protect the public.

HB450isintheHouseStateGovernmentCommittee.SB4wasontheSenatefloorawaitingavoteatpresstime.SB10wasapprovedbytheSenateState&LocalGovernmentCommitteeonMarch14andislikelyheadedtotheSenatefloorforavote

ChecktheonlineKFTCBillTracker for current status of these bills, and contact House or Senate members as appropriate to help stop these bills.

2012 KFTC’s Legislative Issues at a glance

This information is current through Wednesday, March 14. Check the KFTC web site at www.kftc.org/billtracker for updates on these bills, or the Legislative Research Commission web site at http://lrc.ky.gov/record/10RS/record.htm

for updates on all bills. Let lawmakers know your opinions through the Legislative Message Line: 800-372-7181.

1) Call the toll-free Legislative Message Line at 800-372-7181 and ask to leave a message for “all members” of the committee listed above for each bill. The message line is open weekdays 7 a.m. – 11 p.m. (just to 6 p.m. on Fridays). Message: Please support (or oppose) House/Senate Bill ____ and work for its passage/defeat.

2) Call your legislator directly at 502-564-8100 and express your views on these bills. This is especially important if your representative is a member of any of these committees. If you are not sure who your legislator is, visit www.lrc.ky.gov/Legislators.htm. You can also see what committees they are on.

3) Write your legislators at: Capitol Annex, 700 Capitol Ave., Frankfort, KY 40601. If you want to email them, find their email address here www.lrc.ky.gov/whoswho/email.htm.

4) Spend one or more days lobbying with other KFTC members at the capitol. Besides the big rallies and lobby days, we have a presence at the capitol most Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Our lobby day usually starts by 9 a.m. and ends shortly after lawmakers go into session at 2 p.m. If you are interested in lobbying with KFTC, check with your chapter organizer or let Lisa Abbott know you are coming so we can expect you – [email protected] or 859-200-5159.

It is time to remind legislators that there is strong grassroots support (or opposition) for each of these bills. Here’s how you can help do that:


Local UpdatesLegislators get sticky letters from annual “Crepes of Wrath” party T h e a n n u a l

“ C r e p e s o f Wrath” event was held in early Febru-ary in Eolia at the home of Sharman and Jeff Chapman-Crane.

Early in the morning Letcher County members gathered for Jeff’s infamous crepes filled with choices from a buffet of fresh ingredients that included fresh blue-berries, strawberries, melons, yogurt, sour cream, honey, maple syrup and pecans. Chapman-Crane grilled up the crepes fresh and announced to the hun-gry crowd as each was ready. It was a shuffle in the living room to get to the kitchen for the next hot crepe. After breakfast, tea and coffee, members gathered to write letters to lo-cal newspapers and to their legislators. Among the most contacted was Rep. Leslie Combs, about both her refusal to plan a meeting with her con-stituents in Letcher, Harlan and Pike counties and the Clean Energy Oppor-tunity Act (HB 167). HB 167 has been assigned to the House Tourism Development and

Energy Committee chaired by Rep. Combs. Letcher County members have re-quested an at-home, sit-down meeting with Rep. Combs since the first week of legislative session. Her assistant informed them that Combs would not plan any meetings in Letcher County. Chapman-Crane asserted in his letter that Rep. Combs was “elected to represent all the people, not just a select few” and that “two hours of time doesn’t seem like too much to ask.” Letters also were written to Senators Daymon Thayer, David Wil-lams, Brandon Smith and Ray Jones. Many of these letters were in support of HB 70, to restore voting rights to nonviolent former felons and the Clean Energy Opportunity Act (HB 167). KFTC member Vanessa Hall told her former senator, Sen. Ray Jones, “On-bill financing of energy efficiency upgrades would really be a great boost for those of us who live in older homes. Have you priced a new heat pump lately?” Additionally, she also informed Sen. Thayer, in the past responsible for not allowing HB 70 to receive a vote in the Senate State and Local Government Committee (of which he is chair) that “we need to create pathways to citizen-ship for people, not relegate them to the

After writing numerous letters to legislators, Vanessa Hall and Greta Fields made handmade pinwheels to take to I Love Mountains Day in Frankfort.

fringes of society.” Sharman Chapman-Crane wrote a couple letters to newspaper editors, in addition to her legislators. Greta Fields wrote Rep. Jim Gooch in support of the Stream Saver Bill, which is held up the House Natural Resources & Environ-ment Committee, which Rep. Gooch

chairs. As some people finished up their letters, Hall and Fields made a couple dozen pinwheels for I Love Mountains Day. Members are all already look-ing forward to next year’s “Crepes of Wrath” party.

Cross county potluck turns into “Hands Across Pine Mountain” Twenty new and familiar faces turned out for a Harlan and Letcher Chapter Potluck in Oven Fork. Harlan County chapter chair Roy Silver called the event “Hands Across Pine Mountain” in his excite-ment after the evening. The multi-chapter event was created as a way to help bring east Kentucky KFTC members together to celebrate and to work collectively to build the membership. Members shared several home-made and homegrown food dishes, stories from the past couple months of chapter organizing, and a few fiddle tunes from Letcher County’s only performing female fiddle duo, the Skip Dippers. Folks collectively highlighted stories of great work happening across the chapters and at the capitol

during general assembly over the last couple months. Three local members renewed their membership with KFTC and members signed a couple Thank You cards. One went to Sen. Bran-don Smith’s legislative assistant, Debra, for being so helpful all ses-sion, and the other to the Oven Fork Senior Citizen’s Center for providing members with a great, welcoming space to meet and eat conveniently in-between the various communities. Spirits were high as folks cleaned up and headed down either side of the mountain. Members are already planning future events to help build solidar-ity across county lines and to help increase the KFTC membership base in each community.

Members from Harlan and Letcher counties gathered for a joint potluck to celebrate the work each chapter has done in the past few months while also working to increase the membership base in east Kentucky.


Local UpdatesMadison County members push for fairness

by Cory Lowery

The Madison County chapter has been working hard to involve citizens in the important political issues affecting their communities. One of these issues continues to be fairness. The Madison County chapter remains committed to seeing a fairness ordinance passed in the city of Berea to protect residents from discrimination by preventing businesses and landlords from denying their services to individu-als based on their sexual orientation. There has been some progress on the adoption of a fairness ordinance, particularly in the city of Berea’s ap-pointment of a Human Rights Com-mission (HRC) that would investigate claims of discrimination in Berea. To welcome the HRC and encour-age a continuing dialogue on the issue of fairness, the Madison County KFTC Chapter, along with its allies in Bere-ans for Fairness and the Berea Fairness Coalition held a reception for the HRC, where members of the newly formed body could meet and mingle with mem-bers of the community. Held at Berea Coffee & Tea, the re-ception turned out to be a great success, with more than 80 community members and students from Berea College in at-tendance to greet the members of the HRC. HRC members were given the op-portunity to introduce themselves to the

community members packed into the coffee shop, most expressing their ex-citement to work on human rights issues in Berea. “The reception was a thriving suc-cess,” said Ethan Hamblin, a Berea Col-lege student who spoke at the event. “We appreciate all of the community and youth that attended the event.” In addition to its work in fairness, the Madison County chapter has contin-ued its efforts to educate and mobilize concerned members of the public to take action against mountaintop removal coal mining and to advocate on other important issues. To this end, the Madison County KFTC organized citizen lobby training with an open invitation to anybody who wanted to learn more about the impor-tant issues facing Kentucky and how to successfully lobby their legislators.

More than a dozen people showed up from across Madison County, includ-ing students from Eastern Kentucky University and residents of Berea, all gathering at Berea College’s Appala-chian Center. KFTC members discussed a variety of important bills going through Frank-fort at the meeting. Madison County member Steve Wilkins considered the meeting a success, saying “It was great to see so many new faces at our lobby training. I was thrilled to see these up-coming professionals grasp issues that were new to most of them.” Members of the Madison County chapter hope that events like the HRC reception and citizen lobby trainings will energize members of the communi-ty to participate in direct action to affect positive change locally and throughout Kentucky.

Central Kentucky Chapter update

The Central Kentucky chapter has been very busy since the last issue of balancing the scales, most notably with the second annual Lexington Loves Mountains Week (Lexington Loves Mountains start-ed in 2008). Beginning on Thursday Feb. 9, the chapter organized events around the city that would raise awareness about the effects of mountaintop removal coal min-ing and KFTC’s work to transition Appalachia to a cleaner, safer and better energy economy. Events included a screening and discussion of the film Dirty Business at the studio of local Lex-ington artist and KFTC member John Lackey, two music showcases at Al’s Bar, a legislative letter-writ-ing party along with authors read-ing at the Morris Bookshop, and a muffin-top removal demonstration at the Lexington Rescue Mission’s Bazaar. On Monday Feb. 13, three lo-cal Lexington businesses – Stella’s Kentucky Deli, Third Street Stuff Coffee and Al’s Bar donated a por-tion of their day’s sales to KFTC calling the day “Dine Out For The Mountains.” Hundreds of folks participated in the events throughout the week, many of whom joined KFTC.

What’s next for the chapter? With this being such a big election year, the chapter plans to focus on building a strong voter empowerment work plan. There have already been two voter registration drives, with two more planned prior to the registra-tion deadline in April. Additionally, chapter mem-bers will focus a great deal of their voter registration efforts in com-munities that are often overlooked. If you’re interested in par-ticipating in voter registration, contact Ondine Quinn at [email protected] or 859-276-0563. You learn more about the chapter at www.kftc.org/cky.

Two Lynch city buildings got a thor-ough energy audit in early February to kick-start an energy efficiency project. Josh Bills and Hope Broecker of the Mountain Association for Commu-nity Economic Development (MACED), with assistance from Gregory Copley from UK’s Center for Applied Energy Research, conducted the energy audit on the Lynch City Hall and Water Treat-ment Plant. Harlan County KFTC members Stanley Sturgill and Carl Shoupe were there to welcome the group to Lynch and to learn more about the process and proposed outcomes. The energy effi-ciency project is expected to last into the summer months. Bills, Broecker and Copley started

by learning about the buildings and their energy usage, while also taking notes pictures of all the appliances and units of the buildings that use electricity. Stay tuned for more updates about

this project as KFTC members, MACED, the city of Lynch and state agencies work to get Lynch city buildings en-ergy efficiency upgrades in the coming months.

Energy audit moves Lynch efficiency project along

Josh Bills from MACED conducted an energy audit of the Lynch water station.


Local UpdatesHazard Diversity Club helps focus local and regional fairness Lots of well-publicized energy has been put into fairness organizing and strategizing in central and eastern Ken-tucky communities over the last nine months. Bereans for Fairness had an expo-nentially growing wave of organizing efforts in support of a city fairness and human rights ordinance, including sev-eral events such as city council meetings and rallies that showed strong local and statewide support. The increase the public outcry for statewide fairness ratcheted up last summer, after two men were ejected from the Hazard Pavilion pool for an al-leged public display of affection. The city of Hazard issued an apol-ogy after dozens of people from around the region and the state rallied against the inappropriate action used towards the two individuals. While the media excitement around these events lasted a short time, Ken-tuckians from Berea to Whitesburg continue to build momentum toward their long-term, community visions of fairness and equality in Kentucky and

beyond. More than a dozen people from Perry and surrounding counties met at Hazard Community and Technical College (HCTC) over several months following the summer’s events, form-ing what Perry County member Ivy Brashear called “a group dedicated to the discussion and implementation of making equality in the mountains ex-tend to all people.” Brashear also said the group, “hopes to document anecdotal evidence that shows the need for fairness ordinances to be established throughout the region, create a local support network for LGBT folks and their allies, identify local re-sources for LGBT folks and their allies, and identify business, community, spiri-tual and educational leaders with which our group may be able to partner.” Jenny Williams, a professor at HCTC, has joined with students to form the new HCTC Diversity Club “for LB-GTQ students and the people who love them,” according to Williams. The Diversity Club has hosted well-attended meetings and events on

campus over the fall and winter, and continues to host student activities in support of fairness. In early February, the Diversity Club grilled pizza in a student lounge on campus and fed more than 40 people homemade, grilled fresh pizzas with a variety of gourmet toppings. The purpose of the pizza party was to reach out to other students and plan for the Statewide Fairness Rally and Lobby Day, which was hosted by the Fairness Campaign, and held in Frank-fort on February 22. KFTC members and allies from around the state, along with several from HCTC and eastern Kentucky, at-tended the lobby day and rally in sup-port of a statewide Anti-Discrimination Fairness bill, introduced in both the Senate (SB 69) and the House (HB 188), as well as an Anti-Bulling bill (HB 336). Premiering in Berea on the night of the Fairness lobby day was Appalachian author Silas House’s new play, “This Is My Heart For You.” Ethan Hamblin, a Berea student from Perry County who also helped to form East Kentucky Fairness, was ex-cited to learn that, “the play is based on the Hazard Pavilion incident. This play is about equal love and human rights. It will focus on a group based on East Kentucky Fairness!” “Last summer there were several incidents about equality — alleged hate

crimes and discrimination — in the area, and the theme just presented itself,” said House. The breadth of fairness organizing in east Kentucky has included meetings, plays, rallies, and now even a statewide fairness commercial. The Fairness Coalition traveled to eastern Kentucky to include the faces and voices of several members from Perry and Letcher counties in the com-mercial. These included Jenny Williams, Heather Bates and Josephine Richard-son, as well as others in the region. Fairness organizing in east Ken-tucky shows no signs of slowing down. The synergy of various organizations working together for statewide fairness has helped get new community mem-bers involved at various levels. The next upcoming regional event is The Stay Together Appalachian Youth (STAY) Project 2012 LGTBQ gathering in Berea, April 13-15. The STAY Project is a diverse regional network of young people throughout Central Appalachia who are working together to advocate for and actively participate in their home mountain communities. Contact [email protected], 606-633-0108, or find them on Facebook to register, learn more and support the work. East Kentucky Fairness is accessible through Facebook or by email at [email protected] and P.O. Box 18, Mayking, KY 41837.

Members of the Hazard Community & Technical College Diversity Club hosted an event on campus grilling up tasty pizzas and planning for the statewide fair-ness lobby day that was held on February 22.

STAYStay Together Appalachia Youth

STAY is having its 2012 LGTBQ gathering in Berea, April 13-15. The STAY Project (Stay Together Appalachian Youth) is a diverse regional network of young people throughout Central Appalachia who are working together to advocate for and actively participate in their home mountain communities. Contact [email protected], 606-633-0108, or find them on Facebook to register, learn more and support this work.


Local UpdatesWilson Creek residents use setback as opportunity to work closer with the state Energy and Environment Cabinet Wilson Creek residents are look-ing to state officials to find new ways to protect their land, water, health and community after a Kentucky Court of Appeals panel struck down restrictions on any strip mining that would take place there. In a ruling issued February 17, the panel voided a state regulation that the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet relied on to issue those protec-tions. The judges remanded the case back to the cabinet. Wilson Creek resident Bev May said the ruling was disappointing because the protections the community were counting on are now put on hold while residents and the cabinet review their next steps. “We’re going back and ask the cabi-net to keep its commitment to protect our community,” said May. “We are determined as ever that we’re not going to be abused. We still have our rights under the broad form deed amendment and still have our promise from the county judge to not let them use Wilson Creek as a haul road.” The effort dates back to 2006 when Wilson Creek residents learned that Miller Brothers coal company was try-ing to buy leases so that it could strip mine along both sides of the watershed simultaneously, and use the commu-nity’s only access road as its haul road. Residents organized, and among the actions taken was to file a petition with the environmental cabinet to have the Wilson Creek watershed declared “un-suitable for surface mining.” In an early 2009 decision, the cabi-net did not grant that petition, but did say that any mining of the area had to meet certain restrictions. Those restric-tions were:

• the coal company could not haul coal on the one-lane Wilson Creek road.

• that any mined land needed to be returned to its approximate original contour, and

• the land needed to be reforested to prevent flooding.

Even though these were reasonable conditions and reflected existing law,

Miller Brothers filed a lawsuit, arguing on one hand the state only has the au-thority to rule either in favor or against a Lands Unsuitable petition, and on the other hand there was not enough evi-dence to support the need for the added restrictions to mining in Wilson Creek. Miller Brothers and its successors (Laurel Mountain Resources, part of James River Coal) appealed that deci-sion, first with the cabinet and then to Franklin Circuit Court. Both upheld the protections. In reversing those rulings, the Court of Appeals did not address the validity of the protections themselves, but the process by which the cabinet is-sued them. They ruled that federal law allows a Lands Unsuitable petition to be either granted or denied, and for restric-tions to be applied only if the petition is granted. Granting restrictions on future mining without an unsuitability deter-mination goes beyond the authority of federal law, and the Kentucky General Assembly has forbidden state law from being more stringent than federal law. Therefore, the regulation the cabinet fol-lowed is “null, void and unenforceable,” the appeals court panel concluded. “The procedural flaw was in not

first declaring the watershed unsuitable for certain types of mining before issu-ing the restrictions,” May explained. There are legal options available for Wilson Creek residents and the cabinet. But, as May pointed out, the community still has a pledge from the Floyd County judge-executive to not grant a waiver for Wilson Creek to be used as a coal-haul road. And under the 1988 broad form deed amendment to the Kentucky constitution, landowners can refuse to allow strip mining on their property. Some, if not all, of the protections the cabinet intended to use on future mining may still be applied for any in-dividual permit that James River Coal may seek. “The cabinet listened to the con-cerns of residents and took those con-cerns seriously enough to provide some modest protections for the community. They had the right intention but the process was flawed. Now they have an opportunity to go back and fix that problem, and we’re counting on them to do that.” Wilson Creek residents and the Floyd County KFTC Chapter are repre-sented in this case by the Appalachian Citizens Law Center.

Wilson Creek resident Bev May and author Silas House in 2008 at a public hearing concerning the Lands Unsuitable for Mining Petition for Wilson Creek.

Lobby in Washington D.C. with KFTC and the Alliance for Appalachia

Use your citizen lobbying skills on the federal level with the Alliance for Appalachia’s trips to Washington, D.C. Apply to represent KFTC dur-ing the annual Week-in-Washing-ton or join a smaller group for one of three “D.C. Days.” During these trips to the na-tion’s capital you will be visiting with congressmen and women and their staffs, as well agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Office of Surface Min-ing Reclamation and Enforcement and others about issues related to the mining and burning of coal. If you are selected to represent KFTC both your travel and room will be covered by the Alliance for Appalachia and you will receive a stipend for food and expenses. Travel to Washington D.C. will likely be on a Mega Bus that origi-nates in Knoxville. The Week-in-Washington is: Saturday, June 2 – Thursday, June 7 (Sat. and Thurs. are travel days)(Please apply by April 6th)

“D.C. Days” trips are: Week of April 16th

Week of July 23rd

Week of September 24th We will usually leave on Monday and return on Thursday.

To apply to represent KFTC on any of these trips please submit your name at least one month before the trip to Kevin Pentz by email at [email protected] or at 606-335-0764. Include the dates you wish to at-tend, list any previous federal lob-bying events you have attended, and where you live. If necessary, final decisions will be made by KFTC’s Leadership Development Committee.


Local UpdatesTar sands oil is a fi lthy fuel, Louisville members learn Jefferson County chapter members learned about tar sands extraction – and why extracting oil from them is a really bad idea – during a presentation from Melina Laboucan-Massimo at their February chapter meeting. “[Tar sands extraction] uses more water, more energy and produces more toxic waste than other forms of energy,” Laboucan-Massimo revealed. That includes 1.5 barrels of toxic by-product and 3-5 barrels of water for each one barrel of oil produced. Laboucan-Massimo is from the Cree First Nation in northern Alberta, Canada and was in Kentucky as a fea-tured speaker at the I Love Mountains rally. She is a leader in the U.S. and Canada against tar sands extraction, including the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. Tars sands are a sandy or clay substance saturated with a particular type of petroleum. The oil cannot be pumped out of the tar sands deposits like typical crude oil, so the sands must be mined through strip mining or big open-pit mines. The sand is heated to allow the oil to fl ow, which is

then processed and refi ned. For deeper deposits, the industry is using “in situ” mining. This involves pumping high temperature steam into the ground to allow the oil to fl ow. There are large deposits of tar sands in Canada. The rush to extract the oil is driven by the appetite for energy in the United States, and much of it would get here through the pro-posed Keystone pipeline. “We’re seeing massive mines that cover a whole landscape,” Laboucan-Massimo described. If allowed to con-tinue, tar sands extraction will destroy 141,000 square kilometers – about the size of Florida. National Geographic magazine reported in a March 2009 article about the Canadian oil sands, that “Nowhere on Earth is more earth being moved these days than in the Athabasca Val-ley [northern Alberta].” Laboucan-Massimo said pictures and stories of mountaintop removal are similar to what she and her family have experienced from the tar sands industry. Those impacts include poi-soned and lost water, increases in can-

cer and a variety of health problems, and the myth that the industry will bring prosperity to a region. “Billions of dollars have been tak-en out of the region and still my family has no running water,” she said. A number of KFTC members have been active in efforts to stop the Key-stone XL pipeline, including action at the White House last year. “I see great hope that so many of

us are standing together to create a more just world,” said Mark Steiner in his introduction of Laboucan-Massi-mo. “This is a good sign for our species and a good sign for the future of life.” He thanked Laboucan-Massimo for coming to join Kentuckians in standing up against mountaintop re-moval. “We stand in solidarity with you and the people of the Cree First Nation.”

Sam Avery and Margaret Stewart, who participated in White House actions against the Keystone pipeline last year, chat with Melina Laboucan-Massimo (left) at the Jefferson County chapter meeting.

ROWING

PPALACHIA

SATURDAY, APRIL 149:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.Jenny Wiley State Park

Prestonsburg, Kentucky

Join us for a day of workshops by local experts about ways to save and earn money through small-scale farming, forestry, and energy solutions!

All are welcome! There is no cost for the conference.

Pre-registation is appreciated: Register online at

www.kftc.org/growing or call 606-878-2161

Floyd County member Rick Handshoe led a Footprints For Peace delegation on a Mountain Witness Tour behind his home in Hueysville before they began their Walk for a Sustainable Future from Prestonsburg to Frankfort, ending at I Love Mountains Day.


Canary Project UpdateValley fills excluded but in-stream ponds may be allowed

Army Corps of Engineers to issue new Nationwide Permit The Nationwide Permit proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is scheduled to take effect March 19. This new Nationwide Permit rein-states Section 21 related to surface coal mining, but it is much different than the Nationwide Permit that was used last in the 2007. Section 21 under the new Nation-wide Permit specifically does not allow for valley fills or hollow fills to be placed in streams. This is a victory for KFTC members who fought for years against the misuse of this process.

Valley fills destroy watersheds

Up until this year, Section 21 has allowed coal companies to get permits to dump the toxic waste from their min-ing operations into streams by creating what are called “valley fills” or “hollow fills.” Valley fills not only bury streams, they also destroy all the vegetation from the watershed area and create a source of toxic runoff. The watershed is the area on the mountain where when it rains; the rain hits the trees and other plants and then drains down toward the valley and into

the stream. A few things can happen when coal companies remove all the vegetation from the top and sides of the mountain – the water can run off the mountain very fast, creating the potential for flash floods. And it does not have time to soak into the ground and recharge the underground aquifers, creating another long-term problem. From a water pollution perspective, the problem with valley fills is what has been called the “coffee bean effect.” If you pour water over whole coffee beans the water will not absorb the cof-fee and you will just have water on the other end. But if you pour water over ground up coffee beans then the water absorbs the coffee because the ground up coffee beans have much more dis-turbed surface area from which the wa-ter can absorb the flavor of the beans. The same is true of valley fills and water. When it rains on undisturbed land the water is flowing over rocks and dirt that is held together with vegetation so it does not collect any heavy metals or salts as it drains toward the stream. However, when you pulverize the different rock layers and remove the vegetation and dump the dirt and pul-

verized rock into the valleys then the rain water soaks into the valley fills and collects all the heavy metals and salts from the pulverized rock and carries these often toxic chemicals down into the stream. One of the ways to measure how much metals and salts are seeping into the streams is by measuring the con-ductivity of the stream. The higher the conductivity, the more metals and salts are in the stream.

Renewal process

The Nationwide Permit is designed to allow for more expedited permit ap-proval for a variety of operations that will have minimal impact on the waters of the United States. Every five years the Corps evaluates and renews the permit. Though the last Nationwide Permit, issued in 2007 allowed coal companies to permit valley fills, in 2009, after a se-ries of public hearing throughout central Appalachia, the Corps suspended the use of Section 21 for surface coal mining. Many KFTC members will remem-ber attending the lively and at times raucous public hearing in Pikeville at the Expo Center. When the Corps suspended the use of Section 21 officials also said they would consider reinstating this section when the next Nationwide Permit was issued in 2012. After reviewing the public com-ments from the hearings and from written comments, the Corps decided continue to include Section 21 for sur-face coal mining, but have made several changes. “I think this shows that the Army Corps heard us during those hearings. And who knows, maybe in another five years we can gain a little more ground” said Stanley Sturgill a retired deep miner and KFTC member who attended both the hearings in Pikeville and Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Under Section 21 (a) of the New Nationwide Permit, any permit that was previously issued under the 2007 Nationwide Permit, and where the coal company has begun construction, the coal company will be given one addi-

Ephemeral stream = High mountain stream that runs primarily when it rains.

Intermittent stream = In general is a stream that runs less than six months out of a year.

Perennial Stream = In gener-al is a stream that runs more than six months out of a year.

(continued on next page)

Mary Love

“I was the first person to testify in opposition to the Army Corps is-

suing Valley fills un-der the Nation-

wide Permit at the [2009] public hear-ing the Corps held in Pikev-ille on NWP

section 21. The first speakers were

politicians who spoke in favor of renewing the permit to its original status. I was the first to speak, but there were close to 100 other folks who were there to support doing away with that section of the permit entirely. During the entire comment pe-riod, the Corps received over 26,000 spoken and written com-ments supporting the permanent suspension of the permit, yet they decided to renew it anyway. When representatives from the Alliance for Appalachia meet with the Corps March 13 in Washington, DC, we’ll be asking them why they chose to discount those 26,000+ comments.“Valley fills destroy vegetation and create flooding and water pollution problems

for downstream communities.


Canary Project Update

tional year to complete their project. This means the company will have until March 19, 2013 to complete its operation. If the company does not be-lieve they will be able to complete their construction by March 19, 2013, then the coal company may apply to have their permit re-verified under the new 2012 Nationwide Permit, Section 21 (a). In order for a permit to be re-veri-fied under Section 21 (a) the operation may not add any additional impacts to streams beyond what was included in the original permit. All new and pending applications will be reviewed under the new Nation-wide Permit, Section 21 (b). This section does not allow for the construction of any valley fills or hollow fills in the waters of the United States. This section does however, allow for the construction of sediment ponds used to

control surface water runoff from strip mines. The impacts from these sediment ponds will be limited to a total of half an acre. And coal companies will only be allowed to impact a total of 300 linear feet of perennial, intermittent or ephem-eral stream. However, it will be up to the dis-cretion of the regional Corps office to allow for coal companies to receive a waiver to impact more than 300 linear feet of intermittent or ephemeral stream. This waiver will not include perennial streams and the total stream impact will still have to be less that half of an acre. Sturgill is trying to look on the bright side. “I guess we’re lucky they are not allowing valley fill or hollow fills. If I had my way they wouldn’t be strip min-ing at all and we wouldn’t need section 21 of the Nationwide Permit. But I don’t always get my way and I think we’ve done pretty well by getting rid of NWP 21 valley fills.” Coal companies will still be allowed to apply for valley fill permits under the Individual 404 Permit, but they will no longer be allowed to apply for a valley fill permit under the Nationwide Permit. When a coal company applies for permit, the Corps will inspect the site to make sure the coal company has accu-rately identified the points where a stream

New updated NWP-21; No valley fills or hollow fills(continued from previous page) transitions from an ephemeral stream to

an intermittent stream, and from an inter-mittent stream to a perennial stream. When trying to identify the classifica-tion of the different segments of a stream the Corps takes several factors into con-sideration, including biological informa-tion of what is living in the stream, the presence of groundwater, and the overall flow of the surface water. “I hope the good people at the Army Corps take their jobs seriously when clas-sifying these streams. Their work has a di-rect impact on our health in this region,” said Sturgill. Mary Love, the co-chair of KFTC’s Land Reform Committee and sits on the Alliance for Appalachia Enforcement Team, thinks it’s important for the Corps to remember “the people of Appalachia and all those who live downstream of our waters deserve clean and healthy water to drink. We will continue to watch how the Corps carries out its responsibility to protect our water.” Two KFTC members, along with al-lies from the Alliance for Appalachia, attended a meeting with the Corps of En-gineers in Washington D.C. on March 13. They expressed some concerns with the new Nationwide Permit, Section 21, and also expressed appreciation for not allow-ing valley fill and hollow fill projects to be covered by the new Nationwide Permit.

Canary Briefs

New health impacts web tool The iLoveMountains.org team has launched an innovative new web tool to illustrate the over-whelming amount of data that shows the high human cost of coal mining. See it at: www.iLoveMountains.org/the-human-cost “The Human Cost of Coal” page maps national data including poverty rates from the 2010 U.S. Census, birth defect rates from the Center for Disease Control, the Gal-lup-Healthways Well-Being Index, and life expectancy and popula-tion numbers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. The site also includes summaries for 21 peer-reviewed studies that show hu-man health problems such as heart, respiratory and kidney diseases, cancer, low birth weight and serious birth defects are significantly higher in communities near mountaintop removal mine sites.

Rand Paul renews attack on clean water U.S. Senator Rand Paul has filed legislation that would remove many protections for Kentucky’s water-ways, particularly those in eastern Kentucky. S. 2122 “drastically limits the scope of the Clean Water Act,” wrote Stacey Detwiler for American Rivers. “Ignoring science and even the status quo, the bill leaves the majority of stream miles in the U.S. unprotected. “S. 2122 would prevent admin-istrative efforts to restore protec-tions to small streams and wetlands. It forces the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers to get specific permission from states before doing anything to control pollution or pro-tect land and water resources.” Paul takes particular aim at eastern Kentuckians by excluding ephemeral or intermittent streams from federal jurisdiction. That would effectively eliminate any efforts to stop valley fills and the dumping of toxic mining wastes into streams.

Canary Briefs

The fate of the Keystone XL pipeline U.S. Reps. Brett Guthrie, Ed Whitfield, Hal Rogers and Geoff Davis helped the U.S. House pass a bill that supports more “oil shale development, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, more offshore drilling, and to force approval of the Keystone XL pipeline,” Guthrie wrote on his Facebook page. The four voted for H.R. 3408 while Reps. Ben Chandler and John Yarmuth voted against it. It passed 237-187 on February 16. The House rejected a series of amendments designed to make the Keystone XL pipeline more palat-able, including that the fuels made from this tar sands oil remain in the U.S., that the project be subject to pipeline safety rules and that the use of eminent domain be limited for the construction of the pipeline. Keystone pipeline builder TransCanada has threatened the use of eminent domain against a number of rural landowners. That has prompted some Tea Party op-position to the project. This once vibrant mountain stream in Island Creek (Pike County) was reduced

to a rock-lined, lifeless channel under the old NWP 21 permitting process.


Canary Project UpdateI Love Mountains Day 2012

On a cold rainy day, 1200 handmade pinwheels shined with hope As KFTC members do each Febru-ary, they brought some love for the mountains to Frankfort on Valentine’s Day – along with 1,200 homemade pin-wheels in a rainbow of colors. The pinwheels represented the 60,000 additional cases of cancer that studies have linked to mountaintop re-moval coal mining. The pinwheels also symbolized the hope of clean energy alternatives. Cody Montgomery of Letcher County told the 1,200 people gathered on the capitol steps for I Love Moun-tains Day why it’s important to end mountaintop removal and begin an eco-nomic transition in Appalachia. “I want my grandchildren to have a life in the foothills. But if the next 30 years are like the last 30, that’s not going to be possible.” Montgomery and other speakers called out state and federal officials for failing to protect the future of mountain communities, where studies have linked higher rates of cancer, birth defects and other health impacts to mountaintop removal mining. They also lifted up the potential of new jobs in clean energy, sustainable agriculture and forestry to replace disappearing coal jobs.

“I have witnessed with my own sweat the abundance that can be grown on less than a half acre of land. I’ve walked the ridges and hollers and held the potential of these hills in my own hands,” Montgomery said. “How so many behind these walls fail to see the same is a tragedy.” Doing nothing is not an option, he said. “We can’t sacrifice another stream or acre of forest. We can’t keep killing ourselves to make a living.” Ada Smith of Whitesburg urged Governor Steve Beshear, Congressman Hal Rogers and U.S. Senator Mitch Mc-Connell to “stop catering to the industry and open your eyes, ears and offices to the people.” Speakers also drew connections between communities around the world that are exploited by extractive fossil fuel industries. Melina Laboucan-Mas-simo of the Lubicon Cree First Nation in northern Alberta, Canada, described the impacts of 30 years of tar sands extrac-tion on her community, including pol-luted air and water and higher rates of emphysema, asthma and cancers. “It is encouraging to be here today, to feel like you are standing with me as I am standing with you,” she said.

They also pointed out the tremen-dous jobs potential – tens of thousands of Kentucky jobs –that would be real-ized with the passage of legislation that would put Kentucky on a path toward renewable energy and energy efficiency.

After the rally, participants marched around the capitol and to the governor’s mansion, where they planted pinwheels on the governor’s lawn and in a “moun-tain” that symbolized the mountains of Eastern Kentucky.

Good morn-ing everyone. It is a pleasure to be here with you this chilly Valentines Day. My name is Ada Smith and I’m from Whitesburg

in Letcher County, Kentucky. This is my first time at I Love Mountains Day. Most of you know I believe in abolishing mountaintop removal, that speakers like Ivy Brashear, Wendell Berry, Beverly May, and Teri Blanton are my heroes, and that I have faith in my fellow Kentuckians to stand up for the injustice occurring in the coalfields and tarsands of our world. However, I am still hesitant to be-lieve that the politicians that are paid to represent my interests and those of my community are willing to do their job. Even though the water that flows by this capitol begins in my county, the electricity used in the offices comes from our mountains, and the hospitals and universities in the “golden trian-gle” are filled with folks from eastern Kentucky, it often seems like our politi-cal officials don’t see a reason to invest in us hillbillies. ... In the past year studies have stat-ed that people living near mountain-top mining have cancer rates of 14.4% compared to 9.4% for people else-where in Appalachia; that the rate of children born with birth defects is 42% higher in mountaintop removal min-ing areas; and that the public health costs of pollution from coal operations in Appalachia amount to a staggering $75 billion a year. These numbers are often terrifying and shocking to many but those of us

that live in the coalfields understand them as a part of our daily lives. In 2001, over a decade ago, young filmmakers as a part of Appalshop’s Appalachian Media Institute made a video about Eiola, Kentucky. In Eiola, along a mile long stream, 22 people died of cancer among 15 houses. Let me repeat that, 22 people died of cancer within a mile. Many of the resi-dents personally knew over 50 people who had died with or were currently living with cancer. Over ten years since this short video was made, Eiola real-ity is not rare in the coalfields. That’s one reason why so many of us are carrying pinwheels today – and why we will deliver all 1,200 pinwheels to Governor Beshear at the end of this event. Each pinwheel represents 50 people who today suffer from cancer in central Appalachian mining communities. Together they symbolize the 60,000 additional cancer cases that can’t be explained by any other factor except how close we live to mountaintop removal strip-mining. And of course these pinwheels also represent our collective hope for a cleaner, healthier future. Gov. Beshear, because 14 Kentuck-ians had a sleepover in your office this time last year you finally traveled to see the destruction mountaintop re-moval has caused in the southeastern corner of Kentucky. Now there are over 1,000 Kentuckians here asking you, Rogers, and McConnell to stop catering to the industry and open your eyes, ears, and offices to the people. We are asking for what we deserve. If you will not recognize us as fellow human beings worthy of your time, then please recognize the lives our communities are sacrificing for the rest of this state and give their families some relief.

Ada Smith Speaks Truth to Power


Canary Project UpdateI Love Mountains Day 2012

Arriving by the busloads, members pack a bus and head to capitol On February 14, nearly a dozen of KFTC members (along with a 32-gallon tub of approximately 300 handmade paper pinwheels) hopped on a bus at the Whitesburg Food City, the first of a few east Kentucky stops, and headed out into the rainy dawn towards Frank-fort. The next stop was in Hazard, where several long-time KFTC lead-ers climbed aboard as well a whole vanload of high school students from Cordia School in Knott County. With the growing energy of the sunrise and the addition of several teenagers, the bus started buzzing with everything from free style raps to speech practices. Lots of folks were meeting one another for the first time, learning of shared birthdays, family lines, and hob-bies. Others caught up with long-time friends they hadn’t seen in months. The last stop prior to pulling into Frankfort was in London. Here the last batch of riders joined the group, put-ting the total head count to 30 (up a hand full from last year)! These final folks were two students and three professors from Union Col-lege in Barbourville. The east Kentucky busload rolled into Frankfort energized and ready for a fun, motivating, and a little wet I Love Mountains Day. Getting off that bus at the steps of the capitol were 30 folks from Harlan,

Letcher, Knott, Perry, Knox, Whitley and Laurel counties. They were teachers and professors, students of many ages, radio program-mers, farmers, artists, grandparents, musicians, organizers, and retirees from local mines, hospitals and govern-ment agencies. Members were equipped with mu-sical instruments, homemade signs and

300 paper pinwheels in every color one can image, made by hands ages 5 to 75 from many of those same counties. Three of the rally speakers hitched a ride on the east Kentucky bus, along with seven Knott County teenagers (their first time in Frankfort or at any kind of rally) who helped pass the bas-ket through the crowd for donations, started chants and marched with a

‘Kentucky Deserves Better’ banner. The east Kentucky bus was so popular, it gained a rider coming back (Russell Oliver, who had walked to Frankfort from Prestonsburg as apart of FootPrints For Peace), as well as some pinwheel mugs, audio and pictures of the rally, information about the tar sands, and close to a dozen prospective new members.

A chartered bus picked up members from various locations all across eastern Kentucky. The bus ride has become an annual event that members enjoyed by members. Sharing stories and music on the bus ride to Frankfort, many members have used to opportunity to learn more about a specific KFTC legislative issue or to just relax and catch up with friends.

Various school, social and religious groups attended I Love Mountains Day. This year was highlighted by the large number youth at the rally from school and church groups.


Canary Project UpdateThe health impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining

Increased Birth DefectsA May 2011 study in the journal Envi-ronmental Research found a significant elevation in most types of birth defects among babies born to mothers who lived in a county with mountaintop mining during pregnancy, compared with other counties in Appalachia. The study looked at two periods of time, 1996-1999 and 2000-2003, and showed that the overall rate of birth defects was 13% higher in the earlier period, and increased to 42% higher in the later pe-riod. The report concludes that dispari-ties in birth defects have become more pronounced as mountaintop mining has expanded. “This study shows that places where the environment – the earth, air and water – has undergone the great-est disturbance from mining are also

The focus this year of I Love Moun-tains Day was on the health of our mountain communities and how it is negatively impacted by mountaintop removal coal mining. Members made more than 1,200 to represent the 60,000 individual cases of cancer that have been linked to mountaintop removal. Volumes of scientific evidence and data illustrate the harm to human health from exposure to dust and nu-merous toxins released to the air and water by surface mining. In the last two years alone, peer-reviewed studies by Dr. Michael Hendryx and others have demonstrated that:

• people living near mountaintop min-ing have cancer rates of 14.4% com-pared to 9.4% for people elsewhere in Appalachia;

Selected List of Recent Health & Cost Studies

• “Self-Reported Cancer Rates in Two Rural Areas of West Virginia with and without Mountaintop Coal Mining.” Journal of Com-munity Health. July 2011. Michael Hendryx, et al.

• “Health-Related Quality of Life Among Central Appalachian Residents in Mountaintop Mining Counties.” American Journal of Public Health. May 2011. Keith J. Zullig and Michael Hendryx.

• “The Association between Mountaintop Mining and Birth Defects among Live Births in Cen-tral Appalachia, 1996–2003.” En-vironmental Research. May 2011. Melissa M. Ahern, et al.

• “Full Cost Accounting for the Life Cycle of Coal.” Annals of the New York Academy of Science. February 2011. Paul R. Epstein, et al.

• “Chronic Cardiovascular Dis-ease Mortality in Mountaintop Mining Areas of Central Appala-chian States.” The Journal of Rural Health. 2011. Laura Esch and Mi-chael Hendryx.

• “Ecological Integrity of Streams Related to Human Cancer.” Eco-Health. April 2010. Timothy P. Hitt and Michael Hendryx.

• “Mountaintop Mining Conse-quences.” Science. January 2010. Margaret Palmer, et al.

• the rate of children born with birth defects is 42% higher in mountaintop removal mining areas;

• the public health costs of pollution from coal operations in Appalachia amount to a staggering $75 billion a year.

These findings are consistent with an earlier account of health impacts related to mountaintop mining “Mountaintop Mining Consequences” published in the journal Science in January 2010. Accord-ing to that study:

[G]roundwater samples from domes-tic supply wells have higher levels of mine-derived chemical constituents

than well water from unmined areas. Human health impacts may come from contact with streams or exposure to airborne toxins and dust. State advisories are in effect for excessive human consumption of [Selenium] in fish from MTM/VF affected waters. Elevated levels of airborne, hazardous dust have been documented around surface mining operations. Adult hos-pitalizations for chronic pulmonary disorders and hypertension are elevat-ed as a function of county-level coal production, as are rates of mortality; lung cancer; and chronic heart, lung, and kidney disease. Health problems are for women and men, so effects are not simply a result of direct occupa-tional exposure of predominantly male coal miners.

BEVERLY MAY – Floyd County. “Sometimes [my water] runs visibly colored from the tap and leaves a bright orange ring on the tub. This usually happens when the creeks nearby which drain from valley fills, run orange with iron and aluminum hydroxides which line the creek with sludge and smother any living thing in it. But my water doesn’t come from a well, it is treated public water from a plant at the mouth of Beaver Creek, an area of Floyd County that has seen extensive surface mining for over 50 years. And everyone else, the thousands of people who live on Beaver Creek, drink, cook, bath and water their gardens in the same water.” Statement to the U.S. EPA. August 18, 2011.

Over the past two years, nearly 20 peer-reviewed scientific studies have been published documenting the impact of coal production, including large-scale surface mining, in Central Appalachia on human health. The information below contains highlights from just three of these studies.

the places where birth defect rates are the highest,” said Dr. Ahern. “This is evidence that mountaintop mining practices may cause health impacts on people living in those areas, before they are even born.”

Increased Cancer Rates A July 2011 study went door to door in West Virginia and found cancer rates significantly higher in a community ex-posed to mountaintop removal mining compared to a non-mining community. The cancer rate in a central Appalachian county without mountaintop removal mining was 9.4%, compared to a rate of 14.4% in a county with mountaintop re-moval. Among the 1.2 million American citizens living in mountaintop removal mining counties in central Appalachia, this 5% difference would translate to an

additional 60,000 cases of cancer linked to strip-mining practice. “This significantly higher risk was found after control for age, sex, smok-ing, occupational exposure and family cancer history. The study adds to the growing evidence that mountaintop mining environments are harmful to hu-man health,” said the study’s author,Dr. Michael Hendryx.

High Monetary CostsA February 2011 study by Dr. Paul Ep-stein details the economic, health and environmental costs associated with each stage in the life cycle of coal. In terms of human health, the report es-timates $74.6 billion a year in public health burdens in Appalachian commu-nities, with a majority of the impact re-sulting from increased healthcare costs, injury and death. The yearly and cumulative costs from the mining, processing, transport, and

combustion of coal affect individuals, families, communities, ecological integ-rity, and the global climate. Dr. Epstein says: “The public is unfairly paying for the impacts of coal use. Accounting for these ‘hidden costs’ doubles to triples the price of electricity from coal per kWh, making wind, solar, and other renewable[s] very economi-cally competitive. Policymakers need to evaluate current energy options with these types of impacts in mind.”


Kentucky’s two-year budget is being hashed out in the legislature throughout March, and it’s not likely to include ad-ditional sources of revenue — including the governor’s initiative to legalize gam-bling. This is bad news for Kentuckians. Below are a collection of statements from KFTC members in reaction to the “slash-and-burn” budget that passed the House and was before the Senate at press time. This budget will make the tenth round of budget cuts since Governor Steve Beshear took office in 2008. The House starting point was the budget proposed by the governor. Under this proposal, most state agencies will face 8.4 percent budget cuts, on top of 25 percent - 30 percent cuts since 2008. The real impacts of these budget cuts is in sharp contrast to the kind of com-monwealth that Kentuckians want, and have worked for. Carl Shoupe is a retired coal miner from Benham. “I’m a disabled coal miner myself and I want to see underground miners protected. Mine safety is the most important part of the coal industry, but

these greedy coal compa-nies are mining coal for

Wall Street. They will not be concerned about safety issues if someone isn’t there looking over their

shoulders. Miners and former m i n e r s like myself who have sons, daughters, nephews and friends working underground are so aware of the im-portance safety plays in monitoring the activities company’s demand of miners. The budget cut for mine safety is uncon-scionable. Our politicians need to raise revenue for coal mine safety — this isn’t too much to ask for a major industry of Kentucky.

Toward the other side of the state, Jeffer-son County member Carter Wright sees the decline of his local library – another area impacted by proposed budget cuts – as evidence that Kentucky’s leaders need to prioritize revenue reforms. “My family is at our library at least once a week to keep current on our read-ing and to introduce our 3-year-old and

Economic Justice Update

our 8-month-old to the world of books. Be-

fore the recession it seemed like my lo-cal library always had a shelf full of

new books on dis-play. Now I only see

a handful.” Wright also pointed out the impor-tance of libraries to help people impacted by the recession. “Libraries are a crucial way for people hardest hit by this crisis to get affordable access to information. Most job postings are online now. For people who can’t afford home Internet, the library is the best way to apply for jobs. Cutting back on services and hours makes it even harder for Kentuckians to get back on their feet.” The budget also cuts funding for higher education by another 6.4 percent, a cut that would precipitate another tu-ition hike in Kentucky’s public colleges and universities. Students at the University of Ken-tucky KFTC group have already started to organize against these cuts, and for re v - enue reform. Jared Flanery is one

of these students. Flanery has helped o ther s tudents learn about the con n ec t ion be -

tween taxes and tu-ition, and has helped

students speak out by coordinating letter-writing events and lobbying trainings and trips to Frankfort. Flanery says, “I want to be able to at-tend a university that can compete within a tough higher education market. But if Governor Beshear’s “inadequate” budget passes, next year UK will lose $3.1 mil-lion in state financing. I know that losing this money will mean a significant loss of quality in my education.” “In addition, tuition has increased 130 percent in the last 10 years, and the university will be compelled to do so again if nothing is done. There is a solu-tion though. If our state legislators in ses-sion can find the courage to pass House Bill 127, we can raise enough revenue to stop tuition hikes and pay for the kind

of educations Kentuckians deserve. As a student at the flagship university of the state, I appeal to our government to pass fair tax reforms, and to take our budget something closer to adequacy.”

Concerns about the quality of educa-tion in Kentucky were echoed by Elise Mohon, a member in Taylor County who teaches 5th grade science. While the proposed budget wouldn’t cut funds from Support Education Ex-

cellence in Kentucky (SEEK) – the per pupil

funding formula for schools – it would cut everything else, including money for school supplies,

textbooks, family re-source centers, and af-

ter-school programs. Mohon said, “We live in an itty bitty community, and many families are strug-gling. But I want to see my kids have the same opportunities that other kids have. They deserve that. I want them to be exposed to culture and the arts, things that will give them experiences that make them excited to learn about the world. And, I want them to see what’s out there as far as careers go, too. It’s hard to know have a dream if you don’t know what’s out there.” Mohon also sees the impact that budget cuts have had on what the schools have been able to offer. “We haven’t had funding for after-school programs in my area for quite some time, and I haven’t had but a class-room set of textbooks for my science class for a long time. The kids can’t take their books with them to read at home. And we’ve lost most of our vocational classes over the last few years because of budget cuts, and some kids are slipping through the cracks after they leave school. How do we know that they wouldn’t be interested in electrical work or mechanics? They don’t get the opportunity to try them out any more because we’ve had to narrow where we put our resources. There just aren’t enough funds to go around. “We’ve got to have revenue in Ken-tucky or we’re going to sink. HB 127 is a start. We need fairness, and with all the information out there, it looks like we

could create a tax system that’s more eq-uitable. The House budget proposal and the final budget might differ from the gover-nor’s proposal, but revenue reforms are necessary for substantial improvements, and the House didn’t show leadership or vision.”

Come to KFTC’s HB 127 Yard Sale!

Join KFTC at the Capitol on the af-ternoon of March 26 for a HB 127 Yard Sale. The goal will be to raise the money that HB 127 would be raising if it were passed — around $400 million a year. If the legislators won’t raise it with their votes, maybe they’ll fund mine safety and higher education by buying your old paperbacks and sweat pants. You can find more information and updates at www.kftc.org/yardsale.

Members find stark contrast in the Kentucky that they want to see, and the Kentucky that the legislators will fund

What can I do?

The governor has appointed a Blue Ribbon Commission on Tax Re-form to study the tax and budget landscape, hear from Kentuckians about what is needed, and make recommendations to the legislature in November. The commission will hold six public town hall forums across the state over the summer – a great opportunity for KFTC mem-bers to shape the debate. Below is a list of the scheduled meetings. The locations are still being determined and will be shared in balancing the scales and through KFTC’s action alert system when available.

Tues. May 29, 6 p.m., PaducahTues. June 19, 6 p.m., Bowling GreenTues. July 10, 6 p.m., LouisvilleTues. July 24, 6 p.m., CovingtonTues. Aug 7, 6 p.m., PrestonsburgTues. Aug 21, 6 p.m., Lexington

Members and allies are excited to participate in these meetings; there will be tools and resources avail-able to support people who go. If you’re interested, contact Jessica Hays Lucas at 859-276-0563 or [email protected].


New Energy and Transition UpdateEnergy audit is the start of saving money for Rick Handshoe In February, Floyd

County KFTC mem-ber Rick Handshoe participated in a program which he hopes thousands

of other Kentuck-ians will also benefit

from. Through a creative new program offered by his rural electric cooperative, Handshoe was able to have major en-ergy efficiency improvements made to his home – all without a loan or paying any cash up front. “It conserves energy, it can produce local jobs and use less energy. It helps the homeowner with improvements to their home,” said Handshoe of the How$martKY program offered by Big Sandy RECC, his local electric cooperative. Through How$martKY, participants are able to pay for energy upgrades with the savings they produce, right on their

electric bill. For this reason, How$martKY is called an “on-bill financing” program. The program is not a personal loan, but is simply a separate line item right on the bill. Here’s how it works: The co-op sends an energy auditor to a person’s home to perform an energy assessment. Then, the auditor figures out how much it will cost to make the home more energy efficient and how much those improvements will lower the person’s energy bill. If the math works out, the co-op then pays for the improvements to the home, and adds a fee to each monthly bill. Even with this fee, participants’ bills are lower, on average, than before the improvements were implemented. “I couldn’t afford to do the work that needed to be done. Under this pro-gram, it doesn’t cost me anything. I’m actually making money, when it averag-es out over the year,” said Handshoe. “It helps people be able to afford upgrades that they wouldn’t be able to afford any other way.” After the cost of the improvements is paid back to the co-op, all the ad-ditional savings stay in the individual co-op member’s pocket. Handshoe was present for his en-ergy assessment. “During the audit, they hooked up a fan in the door which simulates 20 mile-an-hour winds blowing at every corner

of your house. When the fan is pulling, you can feel where it’s letting air into the house,” he said. To find the places for improvement, you “just physically walk around and feel for leaks.” The auditor ran the numbers after he assessed Handshoe’s house, and told him that he qualified for the program: the energy improvements would lower his bill enough that they would pay for themselves over time. At this point, the work really began. “The first time they completely replaced the heating and cooling sys-

tem. They came a second time, and just caulked around the exterior trim, around the bathtub, around the sink where the pipes come up through the floor. I’m still losing a lot of air around the back door, so they’re going come back to weather strip that,” Handshoe said. He is already feeling the benefits of the weatherization and his new efficient heat pump. He said, “I can tell in here now that it blows a lot more even heat. I can already tell it’s better. It’s got a bet-ter flow.” KFTC documented Handshoe’s experience with the How$martKY pro-gram, and KFTC members will be using his story to talk with other co-op mem-bers about the program. Using a real-life story that people can relate to will help build demand for the program. Over the years, the goal is that tens of thousands of eastern Kentuckians see improvements and savings from the program, creating good local jobs where they’re most needed and contributing to the transition of the Appalachian economy. Handshoe sees a future for How$martKY beyond energy efficiency. “When this program works, I can see possibly other things that it can do, such as helping with solar hot water, so-lar panels, renewables” he said. “To me, if this works out, this is how people can afford to put in this green energy.”

Chris Woolery performs a blower door test on Rick’s Handshoe’s home to check for air leaks throughout the home.

Shelby County members bring democracy to their

Energy Cooperative

Members in the Shelby Energy Cooperative have been working diligently to improve their co-op. In addition to regularly at-tending co-op board meetings and meeting with board directors, the local Shelby County KFTC group decided at their last meet-ing to pursue a campaign to pass a “Members’ Bill of Rights” in their co-op. They want their co-op to make its meetings and records more open and accessible and to improve the member voting process, making the co-op more democratic. Members will be circulat-ing a sign-on sheet with a goal of gathering 400 signatures in support of the “Members’ Bill of Rights” which they will intro-duce to the board later this year. At its March meeting, the Shelby County KFTC group will brainstorm plans for work on the Members Bill of Rights campaign, as well as discuss the process for becoming an official KFTC chapter.

KFTC member Tona Barkley helped preside over the fourth meeting of the Clean Energy Collaborative with the rural electric co-ops. She is vice-chair of the col-laborative. David Crews of the East Kentucky Power Cooperative (pictured left) is the collaborative’s new chair.


New Energy and Transition Update

For more information go to www.ekpc.coop/publicforum

Concerned citizens and our local electric cooperatives have come together to talk about energy-saving programs

and renewable energy. Please join us to give your input. Refreshments will be served.

April 9, 6-8 p.m. Carl D. Perkins Community Center Morehead, KY

Your ideas are important:Join the Conversation!

The above ad will run in the late March edition of Kentucky Living maga-zine which is sent to more than half a million rural electric co-op mem-bers in Kentucky. KFTC members and staff worked with East Kentucky Power Cooperative staff to develop the ad announcing the upcoming public forum, which is part of the Clean Energy Collaborative process. A public forum will be held once a year to gather input on EKPC’s and the co-ops’ programs and the ideas developed by the collaborative. KFTC members who are co-op members are highly encouraged to at-tend the Public Forum and share ideas on energy efficiency and renew-able energy: April 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Carl D. Perkins Community Center in Morehead. Contact Sara Pennington for more information or ride-sharing: [email protected] or 606-276-9933.

Clean Energy Lobby Day leads to hearing for HB 167 With an aspiration of a clean energy future for Kentucky under their arms, more than 55 citizen lobbyists came to Frankfort on February 28 to talk with legislators. In 60 different meetings with law-makers, participants discussed House Bill 167, the Clean Energy Opportu-nity Act. Sponsored by Rep. Mary Lou Marzian, the bill would establish benchmarks for increasing the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency in Kentucky over the next ten years. Additionally, it would also establish

payment rates for renewable energy to encourage new energy industries to lo-cate in Kentucky and create new jobs. Many surrounding states have al-ready passed such measures, and new jobs in clean energy are going to Ohio and North Carolina instead of Kentucky. Eastern Kentucky University stu-dents John Bowers and Emily Justus lob-bied for the first time. Justus, a native of Pike County, said she came to Frankfort to “show our support and learn about the whole process.” Bowers of Berea said, “I’m very

much for clean energy. I think that’s the wave of the future and the direction we need to go.” The Clean Energy Opportunity Act is assigned to the House Tourism, De-velopment and Energy Committee. Kentucky Sustainable Energy Al-liance (KySEA) members were excited to learn a couple of weeks later that HB 167 will get a hearing on March 22. They specifically asked many legislators to push for this.

The Clean Energy Lobby Day was hosted by KySEA, a coalition of 52 orga-nizations working to pass clean energy policy that would stem rising energy rates and create thousands of new jobs. In addition to grassroots organiza-tions like KFTC, a founding member, KySEA includes small businesses, faith communities, housing groups, and even individuals. Visit www.kysea.org for more infor-mation.

KySEA and KFTC members and allies gathered on February 28 to lobby for a clean energy future for Kentucky, educating legislators about the benefits of HB 167, the Clean Energy Opportunity Act.

Like many KFTC chapters, the Northern Kentucky chapter prepared for I Love Mountains Day by having local events to help people participate who couldn’t travel to Frankfort. The events were held at two local venues that were pleased to lend their businesses and voices to the cause. The first event was held at The Crazy Fox Saloon in Newport, and the latter event was held at Groove Coffee House in Covington. In honor of what members called “Happy Hour for the Mountains,” sev-eral patrons won free drinks by telling the bartenders that they love moun-tains. Many took the opportunity to browse KFTC information table to learn more about the destructive practice of mountaintop removal coal mining. Members mingled with the clients of The Crazy Fox, and discussed what

they can do to help end the mining practice while working to create a new energy economy in eastern Kentucky. Two days later about a dozen KFTC members went to Groove Coffee House to take advantage of specials for KFTC members, and to make pinwheels to raise awareness about the health im-pacts that can be linked to surface min-ing practices. Several members also took the opportunity to make postcards for legislators to support the Clean Energy Opportunity Act and the Stream Saver Bill. All of the members who attended the various events were excited to spread the word and prepare for I Love Mountains Day. Members like Courtney Jung especially appreciated the oppor-tunity to be a part of I Love Mountains since they couldn’t make it to Frankfort themselves.

Happy Hour for the Mountains

Stay in the loop with KFTC.ORG/BLOG


Voting Rights UpdateBreakthrough in Voting Rights Campaign: HB 70 surges through the House, 78-18, to land in less-hostile Senate Judiciary Committee For years, the bill to restore voting rights to most former felons who have served their debt to society has passed the House by a wide margin, but has not been allowed a hearing or vote in Sena-tor Damon Thayer’s State and Local Government Committee. This year, House Bill 70 passed the House 78-18 on February 16. When it arrived in the Senate it was assigned to a new committee, Senate Judiciary, chaired by Senator Tom Jensen. This is a hopeful development for KFTC and allies because Sen. Jensen and many other senators on that committee have expressed support for HB 70 in the past. KFTC members are helping to co-ordinate an outpouring of public sup-port to help senators understand that Kentuckians support voting rights leg-islation, and to make sure the bill finally receives a hearing.

In other voting rights news:

• Members have invested a lot of time during the legislative session

networking with what some people might call “unlikely allies” - includ-ing Tea Party groups throughout the state, Take Back Kentucky, and other organizations. This partner-ship has worked to create a power-ful dialog, finding common ground in principles such as “no taxation without representation.” Many of these groups have actively engaged in supporting HB 70 by meeting with legislators or contacting them through phone and email.

• Numerous Kentucky newspapers and other media outlets have pub-lished editorials in favor of HB 70. They include The Courier-Journal, Lexington Herald-Leader, Rich-mond Register, Kentucky New Era (Hopkinsville), Georgetown News-Graphic, and WDRB-TV (Louisville).

• KFTC members held Voting Rights presentations across the state in recent weeks, including at Consoli-dated Baptist in Hazard, St. Catha-rine College, Georgetown College,

the Lexington Tea Party meeting, and various high schools.

• KFTC members James Snyder, Jason Smith and Danny Cotton also met with the Assistant Secretary of State concerning HB 70. Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes cam-paigned on the issue of supporting voting rights and it was especially meaningful for Smith and Snyder to tell their stories about losing their right to vote.

• Lastly, members have continued in-person citizen lobbying with leg-islators in Frankfort discussing HB 70. Consistently this session, former felons have come to Frankfort to speak to legislators to put a human face on the issue of restoration of voting rights.

If you’d like to get more involved with this work, please either contact your local KFTC organizer or Dave Newton, KFTC’s Voter Empowerment Organizer at 859-420-8919 or [email protected].

Action - Call the Legislative Message Line (1-800-372-7181) and leave a message for the “Senate Ju-diciary Committee” plus your own senator. Message: “Please Support HB 70 and work for its passage.”

If you live in a district represented by one of the members of this com-mittee, it would be especially useful for them to also get a personal letter, call or email from you. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the counties they represent, are:

Sen. Tom Jensen [Chair] - Estill, Jackson, Laurel, Menifee, and Powell Sen. Katie Stine [Vice Chair] - Campbell and Pendleton Sen. Perry Clark - JeffersonSen. Carroll Gibson - Breckinridge, Grayson, Hancock, Hart, Larue, and Meade Sen. Ray Jones - Johnson, Martin, and Pike Sen. Jerry Rhoads - Hopkins, Muhlenberg, and Ohio Sen. John Schickel - Boone, Gallatin, and KentonSen. Dan Seum - JeffersonSen. Brandon Smith - Bell, Harlan, Leslie, and Perry Sen. Robert Stivers - Clay, Knox, Lee, Magoffin, Morgan, Owsley, and Wolfe Sen. Robin Webb - Bracken, Carter, Greenup, Lewis, Mason, and Robertson

HB 70 rally platform for unheard voices On March 8, more than 200 citizen lobbyists with KFTC, People Advocat-ing Recovery (PAR), the Center for Community Change, Tea Party groups, faith-based groups and others gathered in Frankfort in support of House Bill 70 – a bill to restore voting rights to most former felons who have served their debt to society. The day was fluid due to a shift in the daily Senate schedule to accommo-date a few senators traveling to New Orleans for a basketball tournament. Many senators cancelled their appoint-ments with the lobby teams, but some of the teams still managed to have a lot of powerful conversations with legislators throughout the day. Almost all 20 lobby teams included former felons to tell their stories to legis-lators and others in-person, a tactic that has made the issue more real and urgent in the minds of legislators. “I made a mistake but I’m still an American and a Marine and deserve the right to vote. And if people like me both-

er to show up to a rally like this, we’ll show up to the polls,” said Mitchell Kiskaden, a former felon from Bracken County. “I’m a former felon. I paid my debt to society. Now I’m paying another debt,” said Ed West, from Lexington. “I pay taxes, but I can’t vote. If we all speak up, someone will hear us. They say, ‘United we stand, divided we fall.’ Today, we have to stand united. We have to speak up. An unspoken voice will not be heard.” Other KFTC members and friends brought stories of family members who are former felons, or simply brought their visions of what Kentucky might be like with a more complete democracy. “I’m deeply concerned about the restoration of voting rights because democracy requires participation from all its members in order to be effective,” said Rosanne Klarer, of Scott County and a mother of a former felon. The day was focused primarily on connecting with Kentucky’s 38 senators

because the state House already passed the bill, 78-18. After speaking to some constituents at the lobby day, Rep. Addia Wuchner agreed to go back and change her vote in favor of HB 70. So the tally will retro-actively become 79-17. The main blocks to HB 70 have been a handful of Senate Republican leaders like Senator David Williams. So it’s been especially important to rally other Re-publican lawmakers who are supportive of this measure. Republican Rep. Lonnie Napier spoke at the rally to show his continued support. “I have supported this bill every time in the House. If you’ve paid your debt, you’ve paid it,” said Napier. “We want to work you back into society. How can we do that if you can’t vote? We should let you vote.” KFTC has been fighting to restore voting rights to former felons for the past eight years, and many of members are understandably frustrated and un-

happy that just a few senators have been able to prevent the rest of the state from voting on this issue as a constitutional amendment. The campaign had a major break-through a few weeks ago when HB 70 was assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee headed by Senator Jensen. Jensen has been favorable towards HB 70 in the past, and members are hopeful that he will allow the bill to be heard despite pressures from Senate leaders. If the bill is heard, members and allies feel confident there are the votes to pass it through committee and very likely the votes to pass it on the Senate floor as well.


Voting Rights UpdateFormer Felon Voices: James Snyder, Scott CountyTo share more of the stories from former felons across the commonwealth, this is one part of a series of short interviews that will run in balancing the scales.

“I’m a veteran of nine years in the U.S. Army infantry. My dad was in the military and I grew up on army bases. Both my grandfathers served in the military, too. But despite this service and more, James Snyder does not have the right to vote in Kentucky. “I pay taxes, but I’m not represent-ed. Effectively, I’m not a citizen because citizenship means having a voice in government through the ballot box. It just doesn’t seem right to me.” Snyder lived in Illinois for the last few years, working as a deputy voter registrar for the board of elections in Il-linois, helping people register and vote. And when he lived there, he could vote. Kentucky is now one of just four states that take away voting rights from all former felons, even after they’ve served their debt to society. “My parents aren’t doing so well, so I’m back in Kentucky to take care of

them and help around the house. Be-cause I’m on this side of the border of Illinois, I can’t vote. “The most recent of my two felony

convictions is over 14 years old and neither of them are from Kentucky. In fact, if I lived in either of those states, they recognize that I’ve served my debt to society and I could vote there.” Even with substantial political ties, Snyder found it hard to know if he even had the right to vote in Kentucky. “I talked to a few different lawyers and I got conflicting answers. Frankly, I could have gotten away with regis-tering and voting because Kentucky would be unlikely to compare lists with other states, but credibility is important to me, so I spent a lot of effort to under-

stand whether or not I have the right to vote here. It seems I don’t.” As a Scott County resident, Sny-der’s senator is Damon Thayer, the leg-

islator who has prevented HB 70 from receiving a committee hearing in recent years in his Senate State and Local Gov-ernment Committee. Snyder joined KFTC for his first citizen lobby day in Frankfort this ses-sion and is looking forward to talking to Sen. Thayer in person. “I served my country, with due respect, more than any legislator I see that’s standing in the way of this legis-lation. And I served my time for what I’ve done wrong, too. The right thing to do would be to let me, and others like me, to vote.

“It renders moot the idea that ‘if you don’t vote, you can’t complain.’ I’m complaining because I can’t vote.” Snyder is doing more than that – networking with people in Scott Coun-ty through KFTC and elsewhere to gain voting rights for former felons, and for a host of other issues he cares about, too. “I can join in politics in other ways, and I do because it’s important to me. But not being able to vote sure does make it harder.”

“I served my country, with due respect, more than any legislator I see that’s standing in the way of this legislation. And I served my time for what I’ve done wrong, too. The right thing to do would be to let me, and others like me, to vote.”

In late January, Democratic House leadership and Republican Senate leadership pushed through, and Gov-ernor Steve Beshear signed, undemo-cratic and partisan legislative redis-tricting plans. The new district boundaries were designed to pit sitting legislators in the minority parties against each other while oddly dividing counties and communities, moving districts back and forth across the state, and gener-ally making a mess. A great many of Lexington resi-dents would have lost representation in the Senate for two years, as the district there now represented by Sen. Kathy Stein would have been moved to northern Kentucky, where Stein would not be eligible to run for re-election. A western Kentucky district 200 miles from Lexington and represented by Sen. Dorsey Ridley would have been moved to Lexington. That seat is not up for re-election until 2014. Fortunately for disenfranchise voters, the Kentucky Supreme Court

unanimously deemed the redistricting plan unconstitutional with a scathing opinion. For this year’s legislative elections, the old district boundaries drawn in 2002 will be used. The General Assem-bly will have to come up with new and legal districts for future years. While this issue was making its way through the courts in February, KFTC members successfully mobilized citizens throughout the state. Members organized two large ral-lies, organized a successful campaign to get the Lexington-Fayette County Urban County Council to pass a reso-lution against the redistricting, held numerous meetings with legislators, wrote letters to the editor and used social media to raise awareness around an unconstitutional redistricting plan that legislative leaders approached as business as usual. KFTC members said they will be among those watching to ensure the next redistricting process takes a more reasonable and non-partisan approach.

Democracy wins against political games in redistricting case

Early on in the redistricting debacle, Lexington residents organized a rally after they were disenfranchised when Sen. Kathy Stein was effectively removed as their elected senator. KFTC member Janet Tucker showed her support for Sen. Stein and Kentucky’s democracy.


Forming a KFTC chapterWhat is a KFTC chapter? Chapters are formal units of KFTC’s statewide organization, typically formed along county lines. Chapters are an essential part of KFTC’s internal democratic structure. They are an entry point for many members and offer a way for people to get actively involved in the organization and our issue campaigns. Each chapter elects a member to serve on KFTC’s statewide board. This board, called the Steering Committee, provides strategic direction and oversight to the organization.

Chapters and the statewide organization have a mutually supportive relationship. Chapters play an important role in building KFTC’s power by recruiting members, actively working on local and statewide issues, turning people out to events, and fundraising. The statewide organization provides organizing assistance, leadership training and other support to the chapters.

Chapters select their own local issues and leaders. To work on issues outside of KFTC’s statewide platform, a chapter must have permission from the Steering Committee. Chapters must meet certain requirements as spelled out in a chapter petition form.

What does it take to form a chapter? KFTC members can petition to form a new chapter at the KFTC Annual Meeting (held in October) or at a Steering Committee meeting (held every other month). Chapters wishing to remain active must re-petition each year at the Annual Meeting. Chapters are accepted by a majority vote of the organizational membership or of the Steering Committee.

In order to form a chapter, a group must have at least 15 KFTC members (and 30 members by the end of two years) and agree to the rights and responsibilities that are spelled out on the chapter petition form. The responsibilities include: electing a Steering Committee representative and alternate, raising at least $500 per year through chapter fundraising events, supporting KFTC’s statewide issue campaigns, and using non-violent direct action organizing methods.

How do I go about starting a new chapter? There is no single way to go about forming a new chapter. Sometimes a group comes together to address a specifi c local concern or to organize locally around a statewide campaign. After working together for a while on that issue, the members may decide to formally affi liate with KFTC as a chapter. This gives them a voice on KFTC’s Steering Committee, greater access to organizing support and resources, and a structure for continuing to work together over time around a broader set of issues.

Other times a few individuals set out to build a chapter because they believe in KFTC’s vision and approach to change. They may or may not have a specifi c issue campaign in mind. In these cases, the process of chapter formation might look something like the chart at the bottom of the page, though the timetable could vary.

1st Month 2nd Month 3rd Month 4th Month 5th Month 6th Month

Build a list of existing KFTC members and other people in the community you think should be involved.

Schedule 1:1 conversa-tions with 5 or more people to learn about their concerns, values and interests and dis-cuss the idea of chapter formation.

Identify 3+ people who can serve as a leaders-hip team.

Meet together to discuss what a KFTC chapter is, could be…

Identify additional peo-ple to have 1:1s with.

Continue to have 1:1 conversations.

Meet with leadership team to plan for fi rst chapter meeting:• Agenda? • Turnout? • Location? • Date?• Time?

Implement turnout and publicity plans.

Hold 1st meeting:• What’s KFTC, what’s a chapter, and what could ours be like? • Decide whether to petition as a chapter.• Brainstorm issues to explore. • Elect initial leader-ship.

Continue 1:1s.

Assign small groups to research specifi c issues, come back to chapter meeting with information and ideas.

Use chapter meeting to inform group, identify priorities, begin to build action plan.

Continue 1:1s.

Begin to implement action plan around priority issue(s).

Organize/host some com-munity gatherings (friend-raiser or house-parties) to build visibility and mem-bership.

Work w/KFTC staff to hold trainings that are useful for your chapter.

Either way, it is important to understand that forming a chapter does not mean that a full-time KFTC organizer will be assigned to work with your chapter — KFTC does not have the resources to do that in all cases. The most likely scenario is that a member of KFTC’s staff would be assigned to provide support and guidance primarily by phone. This person can help think through challenges and connect chapter members with other resource people and information. They may also periodically attend chapter meetings or provide leadership skills training for chapter members.

What kind of budget does a KFTC chapter have to work with?Chapters don’t have their own funds or bank accounts. When a chapter needs resources to accomplish its goals, they can request support from KFTC. It is helpful to include a description of ways that the chapter will work to raise funds locally to cover some or all of the costs of their activity.

There are some basic tools of organizing that chapters need to do effective outreach in the community. These may include a couple lightweight folding tables and chairs, a canopy (for tabling), some clipboards, a printer, and a supply of paper materials – including brochures, fact sheets, petitions, newsletters, etc. Your chapter should take inventory and see what materials can be obtained locally through donations. Other items can be requested from KFTC, and items with KFTC’s name or logo should be developed in collaboration with a staff member.

Who do I call if I have questions?Any KFTC staff member or volunteer leader can be a good source of information about the organization and what it takes to form and maintain your chapter. In the beginning, you may want to contact Lisa Abbott, KFTC’s organizing director, to talk through your ideas, hopes and plans for working with KFTC in a formal or informal way. She can be reached at [email protected] or 859-200-5159.

Harlan County

Perry County

Harlan County

Jefferson County

Bowling Green and Friends

Central Kentucky includes Bourbon, Clark, Fayette, Jessamine, and Woodford Counties

Madison County

Rowan County

Letcher County

Floyd County

Scott County

Northern Kentucky includes Boone, Kenton, Campbell Counties


ChapterMeetings

Mar. 20 Northern Kentucky chapter meeting, 7 p.m. at 25 W 7th Street in Covington. Contact [email protected] or call 859-380-6103.

Mar. 23 Berea Pie Auction and Square Dance, 7 - 9 p.m., $5 - $10 sug-gested donation. Union Church, Berea. [email protected].

Mar. 26 Madison County chapter meeting, 7 p.m. at Berea College Appalachian Center (205 N. Main St., Berea).

Mar. 27 Bowling Green chapter meeting, 6:30 p.m. at The Foundry, 531 West 11th St. Contact [email protected] or call 859-276-0563.

April 5 Scott County chapter meeting, 7 p.m., at the Georgetown Public Library. Email [email protected] or 859-420-8919 for more informa-tion or to volunteer.

April 9 Jefferson County chapter meeting, 6:30 p.m. at the First Unitarian Church, 809 South 4th Street in Louisville.

April 9 Floyd County chapter meeting, 7 - 8:30 p.m., St. Martha’s Catholic Church in Prestonburg. For more information contact [email protected] or call 859-986-1277.

April 19 Central Kentucky chapter meeting, 7 p.m. at the Episcopal Diocese Mis-sion House (corner of Martin Luther King Blvd. and 4th Street) in Lex.

April 19 Rowan County chap-ter meeting, 6 p.m. at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church on 5th Street in Morehead.

HB 127

YARD SALE!

Because Kentucky Deserves Better!We all want good jobs, good schools, and communities that are safe, healthy, and vibrant. Tax

reforms that raise revenue fairly, along with honest and transparent government, can help us

create this Kentucky right now, and build toward a better future.

But Kentucky’s elected leaders lack the political will to pass good solutions like HB 127, the

Kentucky Forward Plan. So, let’s gather at the Capitol for a HB 127 Yard Sale. Our goal will be

to raise the money that HB 127 would raise every year--$404 million--to invest in the Kentucky

that we deserve!

www.KFTC.org/yardsale or contact Jessica, 859-276-0563 or [email protected]

When: March 26, 1-4 pm

Where: Meet in Capitol

Annex Room 111 at 12:30.

Check www.kftc.org/

yardsale for more info and

updates.

What to bring:

•Your friends!

•Your junk. Small, packable, and plan to

take it back home with you. We’ll have the tags.

•A small blanket or a towel to set out, if you have one.

We have a *lot* of money to make, so we’ll be pricing things high!

take it back home with you. We’ll have the tags.

balancing the scales - march 2012

Documents

jefferson county vacant

letcher county bev

cross county potluck

rowan county katie meyer

scott county christian

madison county ada smith

harlan county tiffany

perry county meta mendelreyes