April 2014 - balancing the scales

VOLUME 33 NUMBER 3 APRIL 24, 2014

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

BALANCING THE

Remembering April Browning, mom and activist.......................... 4 Torps combine justice with hospitality to empower their community.......................................5 From Louisville to Appalachia: Celebrating Our Common Heritage........................................... 8 Whitesburg businesses build something together – by baby steps................................................. 11 Shining a light on the Benham Power Project .............................. 12 Legislature wrong to roll back mine-safety protections without study or public notice................ 13 Landowners make an impact on eminent domain issue................16 Preparations begin for annual membership meeting................. 17

2 | Balancing the Scales

Table of Contents

www.kftc.org | April 24, 2014

Executive Committee Corner

Building New Power through leadership development..................................................................................3

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

In Memory Of...

Remembering April Browning, mom and activist............................................................................................ 4

Member Profile

• foster democratic values • change unjust institutions • empower individuals • overcome racism and other discrimination • communicate a message of what’s possible • build the organization • help people participate • win issues that affect the common welfare • have fun

Torps combine justice with hospitality to empower their community......................................................5

KFTC membership dues are $15 to $50 per year, based on ability to pay. No one is denied membership because of inability to pay. Membership is open to anyone who is committed to equality, democracy and nonviolent change.

From Louisville to Appalachia: Celebrating Our Common Heritage......................................................... 8 Jefferson members make an impact by calling elected leaders................................................................ 9 Renters’ handbook brings new community resource for southern Kentucky tenants....................... 9 Madison County chapter raises $2,000 at annual Pie Auction ................................................................10

KFTC STEERING COMMITTEE Sue Tallichet, chair Dana Beasley Brown, vice chair Megan Naseman, secretary-treasurer Carl Shoupe, at-large member Steve Boyce, immediate past chair

Chapter Representatives

Homer White, Scott County Christian Torp, Central Kentucky Lisa Bryant, Rowan County Ben Baker, Northern Kentucky Shekinah Lavalle, Jefferson County Alan Smith, Southern Kentucky Rutland Melton, Harlan County Katie Pirotina, Perry County Meta Mendel-Reyes, Madison County Elizabeth Sanders, Letcher County Nina McCoy, Big Sandy Lee Ann Paynter, Wilderness Trace Leslie McBride, Shelby County Alternates: Rosanne Fitts Klarer, Scott County; Greg Capillo, Central Kentucky; John Hennen, Rowan County; Rick Traud, Northern Kentucky; Nan Goheen, Jefferson County; Travis Lane and Jeanie Smith, Southern Kentucky; Clair Stines, Harlan County; Russell Oliver, Perry County; Steve Wilkins, Madison County; Josh May, Letcher County; Virginia Madison, Big Sandy; Leah Bayens, Wilderness Trace; Joanna Mackens, Shelby County.

Balancing the Scales is published by Kentuckians For The Commonwealth and mailed third class from Lexington, Kentucky. Reader contri­butions and letters to the editor should be sent to 250 Southland Drive Suite #4, Lexington, Ky, 40503 or tim@kftc.org. Subscriptions are $20/yr.

Member Interview House’s Same Sun Here examines universality of injustice through eyes of two kids....................... 6

General Assembly Update Final legislative days change few outcomes.......................................................................................................7 Despite valiant effort, voting rights bill fails to pass in 2014 session........................................................7

Local Updates

New Energy and Transition Update Whitesburg businesses build something together – by baby steps......................................................... 11 Shining a light on the Benham Power Project ................................................................................................. 12

Canary Project Update Legislature wrong to roll back mine-safety protections without study or public notice................ 13 Kentucky Division of Water prepares to write a new General 402 Water Pollution Discharge Permit for coal mining .........................................................................................................................14

KFTC News Steering Committee affirms important role of KFTC voter empowerment work...............................14

Economic Justice Update Economic justice legislative wrap-up and what’s next.................................................................................. 15

Bluegrass Pipeline Update Landowners make an impact on eminent domain issue...............................................................................16 Preparations begin for annual membership meeting.................................................................................... 17 KFTC staff welcomes Jackson, says goodbye to Henderson, Blanton..................................................20

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Make checks payable to KFTC or the Kentucky Coalition and mail to: KFTC • P.O. Box 1450 • London, Ky. 40743-1450.

www.kftc.org | April 24, 2014

Balancing the Scales | 3

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CORNER

Building New Power through leadership development

Dana Beasley Brown

As I write this, we’re coming to the close of the 2014 General Assembly. There are many important stories coming out of the session – the outcomes of bills, the work of citizen lobbyists, the story of all the rallies and lobby days KFTC participated in.

For me, one of the highlights of KFTC’s work in the General Assembly – and, really, a highlight of all the work KFTC does – is the leadership development that happens around the session.

Throughout the session, KFTC is committed to developing leaders and helping their voices be heard.

Whether it’s my friend Al lobbying for the first time. Or Mantell from Lexington taking his turn at the mic in front of the large crowd at the Voting Rights Rally. Or all the KFTC members who serve on various strategy teams that, throughout the session, contribute to our collective game plan … KFTC is about developing leaders.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about KFTC’s approach to leadership development.

Through my work with KFTC, I’ve become involved in the Marguerite Casey Foundation’s Equal Voice Family Advisory Committee. We’re thinking about what it would take to build a national movement of low-income families who join their voices and take action on important issues facing our communities.

As I think about what it will take for that to be successful, I keep coming back to KFTC’s focus on leadership development. It is a critical piece of our work.

KFTC’s commitment to leadership development has changed my life. Before I became involved in KFTC, all

I’d experienced was an exclusion from decision-making. I thought only a few had power and I didn’t see how my voice could have an impact. I felt so disconnected and deeply cynical.

But then I found KFTC. As KFTC members, we meet community members where they are. We start with simple conversations. We learn what’s important to folks. People begin to feel heard. They begin to feel like their perspective is important. They begin to see people standing in solidarity. They begin to feel like they can change things, that their voice matters.

There are lots of ways that KFTC members can develop their leadership skills. We host issue trainings and conferences. We work with folks to develop spokesperson skills. We teach basic organizing skills like how to plan a good meeting. We help folks feel empowered to engage in conversations – in chapters, with allies and even with legislators who don’t necessarily agree with our positions.

That’s what happened to me, and I no longer feel powerless and disconnected. I know that I can have an impact.

And this happens all the time within KFTC, throughout all our work. That’s why we call leadership development “the first among equals” of our strategies.

Why is this leadership development important? For me, it’s about making our democracy healthy. We have to diversify who is engaged in our democracy, who is being heard. We want to build New Power in which regular folks like me feel we have a voice, that if we connect with others, we can create sustained power to tackle problems and create change.

Within KFTC, there’s room for everyone. We’re looking for leaders at all levels, folks who’ll work alongside others to fight for justice. As more folks develop their leadership skills, they’ll bring more of their friends and neighbors into the work and we’ll be steadily building the power we need to

KFTC OFFICES AND STAFF MAIN OFFICE Morgan Brown, Robin Daugherty, and Burt Lauderdale P.O. Box 1450 | London, Kentucky 40743 606-878-2161 | Fax: 606-878-5714 info@kftc.org

FIELD OFFICES Louisville Jessica George, Jerry Hardt, Alicia Hurle, and Carissa Lenfert 735 Lampton St. #202 Louisville, Ky 40203 502-589-3188 Whitesburg Tanya Turner and Sara Pennington P.O. Box 463 Whitesburg, Ky 41858 606-632-0051

Social media corner www.KFTC.org/facebook

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create a bright future for Kentucky.

I’m so proud of the work KFTC did during the legislative session. It was putting our leadership skills into action.

I’m proud of every member who lobbied in Frankfort, attended a rally, called the message line or wrote a letter to the editor. I’m proud of every KFTC member who organized a carload of friends to come to a lobby day, who talked with their friends and family about one of KFTC’s legislative issues, who shared an action alert on their Facebook page.

All those things are courageous acts of leadership. It just takes one step – a start – and then you become more empowered.

Each of these steps give power to the people.

And it’s those acts of leadership – big and small, all year long – that are helping KFTC to build New Power that strengthens our democracy and creates the change we want in our communities.

@JCKFTC @WT_KFTC @SoKyKFTC @VotingRightsKY @CanaryProject

Central Kentucky Tim Buckingham, Jessica Hays Lucas, Beth Howard, Enchanta Jackson, Erik Hungerbuhler, and Heather Roe Mahoney 250 Plaza Drive, Suite 4 Lexington, Ky 40503 859-276-0563

Northern Kentucky Joe Gallenstein 640 Main Street Covington, Ky 41005 859-380-6103 Floyd County Jessie Skaggs 154 North Lake Drive Prestonsburg, Ky 41653 606-263-4982 Bowling Green Denney Breeding 270-779-6483 Berea Lisa Abbott, Beth Bissmeyer, Amy Hogg, and Kevin Pentz 140 Mini Mall Drive Berea, Ky 40403 859-756-4027

e-mail any staff member at firstname@kftc.org except for Jessica Hays Lucas, use jessicabreen@kftc.org; Beth Howard, use BethHoward@kftc.org, and Beth Bissmeyer, use BethBissmeyer@kftc.org Cover: KFTC members Jeremy McQueen and Rebecca Tucker and the Madison County Chapter Pie Auction.

4 | Balancing the Scales

www.kftc.org | April 24, 2014

IN MEMORY OF ...

Remembering April Browning, mom and activist

by Janet Tucker The KFTC and central Kentucky communities lost a strong leader on April 7 with the passing of April Browning.

Her strong voice for justice and equality could be heard on many fronts.

In about every speech April gave, she often started out with, “First and foremost, I’m a mom.” She said in one interview, “My son Elijah ... makes every day worth living and special ... That’s the first and most important thing you need to know about me.”

She went on to explain, “But after that, it’s really important to me to take initiative to make my community a better place – for Elijah and everyone else.”

April was a board member of the Central Kentucky Council for Peace and Justice and an active member of KFTC. She was the inspiration and one of the founders of Occupy Lexington in 2011.

Her voice was heard at the rallies organized by Kentuckians Against the War On Women. She was a spokesperson around the restoration of voting rights for former felons in Kentucky.

April was born in Flint, Michigan, but grew up in central Kentucky. She understood first-hand the struggle of low-income parents in Kentucky. She understood first-hand being denied rights as a former felon for a mistake long past paid for. She understood the struggle of the 99 percent against the 1 percent.

In her words, “I am politically active and I feel that my voice as well as thousands of other Kentuckians’ voices should be heard. … I’m fighting for progress across the board and this fight is personal.”

We mourn the loss of her leadership and activism, but her spirit will remain with us as the struggle continues. To make a donation, visit Fundrazr at http://fnd.us/c/0jhH4 or email Karen Conley at kconley407@gmail.com.

ALLY PROFILE: BOWLING GREEN FAIRNESS

by Dora James Fairness Campaign Western Ky. Regional Organizer Dora James has been working toward social justice since starting her high school’s first gay-straight alliance in 2008, for which she won a national ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) Youth Activism Scholarship in 2009. Since then she has continued her involvement with the ACLU of Kentucky, branching out to other areas of human rights, such as immigration reform, abolition of capital punishment, voting rights, and youth rights. She is a 2013 graduate of Western Kentucky University, with a degree in history, second major in sociology, minors in legal Studies and criminology, and a concentration in pre-law. Since graduation, she has continued her advocacy work with the Fairness Campaign as a regional organizer. She believes in the importance of non-violence and intersectionality.

Bowling Green Fairness is a citizen-led group that began its work in 2012. In 75 percent of Kentucky, including Bowling Green, it is legal to fire someone from their job, deny them housing, or kick them out of a restaurant or park because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

The folks of Bowling Green Fairness want to change this by joining the six cities in Kentucky already protected by a fairness ordinance: Covington, Louisville, Lexington, Vicco, Frankfort and Morehead.

In November 2012, more than 100 members of Bowling Green Fairness attended a city commission board

ACTION:

meeting, asking their locally elected officials for a fairness ordinance. Fairness members have since reached out to businesses they frequent, gaining a list of almost 20 Fairness on Fountain Square supporters who believe that people should not be fired from their job or banned from their favorite restaurant for being LGBT. The Western Kentucky University student newspaper, The College Heights Herald, also gave us a public endorsement after a Citizen Lobbying 101 session hosted by Bowling Green Fairness and KFTC members.

Recently, members have taken an active role in the 2014 Kentucky General Assembly. On February 19, hundreds of Kentuckians from all over the state (including Bowling Green) traveled to Frankfort for the annual Fairness Rally Day to lobby and rally in support of HB 171 and SB 140 – statewide LGBT anti-discrimination laws.

On March 5, Bowling Green Fairness members joined the 50th anniversary Civil Rights March on Frankfort.

After marching to the steps of the state capitol, Fairness members from all over the state sat in on a House Judiciary Committee meeting for the historic first-ever hearing on a statewide fairness law.

After all of this progress, there is still work to be done.

Seventy-five percent of Kentuckians, including citizens of Bowling Green, live without LGBT anti-discrimination fairness protections. These are basic human rights which need the support of everyday people.

As Senator Jerry Rhoads, cosponsor of SB 140, told Bowling Green Fairness members, “Fair is fair.”

In April’s words ... ...I believe in the power of voting. I also believe that it is my duty as a parent to show my son the importance of voting through the practice of it. If a waiting period were enacted I would never have that opportunity.

In five years my son will become a man and he will go off to college. With a waiting period, he would never see me participate in our democracy.

He would never see me fully reintegrated into society after all of the hard work I’ve done to get there...

If you care about fairness Bowling Green Fairness meets on the second Monday of every month in Cherry Hall (WKU campus) room 203A.

April Browning, pictured above in 2011 with her son, Elijah.

Browning became heavily involved in the summer of 2011 in the campaign to restore voting rights for former felons.

www.kftc.org | April 24, 2014

Balancing the Scales | 5

MEMBER PROFILE

Torps combine justice with hospitality to empower their community

by Hilary Crookston Christian and Tanya Torp are a husband and wife team based in Lexington who are not just dedicated to bettering the community, but it is quite literally their life.

Recently they were honored as Cesar Chavez Day Community Heroes. Nominated by KFTC members, they were recognized for their work on a national level through the Equal Voice publication, which reaches thousands of people nationwide as it covers stories of and for families living in poverty (www.equalvoiceforfamilies.org).

Besides being heavily involved with KFTC, the Torps are associated with Step by Step, Faith Feeds, the Community Action Council, and other organizations.

Tanya has even started her own foundation, Be Bold.

As you can see, they are a very busy and passionate couple. They are passionate about bettering the community they live in by empowering and providing resources to those around them.

When asked about all the things the Torps were involved with, Tanya said, “Justice is a way of life for us. We just live it.”

Even their house on Elm Tree Lane in the heart of Lexington, where some of the most underprivileged people live, serves as a meeting place for people to come together to do justice work. It is also a safe place where those in need know they can come for food, shelter, and/or an understanding heart to talk to.

Christian uses his training as a lawyer to help those who cannot normally get help in the community, specifically undocumented people, for little or no pay.

The Torps are living the same lives as the people in the neighborhood around them, living at the poverty line. They can relate to the people who come to them for help. They do not discriminate and do not judge, literally helping any soul in the community.

If someone comes to them with a problem they cannot fix or alleviate, they have connections with somebody who can. They have effectively created a network of community resources so that anybody can get help they need.

Essentially, the Torps help everyone by doing everything that they can because of a pure desire to do justice in the community.

The Torps are both heavily involved in other organizations, yet they still have time to serve in leadership roles with KFTC. They first joined KFTC in 2008 at a Singing for Democracy rally. Since then they’ve become more heavily involved with KFTC in several different areas.

Christian said, “KFTC is really for the people. If you want to lead, they will give you the tools you need to lead.”

That is exactly what happened to the Torps. Through KFTC, they have become empowered individuals of Lexington capable of bringing about change in their community.

Since they serve in leadership with KFTC, they are able to empower other KFTC members to do the same. “The best thing you can do to help people is to empower them.

It’s about equipping others with the right tools to be the change,” said Christian.

When asked what their favorite projects or issue campaigns were, Christian said they were torn between three: SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice), the work to restore felon voting rights, and work to end mountaintop removal coal mining.

The Torps are very passionate about equality in all aspects: race, gender, socioeconomic status just being a few they have stood up for in the past in work with KFTC and other organizations.

A great example of this is their work with SURJ and lobbying to restore felon voting rights on a local and state level.

In 2012, Christian hiked the Appalachian Trail (all 2,200 miles of it) to bring awareness to mountaintop removal and raise money for KFTC. He was able to complete the journey by himself despite suffering from a traumatic brain injury just nine years previous.

KFTC has really empowered them to do what is right for their community. Christian said that because of KFTC, the Torps are much more focused on the people of the com-

ACTION:

munity, and they have also realized just how much the power of the people can do.

The Torps are a walking testament to KFTC’s approach to leadership development because, as they said, KFTC invests in its members and gives them a chance.

KFTC gave Christian and Tanya a chance, so they ran with it and are now in leadership positions. Christian also mentioned, “You never know the fruits of what you’ve sprung. You only plant the seeds,” but it seems clear what exactly the Torps have sprung in Lexington.

Through their work they have helped countless underprivileged and underrepresented individuals in Lexington, helped further the cause to restore felon voting rights in Kentucky, brought awareness to the damage mountaintop removal mining is doing to our environment and to the people around it, made strides toward equality for all people in Lexington, and have wholly made Lexington a better place.

KFTC is so thankful to have the Torps with us as they are truly an irreplaceable pair.

Join Tanya and Christian at their house for a Heinz ‘PANCAKE’ Breakfast Every Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m.

Email justicehouse552@gmail.com or call 859-684-8729 for more details or visit www.facebook.com/JusticeHouse

6 | Balancing the Scales

www.kftc.org | April 24, 2014

MEMBER INTERVIEW

House’s Same Sun Here examines universality of injustice through eyes of two kids Kentucky author and KFTC member Silas House published a young adult novel in 2012 called Same Sun Here, a collaboration with New York City author Neela Vaswani. The book is a series of letters between River Dean Justice, who lives in eastern Kentucky, and a girl named Meena, who lives in New York City.

House talked with balancing the scales recently about the book.

You’ve said that this book is for KFTC members. Can you elaborate on that?

The main thing I want to get across to KFTC members is that this is a book about them, and for them. I wrote it not only to spread information about mountaintop removal and the many fights for social justice but also to honor all the people who have worked so hard in the anti-MTR movement. The book, to me, has many homages to KFTC itself, and particularly to its members.

Although it’s frustrating that mountains and rivers are being destroyed, I am still proud of all the good work so many have done. I think we’ve really raised visibility on the issue and that’s always the first step in making a change. I still have hope that this fight can be won and I hope this book can illuminate that to some degree. I think these characters epitomize that defiance and strength that people in this movement have. These two characters will never give up fighting for justice, and that’s what I love most about them.

You co-wrote the book with Neela Vaswani, and you two were writing in two different states. How did that work?

Yes, Neela lives in New York City and I live in Kentucky, so we actually wrote letters to one another and sent them in the mail, then collected them and made this book. The letters allowed us to be these characters who are teaching each other about their respective cultures.

Tell us about the characters of River Dean Justice and Meena. What do they have in common, and what do they learn from each other?

I think they both learn that the injustice they’ve seen in the world isn’t so much local as it is universal. They both come to see that people all over the world are victimized if they don’t have wealth.

In Meena’s case, her part of India has been part of extractive industry and her family witnessed that. Now that she’s in NYC she sees the way immigrants are being treated, and there is definitely a class element at play there as well.

For River, he becomes increasingly aware of injustice when a mountaintop removal site sprawls out very near his home.

The only way that an issues-driven fiction book can work is if the issues grow out of the characters naturally.

I didn’t set out to write a book about mountaintop removal, but I was dealing with a young boy growing up in contemporary Appalachia who was very conscious of the world around him, so naturally MTR has an impact on him.

I think we tend to underplay the fact that our children are

very aware – and very impacted – by issues like MTR. Once I knew this book was going to deal with that, I didn’t shy away from really exploring the issue from the point of view of a twelve-year-old boy.

Tell us about the character of the grandmother. How does her activism shape River’s experience and views?

The grandmother – Mamaw Justice – is one of my favorite characters I’ve ever written and she’s a character I get a lot of letters and emails about. Right away I knew this was going to be a book that spoke to the issue of grandparents raising their grandchildren because that is so common in Appalachia today. But suddenly Mamaw sprang to life on the page as this spitfire who would not back down from standing up for what she believed in. In the book she works with KFTC as a volunteer organizer. I definitely based the character on two of the strongest women in the fight against MTR: Kentucky’s Teri Blanton and West Virginia’s Judy Bonds, who passed away in 2011. They are both amazing examples of strength and defiance, and I was always thinking of the way they’d react to particular situations when I was writing scenes about Mamaw.

Tell us about the reception the book has received, in Kentucky and elsewhere. Awards and honors?

It’s received more awards than any other book I’ve written. We won the EB White Award, which is special to me because Charlotte’s Web has always been a favorite book of mine. We won the Nautilus, which is given especially to books that raise social consciousness. We won the Parents’ Choice Award, several awards from libraries throughout the country, and even the Audie, which is the highest honor in the country for an audiobook, which Neela and I read. It was also the #1 most recommended young adult book in the country by independent booksellers for a long period.

Although it’s been so well-embraced throughout the country, I’ve been surprised that it’s been widely ignored within the region. In Kentucky, for example, there has not been one article or review written about it to my knowledge, although my previous books received a lot of media attention. I’m not sure why, but I can’t help to think that the politics of the book had something to do with it. I also know that several eastern Kentucky schools have been sent complete classroom sets of the books – because I wanted to make sure that this is a book that got into those schools since Friends of Coal certainly puts their literature and ephemera into the hands of Appalachian schoolchildren – yet not one single eastern Kentucky school has contacted me to visit them about the book. That’s frustrating, but I’m hopeful that more people within the region will read the book.

learn more about MTR because they’re reading about characters who are standing in for hundreds of real people just like them that I’ve met through my work in the anti-MTR campaign. One of the most powerful images in the book to me is something I witnessed at I Love Mountains Day a few years ago: a child holding a bottle of poisoned and polluted water on the steps of the capitol. I want more people to know about that and I think that fiction is a way to draw people in to learn more. Fiction allows us to learn without knowing that we’re learning.

I also hope that more adults will read it. Although it’s been marketed as a young adult novel it’s simply a book for everyone. When I write YA literature that’s what I think about: not that this is for kids, but that it’s for everyone, adults and children. So I never dumb anything down or condescend to the reader if it’s YA; it’s simply different thematically. That’s all. The message, to me, is that when we witness something that we feel is wrong we have a responsibility to educate ourselves on it and then act, in whatever way we can. Some of us can march at I Love Mountains Day. Some of us can post information on Facebook to get the word out. Some of us can write letters to the governor.

Some of us lobby in Washington. There is nothing too small or large that can be done to aid in the fight against this kind of destruction.

What are your hopes for the book – its message and its reach?

The main thing is that I hope people will read it and

Pick up a copy of Same Sun Here at a local independent bookstore. Find one near you at http://www.indiebound. org/indie-store-finder

7 | Balancing the Scales

www.kftc.org | April 24, 2014

general assembly update

Final legislative days change few outcomes The final two days of the 2014 regular session of the Kentucky General Assembly were April 14 and 15, after a two-week recess.

These final two days saw a flurry of activity around a bunch of bills while many other bills died for lack of action. A recap of KFTC’s priority bills follows. The General Assembly is now adjourned until January 2015 unless a special session is called.

Tax Reform: Legislators lost interest in meaningful tax reform just a few weeks into this year’s session. After a lot of hoopla in early February around the governor’s announced “Kentucky Competes” tax proposal, which consisted mostly of additional corporate tax breaks and shifting more taxes to individuals, there was little public discussion about comprehensive tax reform. Lawmakers did, however, act to reduce corporate tax revenues and make the tax system slightly more regressive. A more in-depth analysis can be found on page 15.

The Stream Saver Bill was introduced as House Bill 288. Rep. Jim Wayne was the lead sponsor, and there were 11 cosponsors, including first-time cosponsor Rep. Jeff Donohue of Louisville. HB 288 was assigned to the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee, where bills to protect the environment stand almost no chance of being heard or voted on under the chair of Rep. Jim Gooch. HB 288 was not considered.

Eminent Domain: Read more on page 16.

The Clean Energy Opportunity Act (House Bill 195) had a great hearing before the House Tourism Development and Energy Committee but got no more attention after that, though the testimony did pique the interest of committee chair Rep. Keith Hall. Other energy bills also did not get much attention from legislators. House Bill 535, which would have increased the capacity of renewable energy systems eligible for net metering from 30 to 500 kilowatts did not receive a hearing. House Bill 404, to allow local governments to establish energy project assessment programs in order to advance the efficient use of energy and water resources, was approved by the full House 64-32 on March 25. It died in the Senate.

ACTION: THANK OUR CHAMPIONS: Please take a moment today to leave a message on the Legislative Message Line to praise legislators who worked tirelessly to move Kentucky Forward!

CALL 1-800-372-7181 (THE MESSAGE LINE IS OPEN MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 8:00 A.M. - 4:30 P.M.)

Despite valiant effort until the end, voting rights bill fails to pass in 2014 session Opposition from a small handful of Republican senators once again was enough to block passage of HB 70, a proposed constitutional amendment to would restore voting rights to more than 180,000 Kentuckians. Kentucky’s outdated constitution permanently bans anyone with a felony conviction from voting unless they receive an individual pardon from the governor.

The measure had unprecedented support this year from elected leaders in both parties, including its sponsor Rep. Jesse Crenshaw, a Democrat from Lexington, and primary cosponsor Rep. Jeff Hoover, a Republican from Jamestown who serves as the Minority Floor Leader. Two other prominent Republicans, U.S. Senator Rand Paul and Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Jamie Comer, both testified in favor of restoring voting rights to former felons before a Senate committee in February.

Governor Steve Beshear publicly called the Senate to pass HB 70. The amendment passed the Kentucky House – twice – in 2014 with as many as 31 Republicans and all 54 House Democrats voting in favor. And vote counts compiled by KFTC showed that the House version of HB 70 also enjoyed bipartisan support in the Kentucky Senate and would have received at least 60 percent support if a vote had been allowed.

Yet despite that broad and bipartisan support, Republican leaders in the Senate failed to appoint a conference committee to hammer out a compromise with the House and later failed to act when the House sent over a compromised version of the bill.

“It’s a real shame. HB 70 has never had so much momentum as it had this year. I don’t understand how it’s right for one man to have the power to keep 180,000 Kentuckians from having the right to vote,” noted Tayna Fogle, a long-time voting rights activist from Lexington.

“But people are mistaken if they think we are going away.

We will prevail.”

KFTC members and other supporters of the amendment never let up in their efforts to persuade Senate leaders to move the bill. A voting rights lobby day in midJanuary brought more than 200 citizens to the capitol for conversations with lawmakers and a spirited rally in the rotunda.

On March 5, more than 4,000 Kentuckians marched on Frankfort to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a massive civil rights rally and called for passage of HB 70.

KFTC member Michael Hiser was one of the featured speakers at that event.

Many other former felons and voting rights supporters made their voices heard in daily lobbying efforts in Frankfort and in letters to the editor and op-eds that were widely published statewide. And during the final month of the legislative session, Pastor Anthony Everett of the Nia Community of Faith in Lexington organized well-attended weekly vigils outside the offices of Senate leadership to pray for their discernment and to call upon senators to move the bill.

On the final day of the legislative session, KFTC members continued to press for action as the House tried one last maneuver. Led by Reps. Jim Wayne and Darryl Owens with support from House leadership, the House passed a compromise version of the bill. Inserted into SB 58, the new version would have allowed the General Assembly to establish a three-year waiting period after a person completes his or her sentence before voting rights would be restored automatically.

Over the next six hours, phone calls, emails, and Facebook and Twitter messages to Senate Republicans poured in from across the state. But when the clock struck midnight on April 15, the 2014 Kentucky General Assembly came to a close without final action on HB 70.

“It’s a shame,” said KFTC member Teddi Smith-Robillard, a Lexington resident who recently got her voting rights restored through a pardon from the governor. “The senators who held the bill up are too concerned about what party the former felons will vote for if they get their rights back. That is so ridiculous. People tend to vote for whoever helps them the most.”

Despite feelings of anger and disappointment, KFTC members remain determined. As Pastor Anthony Everett observed, “No matter what happens, this is a matter of justice and thus a matter of faith! Let’s keep it moving!”

Attention now turns to Governor Beshear, as individuals and organizations prepare to call on him to use his executive powers to restore voting rights to Kentuckians who have served their full sentence. In addition, KFTC members and allies will review the last twelve months of work on this campaign and generate strategies to build greater support for voting rights in the Kentucky Senate in the years to come.

Updates on other legislation KFTC supported or opposed is at www.kftc.org/bill-tracker

8 | Balancing the Scales

www.kftc.org | April 24, 2014

LOCAL UPDATES

From Louisville to Appalachia: Celebrating Our Common Heritage “From Louisville to Appalachia: Celebrating Our Common Heritage” was a celebration of Kentucky’s African American heritage in Appalachia. Kentucky writers, musicians, and speakers were invited to share their work and personal stories in celebration of the unique natural beauty, ecological importance, and cultural heritage of Kentucky’s Appalachian Mountains and mountain communities.

Cassia Herron, board president of Community Farm Alliance and a Richmond native, emceed the event on March 17 and shared her family’s story of being tied to the land.

Tarsha Semakula’s reading of her poem “I am Louisville” mesmerized the audience. Semakula is a poet, writer, entrepreneur, and founder and executive director of The Buttafly Center, a community agency dedicated to the empowerment of women via education and training, communal resources, and personal development.

Benny Massey and Rutland Melton, members of the Harlan County KFTC chapter, came to Louisville to share their vision for Appalachia’s Bright Future, talking about their work in Benham and Lynch to protect the area’s clean water and promote energy efficiency. Massey is a member of the Lynch City Council and Melton is Harlan County’s representative on KFTC’s statewide steering committee.

Massey also spoke about the Eastern Kentucky Social Club, an African American club formed in 1970 with chapters across the country that come together for an annual Labor Day weekend reunion.

Next Matisa Wilbon, associate professor of Sociology at Bellarmine University and a community leader in Louisville, shared her story of growing up in Hazard. She confirmed for the audience that the television show Dukes of Hazzard was indeed based on her hometown and that black people do live in Hazard. She spoke about learning to cherish her eastern Kentucky roots and being thankful for the tight-knit community that raised her.

Louisville native Amber Burns shared two poems in celebration of black womanhood and racial diversity. She said she uses poetry as a platform to comment on social issues in America.

KFTC members also took to the stage to talk about the organization’s local and statewide work. Members Sean Hardy and Martha Flack teamed up to highlight the Jefferson County Chapter’s efforts to improve air quality and address economic justice issues in Metro Louisville.

Member Mary Love read KFTC’s vision statement and talked about why she is passionate about KFTC’s work. She encouraged others in the room to join KFTC and help build New Power in Kentucky.

Members also sold raffle tickets to help raise funds for the organization. Five winners received items donated by local businesses Why Louisville, Consider Boutique, Grateful Goat Winery, Bourbon Barrel Foods, and Garage Bar. The event was held at Hillbilly Tea, a 2-year-old Appalachian tea café in downtown Louisville, with a second location in Shanghai. Hillbilly Tea graciously donated the use of its entire space for the event and served up some mountain inspired tea cuisine and tea hooch throughout the evening.

Owner Karter Louis welcomed everyone to Hillbilly Tea

and announced that he was so impressed by KFTC’s work and the evening festivities that he wants his restaurant to become an organizational member of KFTC. Musician Randy Wilson, who joined from Knott County, kicked off the musical portion of the evening entertainment. Wilson has been a member of KFTC and a folk artist in eastern Kentucky schools for more than 25 years. He is currently the Folks Arts Director at Hindman Settlement School.

Wilson shared the African American roots of Kentucky’s folk music and the African origins of the banjo. He performed several songs, including “This Little Light of Mine.” One woman in the audience shared that she hadn’t

“From Louisville to Appalachia was one of the most inspiring and affirming programs I have experienced in the 23 years since I left the mountains and moved to the city. Both the program participants and the audiences included folks of all ages, backgrounds and ethnicities who wanted to learn more about the cultural bonds binding the coalfields to the banks of the Ohio. It inspired joy and hope for real change in Kentucky.”

Judi Jennings Executive Director Kentucky Foundation for Women

KFTC members Benny Massey (left) and Randy Wilson entertained the crowd with Appalachian gospel music.

inspiring and affirming programs I have experienced in the 23 years since I left the mountains and moved to the city.

Both the program participants and the audiences included folks of all ages, backgrounds and ethnicity who wanted to learn more about the cultural bonds binding the coalfields to the banks of the Ohio. It inspired joy and hope for real change in Kentucky.”

Another attendee said, “I was in awe over and over again.

The room was packed, standing room only, and people were heard some of the songs since her great grandmother sang totally engaged with everything happening on the stage.” them to her more than 50 years ago.

About a hundred people attended the event, and the Jef Cast and creative team members from the new play Steel ferson County chapter raised more than $750, bringing the Hammer were also in the audience. This SITI production grassroots fundraising total for Louisville Loves Mountains had its premiere at Actors Theatre of Louisville just two days Week to $1,900! The chapter hopes to make this week of later. Actor Eric Berryman, who portrays the Appalachian events bigger and better in 2015. folk hero John Henry in the play, could be seen clapping and “From Louisville to Appalachia” was scheduled to be the singing along to Wilson’s rendition of “Take This Hammer.” first event of the Jefferson County Chapter’s Louisville Loves Louisville native Cynthia Fletcher wrapped up the eve- Mountains Week in February, a series of events leading up to ning with a rousing performance, joined by her son Tylor the I Love Mountains Day march and rally at the state capiand her cousin Vera. Fletcher has been on a life journey of tol in Frankfort. Inclement weather led to the postponement singing and playing music to educate and transcend cul- of the event, but all of the performers and speakers were tural barriers. She also has conducted extensive ethnographic available to come out on March 17. studies of African American women with connections to the mountain dulcimer and Appalachia.

EVENT PHOTOS AND VIDEO Fletcher has traced her roots to east Tennessee and she and her family members participate in the annual Kentucky Photos: Music Weekend. She led the audience through several songs, www.flickr.com/photos/kftcphotos including Bernice Johnson Reagon’s “Ella’s Song.” The program ended with a sea of smiles and people wanting more.

Videos: Sara Soltau and Wilson led a jam session following the www.vimeo.com/kftc formal program and were joined by several local musicians.

Judi Jennings, Jefferson County chapter member and executive director of the Kentucky Foundation for Women, said, “From Louisville to Appalachia was one of the most

www.kftc.org | April 24, 2014

Balancing the Scales | 9

LOCAL UPDATES

Jefferson members make an impact by calling elected leaders In March, the Jefferson County KFTC Chapter partnered with Network Center for Community Change (NC3) to host a Legislative Call-in Party focused on House Bill 70, the bill that seeks to restore voting rights to former felons who have paid their debt to society.

KFTC members joined NC3 members at their office to call the Legislative Message Line (1-800-372-7181) and leave messages for their own senators and all senators asking them to recede to the House version of HB 70. Members also took to social media to encourage their friends and family to do their part to support HB 70.

KFTC staff member Beth Bissmeyer sent a message to the group via Facebook after she had to wait to leave her message for state legislators: “Y’all must be tearing up those phone lines. This is the first time I’ve ever had to wait to leave a message. Still off in under four minutes. Make those calls!”

After calling the capitol, callers switched their focus to contacting their local council members and urging them to support the local Ban the Box legislation. This legislation requires Louisville Metro Government and its vendors to remove the question “Have you been convicted of a crime?” from the job application process prior to the conditional of-

fer of employment.

The Jefferson County Chapter signed on to support this legislation in 2013, and it was set to receive its first Metro Council hearing just two days after the Call-in Party.

Stephanie Kaufman, a member of NC3 and KFTC, had the opportunity to speak directly to Tom Owen, her Metro council member. Owen vowed to support Ban the

“Democracy works only when you work it.”

– Eliot Zellers Box when it came up for a vote a few days later.

The group ended the evening by drafting letters to the editor voicing their support for HB 70 and writing thankyou notes to state legislators and local council members who have long supported Kentucky’s returning citizens. They also wrote postcards to state senators urging them to support House Bill 70 in its original form and restore voting rights to nearly 250,000 Kentuckians. These postcards were hand delivered the next day to each senator’s office during

Renters’ handbook brings new community resource for southern Kentucky tenants In late March, several Southern Kentucky members gathered on WKU’s campus to celebrate the long-awaited launch of an informational and educational handbook the Homeless and Housing Coalition of South Central Kentucky hopes will help lower eviction rates and improve the experience of renting a home for the more than 67,000 renters in the Barren River Area.

The Barren River Area Renters’ Handbook walks tenants through the rental experience from starting the search for a home to negotiating a lease that protects the family and not just the landlord. It covers topics such as communicating with landlords, moving out, getting back a rental deposit, and what steps to take if an eviction is pending. The handbook is specific to the Barren River area, with helpful contact information for many community resources.

Thanks to the help of WKU sociology classes who developed a workshop curriculum, the handbook will be used as a resource in several free community workshops to be hosted by coalition members and other local organizations.

Project coordinator and KFTC member Dana Beasley Brown explained, “Through the workshops, we’re able to engage renters one-on-one and walk through some common problems that renters face and how to avoid them by learning how to look at your lease carefully.”

The project began two years ago through the work of the Bowling Green Housing Coalition and was initially funded through a grant from the Alive Center at WKU. Additional funding is currently being sourced to widen the project and provide more printing. The handbook will be available for distribution in English, Spanish, Swahili, and Arabic.

Several community members were honored during the release party, with special thanks and appreciation to the organizations and individuals that make up the Homeless and Housing Coalition, Warren Elementary School, ImageWest, the WKU Sociology Department, and Dana Beasley Brown, who worked tirelessly on each step of the project.

The Homeless and Housing Coalition of South Central Kentucky works together to create equal and just options for the community through awareness, empowerment and action. Meetings are at 10 a.m. every second Tuesday of the month at the Alive Center, 1818 U.S. 31W Bypass in Bowling Green.

KFTC’s Economic Justice lobby day.

Two days after the Legislative Call-in Party, the Louisville Metro Council unanimously passed Ban the Box, joining 14 states and 32 cities and counties in enacting legislation that provides a fair interview process to all job applicants.

Several Jefferson County Chapter members participated in a Ban the Box press conference, organized by Kentucky Jobs with Justice and CLOUT (Citizens of Louisville Organized and United Together), prior to the Metro Council meeting to show their support for this important legislation.

The KFTC/NC3 Legislative Call-in Party was the first time that many participants had ever contacted their elected officials. It was a truly empowering experience for many.

Eliot Zellers, a social work student at the University of Louisville, said, “The opportunity to turn years of political rants and hastily-crafted Facebook arguments into something concrete was not only empowering, but so much fun.

We made phone calls, found out what district we live in, got to discuss politics, and had pizza provided by the generous Pam Newman! And look what happened next: the Metro Council passed Ban the Box unanimously, just two days later. Democracy works only when you work it.”

JEFFERSON COUNTY EVENTS Smoketown Neighborhood Canvassing Project Sat., May 17, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tues., May 20, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Sat., May 31, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Meet at the KFTC office, 735 Lampton Street, Louisville Jefferson County Chapter’s Economic Justice Team is going door-to-door in the Smoketown neighborhood administering community surveys to learn more about residents’ concerns and opportunities for community engagement.

Louisville Metro Council Candidate Forum (Council Districts 1, 3, 5) Thurs., May 15 at 5:30 p.m.

Location TBA If you have questions or would like to get involved, contact Chapter Organizer Alicia Hurle at alicia@kftc.org or 502-589-3188.

10 | Balancing the Scales

www.kftc.org | April 24, 2014

LOCAL UPDATES

Madison County chapter raises $2,000 at annual Pie Auction

by Cory Lowery On March 21, the Madison County KFTC chapter raised money in style.

At the chapter’s fourth annual Pie Auction, held in the basement of Union Church in Berea, members from both near and far brought homemade pies to be auctioned off to raise money for KFTC’s work.

This year, the chapter chose to split the proceeds with West Virginia Clean Water Hub, a grassroots group that has been working to supply clean water and needed supplies to people in West Virginia who are impacted by chemical spills this winter and is now working on long-term solutions around preserving clean water.

“It’s a chance once a year to come together over pie and raise some much needed funds for important work. It’s also a chance for KFTC to show support to our allied organizations,” said Megan Naseman, who helped organize the event.

“My grandma taught me how to make pies, and they’ve brought so many people into my own life – I think that is true on an organizational level, too. It’s important that we share joy, music and pie in work that takes commitment over the long haul.”

The pies donated to the auction ranged

from the delicious sausage apple maple quiche made by Naseman to apple pies that came all the way from Ray Tucker’s kitchen in Somerset and even the anonymously donated “air pie” (no fat, no sugar, no guilt -- just a paper plate with a good helping of spirit).

Union Church pastor Kent Gilbert’s skillful auctioneering helped raise more than $2,000 throughout the evening, an unprecedented amount for the annual event.

The highest bid went for Naseman’s gluten-free raspberry pecan pie that came in a donated ceramic pie plate from Turning Wheel Pottery, which sold for $120.

Gilbert’s enthusiastic auctioneering even helped secure a $25 bid for the air pie.

More than 60 people came out for the event, and in addition to being treated to delicious pies, they made cards and wrote letters to legislators about voting rights and enjoyed music and storytelling from the Down Home Divas (KFTC members and Berea College students Ethan Hamblin and Sam Gleaves).

After the last pie was sold and delivered to its winner, the Down Home Divas performed a special rendition of “Gospel

Plow,” encouraging everyone to “keep your eyes on the pies.”

The Madison County Chapter has hit

upon a great formula: combine pies, great music, and friendly competition for a great time and a successful event.

barn bash Saturday, July 12, 4 to 8 p.m.

KFTC Wilderness Trace Chapter’s 2nd Annual Barn Bash in Junction City

If the Shelbyville City Council thought ignoring Shelby KFTC would make the local chapter’s demand for fairness for all go away, they learned otherwise on April 3.

Despite a cold rain, more than 20 Shelby County KFTC and Fairness members held a silent protest in front of City Hall before and then inside during the meeting. The protest specifically addressed the council’s refusal to even discuss a proposed fairness ordinance in a public hearing.

Music...................................................

Silent Auction �������������������������������������� Food.....................................................

Free Camping �������������������������������������� Visit kftc.org/barnbash for more details

www.kftc.org | April 24, 2014

Balancing the Scales | 11

NEW ENERGY AND TRANSITION UPDATE

Whitesburg businesses build something together – by baby steps One thing Amelia Kirby and David Fisher both knew when they opened businesses in downtown Whitesburg was that they wouldn’t get rich. They knew it was about something larger.

I. Summit City When Kirby and her partner, Joel Beverly, opened Summit City Lounge in 2007, they had a feeling they were launching something that would be important for Whitesburg. But they had no clear game plan other than “a belief in having a space that whatever needed to happen Amelia Kirby in the town could happen.”

The town of about 2,000 in southeastern Kentucky lacked a “community convivial space” such as a bar or pub where cross-pollination of ideas and culture could occur.

“That is a really, really significant and underestimated piece of how community building happens in a lot of places,” said Kirby. “It puts people who would not necessarily be sitting together together in a space with usually the intent of finding some common ground.”

Buildings in downtown Whitesburg were cheap and easy to come by because so many were sitting empty. Beverly bought an old store building to use as office space for his environmental consulting business, Apogee Environmental and Archaeological.

As they peeled back layers of dropped ceiling, paneling and carpet, “it just suddenly started to reveal itself as this really lovely space,” Kirby said.

The wheels started to turn.

“We sort of started thinking about ‘What kind of things could this space be?’ and that led to ‘What do we wish we had in this town that we always leave for?’” Kirby said.

Aside from a community convivial space, they wanted really good food.

Talk of legalizing alcohol sales was floating around Whitesburg at the time, and they designed the space and built the business plan with the hope that Summit City could serve food and drinks. The town eventually did go wet, and Summit City became an example of what was possible for downtown Whitesburg.

At a time when the coal industry was declining and the divisive rhetoric was heating up, Kirby and Beverly thought a lot about what Summit City’s relationship to the coal dialogue would be. They made a conscious decision not to take a public position.

“It was really important to have a space that didn’t have parameters defined by us,” Kirby said.

Their clientele, as it turned out, was all over the political spectrum.

Summit City’s first success was keeping its doors open.

Then came the music.

With Appalshop’s eclectic radio station, WMMT, in town, Summit City was able to build on a foundation of listeners who were looking for something outside the mainstream.

“Our music program has been one of the defining things about Summit City that really sets us apart,” Kirby said.

Before the lounge got a liquor license, Summit hosted a concert by Jason Isbell (formerly of Drive-By Truckers) to a stone-cold-sober packed house that was “silent raptness,” Kirby said. Word got around among artists that Summit City was an interesting place to play.

Open mic night has also been a hit. The weekly Wednesday event is a “truly sort of anchoring piece of all the work at Summit City in a lot of ways,” Kirby said. “I think that that’s been a piece that from the very beginning emerged organically. We had no particular intention around it.”

Kirby also likes the ceiling at Summit City, painted Maker’s Mark red.

“There’s some sort of element of warmth, trying to convey warmth and welcome, that’s been kind of a core value,” she said.

Kae Fisher

A brush with Alcoholic Beverage Control in 2011, when someone filed a complaint about the percentage of alcohol sales versus food sales, led to Summit City announcing it would close its doors. An unexpected groundswell of support, largely from people Kirby didn’t even know, showed just how much the community valued Summit City.

“We announced it, and immediately this huge robust resistance movement emerged,” Kirby said.

With the city’s support, Summit City was given a second chance by the ABC and was able to stay open with the understanding that the city would ask for a change in the regulation.

II. Railroad Street Mercantile Just around the corner from Summit City is the Railroad Street Mercantile, inspired at least partially by Kirby and Beverly’s example at Summit City.

“To me, they are a shining example of, ‘Hey, I am going to do this. Maybe I’m not going to make a fortune at it, but I’m going to do this. This is something we need,’” said David Fisher, who opened the mercantile with his wife, Kae, in October 2013.

The Fishers, lifelong David Fisher residents of Letcher County, opened the store because they wanted folks in Whitesburg to have another option besides Walmart and Food City.

For most of his career, Fisher was “dyed-in-the-wool union.” He worked out of a Steelworkers local in West Virginia doing heavy highway construction and was a proud union member until he began to feel that the corporate emphasis had shifted from the workers to the bottom line.

He left the Steelworkers to work in the oil fields for a while and really saw the difference between the upper class and the middle class – in both income and core values. He also became concerned that large corporations, especially Big Ag, were controlling politics and making it harder for ordinary people to have a voice.

“Once I really did see the disconnect, that’s what really got me interested in doing something about it,” Fisher said.

He decided to take his experience and knowledge of farming and do something with it. As a kid, he’d spent summers working in his grandparents’ garden. When other kids were swimming or riding bikes, he was working.

“Now that I look back on it, I see why,” Fisher said. “My grandfather gave me something that you can’t buy: a strong work ethic.”

Fisher started out farming for himself and his family.

Through a program called Grow Appalachia, which provides materials for families who want to grow their own food, he had access to a tiller and fertilizer. Before long, he was working part-time for Grow Appalachia, running the tiller and taking fertilizer to other farmers trying to get started. (continued on page 12)

12 | Balancing the Scales

www.kftc.org | April 24, 2014

NEW ENERGY AND TRANSITION UPDATE

Shining a light on the Benham Power Project On March 4, the City of Benham in Harlan County took a big step forward in charting its energy future.

Town leaders were presented with research and proposals on how their municipally-owned electric utility can save money on its power bills from its wholesale power provider, as well as help local residents and businesses save energy and money, and help stabilize the town’s distribution grid.

The information was provided by KFTC, along with the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED) and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

After the presentations, the town leaders were asked if they were interested in continuing forward with the design and implementation of the project, and the response was an overwhelming “yes.”

KFTC leaders in Benham, including Carl Shoupe, Roy Silver and others, have worked for years to bring new energy to this small town at the base of Black Mountain, the highest mountain in the state.

The most recent phase of their work began when KFTC members learned that Kentucky Utilities (KU) did not plan to renew its wholesale power contract with the Benham Power Board, starting in 2016.

The KFTC members saw this potential crisis as an opportunity to begin thinking about ways the town could save energy, and produce some of its own energy, as the utility looks for a new wholesale power provider.

While Benham’s electricity rate is about average in the

state, it has the highest per capita electricity usage.

At the meeting, Josh Bills of MACED presented research that showed how much the city was paying for its wholesale power during peak usage times – those times, often the very coldest mornings, when the utility is “demanding” power from KU at the highest rate. If the utility, residents and businesses can find a way to reduce the energy consumed during those peak times, the utility could save thousands of dollars each month on its power bills to KU.

From January 2013 to January 2014, while the rest of the town’s energy bills went up 42%, Griffey’s bill declined 56%. Other residents could benefit from a widespread program.

Chris Woolery of MACED and Ryan Cook and Brian Bowen, both of MIT, presented strategies for helping reduce those peaks and for helping local residents, businesses, and the city save energy and money.

Woolery updated the group on the energy efficiency upgrades performed on local resident Lacey Griffey’s home.

From January 2013 to January 2014, while the rest of the town’s energy bills went up 42%, Griffey’s bill declined 56%.

While this is an extraordinary example due to the extreme

cold of the polar vortex, it shows the impact that a widespread energy efficiency program could have on the town.

Woolery discussed how an on-bill financing program could help the town do energy efficiency upgrades that pay for themselves and put some savings in the pockets of Benham residents each month.

MIT representatives concluded with presentations on how small energy improvements (like low-flow shower heads, water heater blankets, etc.) could add up to significant savings for residents and the utility.

They also discussed savings that could be seen by upgrading municipal buildings and other larger users of energy in town, as well as shared their research on ways to fund improvements to the local electrical grid, a major concern of the Power Board.

After the local leaders enthusiastically demonstrated their support for going forward and designing a full project, the next step will be to pull together a design team of local leaders, KFTC members and researchers to come up with a plan to formally present to the Power Board.

That work took a step forward the following day as MIT and local residents toured the water and waste water treatment plants, substation and other sites to look for ways to begin saving energy and generating energy locally.

“If Benham can implement this power project here in Harlan County, it can be a candle lighting the way for the region, and other towns across the country, to do the same,” said Shoupe.

Whitesburg businesses work together to build community, continued from previous page And he began talking with others who were interested in starting a farmers’ market.

“Once I got involved in the farmers’ market I had access to four acres of ground that I tended,” Fisher said.

But he knew he couldn’t make it selling produce one day a week. So he started supplying local restaurants. He’d harvest on Monday and sell throughout the week. And he got certified to micro-process his harvest. With 150 tomato plants and 90 cucumber plants, “I knew I was going to have a lot of excess produce and I didn’t want to just throw it away.”

At the time, Kae Fisher worked at Summit City, and she’d often hear people ask where they could buy a bag of chips or bottle of aspirin. It was Kae’s vision that led the couple to open the Railroad Street Mercantile, which sells various necessities, local produce, eggs and meat, and local art.

With hard work, help from others and scavenging for materials, the Fishers were able to open the store without going into debt. They think of it as a go-between: not a replacement for the chain stores but a place to buy a few things between trips to the bigger stores.

III. Symbiosis Summit City Lounge, the Railroad Street Mercantile and a handful of other businesses in Whitesburg have

worked cooperatively to provide for community needs, breathe new life into a dying downtown, and inspire other entrepreneurs.

“Thank you, my friend,” says David Fisher to a customer who comes into the store to buy an ice cream. It’s not just an expression. He knows everyone who comes through the door. He even has a chair sitting beside the door so folks can stay and visit.

“What I want to get away from and what I want to try to enlighten other people to is that the bottom line is not the do-all and say-all,” he said. “It’s not about my profit margin. It’s not about how much money I make this year.

It’s not about what’s in it for me. That’s what we’re really trying to get away from.”

Kirby and Beverly were motivated to provide an important community space. The Fishers were motivated to provide local food and a local store. Both couples understand that a large part of their contribution is providing an example of what can be done.

Said David Fisher: “All these empty buildings – it’s opportunity. There’s not a lot of money here, don’t get me wrong. You come to Whitesburg and open a business, you’re not going to get rich. … But that’s the point we’re trying to make. We don’t want to get rich. If we can keep the lights on and keep stuff on the shelves and make it a viable option, an alternative to what we’ve got now, then

yeah, we’re going to do all we can.”

Both Kirby and Beverly have other jobs besides Summit City. They keep the business open not because it’s profitable for them personally but because the community needs it.

Partly by default and partly by intention, Summit City has been a woman-centric business, as well as a launching pad of self-actualization for several women who have worked there, including Kae Fisher.

It has also provided a social space for young people.

“For sure, Summit City has been a way that younger people both from here and not from here have found Whitesburg possible to stay here longer,” said Kirby.

One way in which these businesses support each other is by discussing what they will sell. If one business wants to serve Ale 8 or a particular type of wine, the others agree not to.

As eastern Kentucky’s economy transitions and the region finds a new identity, there are no guarantees for businesses like Summit City and Railroad Street Mercantile.

Many coal jobs have been lost, and the population is declining.

But Amelia Kirby and David Fisher believe in what they’re doing. They want to stay in Whitesburg and build a thriving community.

“You’ve got to start with baby steps,” Fisher said.

www.kftc.org | April 24, 2014

Balancing the Scales | 13

CANARY PROJECT UPDATE

Legislature wrong to roll back mine-safety protections without study or public notice

by Stephen A. Sanders Originally published in the Lexington Herald-Leader on April 9 In February 2007, widows and children of coal miners convened at the Capitol in Frankfort to testify before a House committee about an important mine safety bill.

The landmark legislation, sponsored by Rep. Brent Yonts, followed one of the deadliest years in recent history for coal miners in Kentucky. Sixteen miners had been killed on the job in 2006, and five of those deaths were from an explosion at the Kentucky Darby No. 1 mine in Harlan.

Four months before Darby, 12 miners were killed in the Sago Mine in West Virginia. Both disasters received extensive national coverage and legislators recognized that it was time for Kentucky to act on mine safety.

The Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center worked with the United Mine Workers and others to pass legislation to improve mine safety. While parts of the bill were ultimately compromised, one important component survived: the number of mine inspections per year was doubled from three to six.

Now lawmakers are trying to do away with this requirement – without the usual process of holding public hearings and engaging in public discussion. Instead, the Senate quietly proposed a state budget that would significantly reduce funding for the Office of Mine Safety and Licensing. And, in a last minute addition to the budget discussion, the budget conference committee agreed to reduce state inspections of coal mines to four per year.

Mary Middleton, whose husband, Roy, died in the 2006 Darby blast, told the Lexington Herald-Leader: “They’re looking out for coal operators, same as always. It’s the men who

SOAR WORKING GROUPS — ADD YOUR VOICE FOR A JUST TRANSITION!

Many KFTC members participated in the first SOAR Summit in Pikeville in December. SOAR, which stands for Shaping Our Appalachian Region, is a planning initiative launched last fall by Governor Steve Beshear and U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers.

From the beginning, Beshear and Rogers have said that planning for the future of eastern Kentucky must be led by people from the region. Now KFTC members have another opportunity to engage in that process.

In March, Beshear and Rogers announced a leadership team and working groups to move the SOAR process forward. The working groups held their first meetings April 24 during the East Kentucky Leadership Conference in Somerset.

All working group meetings will be open to the public, but it appears that the chairs will have discretion over the process and the composition of the groups. KFTC members are encouraged to engage with the process as much as possible by contacting chairs directly, emailing questions to info@soar-ky.org, and checking the schedule for meetings and listening sessions at www.soar-ky.org, which is scheduled to go live by May 15.

The 10 working groups are tasked with leading largescale listening sessions throughout southern and eastern Kentucky on topics related to the region’s economic future and quality of life.

These listening sessions will take place throughout this spring and summer and will be open to the public.

The input gathered will inform the SOAR program of work to be presented at the next summit in November.

The SOAR working groups and their chairs include: • • •

• • • • •

• •

Agriculture/Community/Regional Foods: Daniel Wilson, Wolfe County extension agent for agriculture and natural resources Broadband: Lonnie Lawson, Somerset, president and CEO, The Center for Rural Development Business Recruitment: Brad Hall, external affairs manager, AEP Kentucky Power Company, Pikeville; and Rodney Hitch, economic development manager, East Kentucky Power, Winchester Business Incubation: Jared Arnett, Pikeville, president and CEO, Southeast Ky. Chamber of Commerce Education and Retraining: Jeff Whitehead, Hazard, executive director of the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program Health: Dr. Nikki Stone, Hazard, dental director/ faculty, UK June Buchanan Clinic Infrastructure: Jack Sykes, Pikeville, chairman of the board, Summit Engineering Leadership Development and Youth Engagement: Jonathan Gay, Morehead, executive director of Morehead State University Innovation and Commercialization Center Regional Collaboration and Identity: Sandy Runyon, Prestonsburg, executive director of the Big Sandy Area Development District Tourism, including Natural Resources, Arts & Heritage: Phil Osborne, Lexington, president of Osborne and Associates

For more information about working groups or listening sessions, contact the SOAR office at 606-444-5127 or 606-437-5127. Or email info@soar-ky.org.

Find KFTC resources at www.kftc.org/abf/soar

Stella Morris and Claudia Cole were two widows who spoke at a 2007 mine safety rally during the General Assembly and spearheaded the efforts around the landmark legislation.

go underground and do the work and risk their lives, but the politicians will always cut corners for the coal operators. The politicians don’t have to go through what we have, with the loss of a husband and a father.”

Stella Morris lost her husband, Bud, to injuries in another Harlan County mine, and she helped campaign for the mine safety bill back in 2007. As she told WYMT-TV last week, “If there’s something going on in the mines and they’re not being inspected on a regular basis, there can be fatalities there and we just don’t want any more families to go through what we went through. ... Even though you only have a few mines operating, those mines need to be safe.”

The cuts to OMSL’s budget are drastic and will significantly curtail the agency’s ability to ensure miners’ safety. The biggest disasters of coal mining make the news – like the Upper Big Branch Mine explosion in 2010, which killed 29 men.

But the day-to-day dangers of working in and around highspeed mining equipment, of roof falls and rib rolls, and of breathing excessive amounts of dust, are threats that debilitate and kill an untold number of miners. Such individual deaths and injuries occur out of the public eye and are often normalized as the everyday costs of mining. Because mining conditions change quickly, it is vital that OMSL perform frequent inspections for mine safety to be maintained.

The way in which the cut to the OMSL budget and the reduction in the number of inspections was moved through the legislature – with no recommendation from the agency in charge of mine safety, without a public hearing and with no public discussion of how many inspectors and inspections are needed – is not the way to properly legislate mine safety.

If the reduction in mining activity lessens OMSL responsibilities, there should be a study of what changes can be reasonably made to OMSL without a reduction in the enforcement of safety standards – not an arbitrary decision to cut funding and reduce the number of inspections.

Regardless of the outcome, the cavalier manner employed by legislators in addressing the safety of Kentucky’s miners is an affront to the hard work and dedication of deceased miners and their families.

Stephen Sanders is the director of the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center in Whitesburg. To support the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, visit www.appalachianlawcenter.org/donate

14 | Balancing the Scales

www.kftc.org | April 24, 2014

CANARY PROJECT UPDATE

Kentucky Division of Water prepares to write a new General 402 Water Pollution Discharge Permit for coal mining On July 31 of this year, the current General 402 Permit for Coal Mining expires (402 refers to the section of the Clean Water Act that authorizes such permits).

Under the Kentucky Pollution Discharge Elimination System (KPDES), all water that leaves a mine site has to go through a pipe, which needs to be permitted so that the water can be monitored to know if it exceeds pollution standards.

Coal companies have the option of either applying for an individual KPDES permit or they can apply to have their water discharge covered by the KPDES general permit for coal mining.

The general KPDES permit is a five-year permit developed by the Kentucky Division of Water in order to create a streamlined process for various types of activities that discharge pollution into the streams and lakes of Kentucky.

DoW must update and renew that permit every five years.

There can be a general KPDES permit for municipal sewage treatment plants, or for high schools, and there is a general permit for active coal mines and for inactive coal mines.

The general permit requires less scrutiny for potential damage to waterways and uses a “one size fits all” approach.

Aside from the difference in fees ($1,300 for a general permit and $3,300 for an individual permit), the major difference between the two is that each individual 402 KPDES permit is subject to review by the federal EPA. Over the last few years, EPA has found reason to request additional testing and pollution discharge restrictions on

about 36 individual permits, while the Kentucky Division of Water has allowed thousands of new mines and amended mine permits to be covered by the general coal mine permit.

In meetings with the Kentucky Division of Water, KFTC members have expressed their belief that Kentucky should stop using the general KPDES permit and instead require all coal companies to apply for individual permits.

They pointed out that each coal mine and each stream is different and the pollution limits should be tailored for the specific pollution coming off of each mine site.

In addition, if previous mining has already polluted a stream, then new mines should not be allowed to discharge additional pollution into the receiving stream.

The current General 402 KPDES coal mining permit that is expiring on July 31, has numeric limits for only four pollutants – iron, manganese, pH and total suspended solids.

Members have reason to believe the next general KPDES coal permit will be different from the current permit, including the possibility of a general permit for eastern Kentucky coal mining and a slightly different one for western Kentucky coal mining.

KFTC is pushing for selenium discharge limits in both the eastern and western permits.

Also, at this point, state officials seemed not inclined to place a numeric limit on conductivity even though the EPA recommends a limit of 500 micro-Siemens for central Appalachian streams.

I t ’s a l s o possible that the Division of Water may not have the new general KPDES coal permit(s) completed and approved by the time the current permit expires on July 31. If this happens then coal companies will not be allowed to have their water pollution discharge covered by the general KPDES permit. They may still apply for an individual KPDES permit.

Assuming that the Kentucky Division of Water drafts a new general KPDES permit and this permit is approved, then all coal mines covered by the current general KPDES permit will have a specific time limit, likely a few months, to come into compliance with the standards of the new general KPDES permit.

Look for more information from KFTC once the first draft of the next General KPDES Permit for Coal Mining has been released. There will be an opportunity for the public to submit comments and there likely will be a public hearing on the draft permit. Approval from the federal EPA also is required.

Steering Committee affirms important role of KFTC voter empowerment work KFTC Chairperson Sue Tallichet opened the April 5 Steering Committee meeting by asking folks to share their favorite memory of KFTC’s voter empowerment work.

It was an energetic and inspiring start to the day as folks recalled such events as providing a ride to the polls to an 85-year-old African American woman who talked about the Civil Rights Movement during the drive. Or running a “get out the vote” sound car, traveling through neighborhoods with a bullhorn reminding folks to vote. Or creating digital stories on voting rights and using those to educate voters about the issue. The host of great stories reminded the committee of the value of KFTC’s voter work.

Members noted the importance of this election cycle on many fronts and affirmed the importance of making sure that KFTC’s issues and perspective are part of the public discussion. The committee also confirmed its commitment to expand participation in the electoral process and make voter empowerment a primary focus of KFTC’s work this year.

The other major order of business was to receive a report from KFTC’s Leadership Development Committee (LDC), which had been charged with reviewing the current nominations and elections process for the Executive Committee and the Kentucky Coalition board.

The LDC had received input from chapters and individuals, including Steering Committee representatives and

staff. In addition to reviewing the strengths and weaknesses of the process, the LDC looked at the values that should be embedded in the process, the criteria that should be used to evaluate potential nominees, and what should be done to clarify, document and strengthen each step of the nominations and elections process.

“As KFTC grows larger, it’s important that we continue to be a grassroots and democratic organization. Thanks to the review, our nominations and elections process is stronger than ever,” said Meta Mendel-Reyes of Madison County, who serves on the LDC and the Steering Committee and who helped present the report.

The LDC brought to the Steering Committee a series of recommendations for improving KFTC’s nominations and elections process. Some of these included: • •

• •

Documenting the process and helping the broader membership understand it Keeping key elements of the existing process, including asking the LDC to present a slate of candidates to be considered by the Steering Committee and the membership Identifying criteria and desired traits the LDC should use in deliberating the slate Affirming that individuals, chapters and staff should be

•

allowed to make nominations Clarifying the way in which nominations are received, recorded and processed

After clarifying questions and discussion, the Steering Committee unanimously accepted the recommendations from the LDC, with a few slight amendments.

“I think that the Steering Committee played a central role in designing the review and interpreting the results,” said Mendel-Reyes. “The review took place in a very democratic way, with members offering feedback and the Steering Committee, elected by the members, taking action.”

She added, “KFTC is stronger because we have taken action to retain our democratic structure even as we grow larger. Many organizations lose their original spirit as they grow, while KFTC has institutionalized our commitment to the grassroots.”

In other business, the Steering Committee approved the February meeting minutes, accepted the financial report, and facilitated a discussion with Burt Lauderdale, Executive Director, as part of his annual evaluation process. They affirmed a general theme for this year’s annual meeting August 22-24 – “Growing Grassroots Leaders.”

The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for May 30 and 31.

www.kftc.org | April 24, 2014

Balancing the Scales | 15

ECONOMIC JUSTICE UPDATE

Economic justice legislative wrap-up and what’s next Members are ready to strategize, after the General Assembly failed to pass a minimum wage increase and created a damaging budget with short-sighted tax cuts for businesses.

First, some summarizing of the budget that passed for 2015 and 2016.

One highlight is the legislature’s good first move toward long-term acceptance of the Affordable Care Act. Despite the Senate’s posturing and language toward denying Kentuckians access to participation in ACA, the budget accepts and appropriates $2.5 billion in federal money for the ACA.

Kentucky is one of 25 states – and one of the only southern states – that will expand Medicaid to those with family incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty line. Kentucky leads the nation in successfully and enthusiastically allowing it residents sign up for health insurance, with 321,000 Kentuckians signed up for coverage so far (and nearly half of them under age 35 –a boon to the system). The legislature’s acceptance of it is a good first move.

Another highlight of a sort is an expansion of preschool funding. The budget contains $18 million more, or a 25 percent increase, in funding for public preschool in 2016, and increases eligibility guidelines to 160 percent of poverty. This is a step forward.

Beyond that, there’s not much to highlight. Funding for education maintains but is still 10 percent below 2008 levels, according to the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy (KCEP). And many state agencies were cut by 5 percent, which means that since 2008 state agencies and services have been cut by as much as 42 percent, with several agencies coming in with cuts in the 25 to 30 percent range, including the Department of Environmental Protection.

These cuts will likely exacerbate the challenges in Kentucky’s economy. More about the budget is in the KCEP

report “General Assembly Passes Budget Containing 14th Round of Cuts Since 2008” at www.kypolicy.org.

The General Assembly also failed to pass a state Earned Income Tax Credit and increases in the minimum wage, despite the broad show of support across the state for both policies and research showing the positive impact they’d have on Kentuckians.

Jeanie Smith, a Southern Kentucky Chapter member on KFTC’s Economic Justice Committee, said the EITC would have been a significant help to her family had it passed while her husband was still in school.

“As the one who buys the groceries for this family and keeps the growing feet in shoes, I know that we could have put that tax credit to good use. We could have used it toward the textbooks for my husband, or to take the stress out of a month’s bills. Being able to repair a car that can get your kids to school and you to work, fixing a leaky faucet that has been costing you on every bill, buying fresh produce at the end of the month when your cupboards would otherwise be bare.

These things make you feel like you can keep going, and these are the kind of expenses that a state EITC would help offset.”

Looking forward, a special session on tax reform is possible after the election. In the meantime, the Economic Justice Committee is identifying ways to build power by engaging with more federal economic policies, especially around wages, tax fairness and the budget.

KFTC also is expanding and deepening relationships with allies involved in state tax reform and planning some good outreach in chapter areas. Members are participating in a set of conferences to help inform strategies to create a New Economy in Kentucky.

To get involved, contact your local organizer or Jessica Hays Lucas at jessicabreen@kftc.org or 859-276-0563.

INEQUALITY FOR ALL KFTC is organizing outreach conversations for the spring and early summer to identify additional allies and strategies to build political will for state tax reform.

KFTC member JoAnn Schwartz is working with the Northern Kentucky Justice and Peace Committee on a screening of Robert Reich’s Inequality for All as a way to reconvene a community discussion about “the lack of justice in all of our system that contributes to inequality.”

The screening will be held on Wednesday, April 30, at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph Heights, with a discussion following. Get in touch with Jessica Hays Lucas at jessicabreen@kftc.org or 859276-0563 if you’re interested in hosting a screening and discussion in your area.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS:

KFTC Annual Membership Meeting August 22-24, 2014 General Butler State Park in Carrollton

KFTC Executive Committee Kentucky Coalition Board Statewide Committees

SEE PAGES 17-19

16 | Balancing the Scales

www.kftc.org | April 24, 2014

BLUEGRASS PIPELINE UPDATE

Landowners make an impact on eminent domain issue Several bills to restrict the use of eminent domain and clarify that landowners have the right to refuse the taking of their land for private projects with no public use were proposed in the 2014 session. KFTC supported two.

The legislation had popular support but still had a rough time in the legislative process.

Senate Bill 14 would have limited eminent domain to utilities regulated by the Public Service Commission. It would have prevented private companies like the proposed Bluegrass Hazardous Liquids Pipeline that are not utilities from being able to condemn land.

House Bill 31 took a different approach. A committee substitute defined natural gas liquids as distinct from oil or gas products, meaning that NGL pipelines could not use the special treatment oil and gas companies enjoy under Kentucky eminent domain laws to condemn land for their wells and pipelines.

Developers of the proposed Bluegrass Pipeline – which would provide no public use for Kentuckians – have claimed that they have eminent domain rights under this and other statutes. This has been used to pressure landowners into thinking they have no option but to allow the company access to their land.

Several landowners testified to this effect during the two standing-room-only Judiciary Committee hearings.

Joe Boone of Nelson County said that even though he has sent three certified letters telling the pipeline company that it does not have permission to be on his land and he will not grant an easement, the Bluegrass Pipeline LLC surveyed neighbors’ property on opposite sides of Boone’s farm, coming right up to the property line. His farm is the land they need to complete the path.

“Those survey stakes are still in place leading up to my property lines,” Boone said. “That greatly concerns me and it should all Kentuckians that a private company could even consider forcing landowners to give up rights to their land.

“All of this worry would be unnecessary if Kentucky’s law was clarified so that it was clear that private companies that provide no public benefit are not allowed to condemn the property of Kentuckians.”

Cindy Foster of Scott County had a similar story. She said she asked a company land agent if the company would use eminent domain if it came to that and was told that it would.

She described herself and her husband as “people who have worked all of our adult lives for one little piece of earth we would like to hand down to our children.”

The Kentucky Oil and Gas Association, Chamber of Commerce, Kentucky Association of Manufacturers and some unions opposed the bill.

With the support and guidance of Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. John Tilley, the panel finally approved the committee substitute for House Bill 31, 11-1, on February 26, with 11 votes being the minimum needed. Nine members of the committee were either absent or abstained from voting.

Next, the Rules Committee held the bill for the maximum five legislative days before sending it to the House floor on March 6.

House sponsors Tilley and Rep. David Floyd worked hard behind the scenes to address concerns of House leaders while not compromising the bill. At the same time, some legislators wanted the legislation to go further and remove altogether the special eminent domain powers that oil and gas companies currently enjoy.

HB 31 lingered for another two weeks until House Speaker Greg Stumbo “released” it after proposing a floor amendment to help the oil and gas association and getting sponsors of a floor amendment that would have strengthened the bill to agree not to call it.

After a nearly hour-long floor debate on March 21, HB 31 with Stumbo’s amendment passed easily, 75-16.

But that’s as far as the bill got.

Senate leaders never bothered to assign the bill to a committee.

Several attempts by Sen. Jimmy Higdon to attach the language of SB 14 or HB 31 to other bills in the Senate were thwarted by Senate leaders. A late attempt by Rep. David Floyd to attach the language of SB 14 to a Senate bill moving through the House also did not get a vote.

A citizen lobbying team of residents from several counties spent many days talking with legislators and believed that, had a vote been allowed in the Senate, the legislation would have passed.

“We spoke to lots of both senators and representatives, and most were solidly on our side in regard to eminent domain,” said KFTC member Bob Pekny of Woodford County, who lives within the proposed pipeline’s blast zone.

“We were continuously impressed by how much and how hard Rep. Floyd, Rep. Tilley and Sen. Higdon worked together to draft bills and amendments for their respective legislative bodies. It was very obvious to us how much they wanted this bill to pass and their concerns for landowners’ rights.”

“We appreciate that both Rep. Floyd and Sen. Higdon took the time to keep us informed of what was happening, even when the news was discouraging,” added Deb Pekny.

“They always had time to stop and talk to us, and always

thanked us for being there.

“We were told time and time again how much it meant to them and that our presence truly made a difference. Many other legislators also told us how much they appreciated our time and efforts.”

COURT HANDS LANDOWNERS WIN OVER BLUEGRASS PIPELINE LLC On March 25, Franklin Circuit Court ruled that the Bluegrass Pipeline LLC does not have eminent domain power under Kentucky statutes and cannot condemn the land of Kentuckians for its proposed hazardous liquids pipeline.

The ruling came just days after the Kentucky House passed HB 31, to restrict eminent domain by all natural gas pipeline companies. The court ruling applies only to Bluegrass Pipeline LLC. The language of the court ruling was similar to Senate Bill 14, legislation supported by KFTC and preferred by property rights advocates.

Bluegrass Pipeline LLC has appealed the ruling, but landowners under immediate threat by the company have been given some reprieve, and hope.

The landowners, organized as Kentuckians United to Restrain Eminent Domain, are represented by Tom FitzGerald with the Kentucky Resources Council.

KENTUCKY

PRIMARY ELECTION TUESDAY, MAY 20 POLLS ARE OPEN 6 A.M. - 6 P.M. FOR CANDIDATE RESPONSES AND VOTER INFORMATION VISIT WWW.KENTUCKYELECTION.ORG

www.kftc.org | April 24, 2014

Balancing the Scales | 17

Preparations begin for annual membership meeting KFTC’s statewide Annual Membership Meeting will take place August 22 through August 24 this year at the General Butler State Park in Carrollton.

The annual meeting is a time for all KFTC members to gather together to celebrate great work over the past year, learn new skills and hold the yearly business meeting.

During the business portion of the meeting, members will consider the proposed platform, elect statewide officers and

accept new or renewing chapters for the coming year.

In preparation for the statewide annual meeting, all KFTC chapters across the state hold their chapter annual meetings two months prior, in June. At these meetings, chapter members provide input to the KFTC platform, set local priorities and goals, decide if they wish to continue as a chapter and, if so, select officers.

Chapters select a Steering Committee representative

ANNUAL CHAPTER MEETINGS: CHAPTER

DATE

TIME

LOCATION

ADDRESS

Perry County

June 16

6 p.m

Room 118 of the Owens Building, HCTC Technical Campus

101 Vo-Tech Drive, Hazard

Jefferson County

June 9

6:30 p.m.

First Unitarian Church

809 S. 4th Street, Louisville

Central Kentucky

June 19

7 p.m.

Northside Branch of Lexington Public Library

1733 Russell Cave Road, Lexington

Southern Kentucky

May 27

6 p.m.

The Foundry

531 W. 11th St., Bowling Green

Rowan County

June 19

6 p.m.

St. Alban’s Episcopal Church

5th Street, Morehead

Shelby County

June 19

6 p.m.

Stratton Community Center

219 W Washington St., Shelbyville

Harlan County

June 23

6 p.m.

Harlan Public Library

107 N 3rd St., Harlan

Letcher County

June 24

6 p.m.

Harry Caudill Memorial Library

220 Main St., Whitesburg

Big Sandy

June 9

7 p.m.

Jenny Wiley Lodge

75 Theatre Ct., Prestonsburg

Madison County

June 23

6:30 p.m.

Berea College Appalachian Center

205 N. Main St., Berea

Wilderness Trace

June 2

6:30 p.m.

Inter-County Energy Community Room

1009 Hustonville Rd, Danville

Scott County

June 5

7 p.m.

Sociology House

145 Holly Hock Lane, Georgetown

Northern Kentucky

June 17

7 p.m.

Roebling Point Books and Coffee

306 Greenup Street, Covington

CHAPTER LEADERSHIP POSITIONS: Are you a member of a KFTC chapter? If so, please consider accepting a position as a chapter officer for the coming year, starting this fall. Chapter officers are: Steering Committee Representative Steering Committee Alternate Fundraising coordinator

Membership coordinator Publicity coordinator All are important roles for which you will receive training and support. The responsibilities can be shared with others.

If interested, please contact your chapter organizer for more information.

and alternate and chapter coordinators for membership, fundraising and publicity. They also agree to raise at least $500 for the statewide organization.

In return for their commitment to KFTC, chapters get a seat on the Steering Committee and receive staff time and organizational resources to assist in their work.

NOMINATIONS FOR STATEWIDE COMMITTEES: KFTC is accepting nominations for members of its governance and issue committees (descriptions below).

All committee nominations will be considered by the Leadership Development Committee. New committee assignments will be finalized in September by the Steering Committee.

Personnel Committee — Members may participate in hiring process and review annual staff performance evaluations. This committee provides guidance and makes recommendations about personnel policies and issues. Meets as needed.

Finance Committee — Reviews and recommends budget and quarterly financial statements. Reviews and recommends financial policies and practices.

Meets periodically in person and by conference call.

Leadership Development Committee — Develops, evaluates and helps implement KFTC’s leadership programs. Nominates and reviews nominations of people to serve on statewide committees and offices.

Meets several times a year as needed.

Land Reform Committee — Coordinates KFTC’s statewide campaigns on issues connected to natural resources. Meets 3-6 times a year, as needed.

Economic Justice Committee — Develops and coordinates campaigns on economic issues, including tax justice. Meets 3-6 times a year as needed, often by conference call.

New Energy and Transition (NET) Committee: Develops strategy and priorities for three related KFTC campaigns: Rural Electric Co-op Reform, Sustainable Energy, and Appalachian Transition.

Voter Empowerment Committee: Develops and evaluates KFTC’s strategies for registering, informing and motivating voters, including our restoration of voting rights campaign.

Litigation Committee: Makes recommendations about KFTC’s litigation strategies; monitors progress of legal cases in which KFTC is a participant; participates in communication among allies, lawyers, and KFTC decision-making bodies. Meets as needed with frequent conference calls.

18 | Balancing the Scales

www.kftc.org | April 24, 2014

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS — THE PROCESS The process for recommending, nominating, and electing members to KFTC’s Executive Committee reflects our commitment to being a grassroots, membership-led organization. It is an expression of KFTC’s core values, including our commitment to diversity; an open, deliberate and democratic process; a model of shared leadership; and a practice of developing grassroots leaders as a primary strategy for social change.

Anyone may nominate someone to serve in one of the four elected positions on KFTC’s Executive Committee or three seats on the Kentucky Coalition Board.

KFTC’s Leadership Development Committee considers those suggestions and recommends a slate of candidates for each board that is balanced, diverse, and qualified. In July the KFTC Steering Committee reviews those slates and formally nominates individuals for election at KFTC’s Annual Membership Meeting in August.

anywhere in the state. He or she serves as a voting member of the KFTC Steering Committee and Executive Committee, as well as the Kentucky Coalition Board of Directors.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE NOMINATIONS:

The Leadership Development Committee values your suggestions! You may nominate as many people as you like.

You may nominate a person for a specific statewide office, or “for any position” on the KFTC Executive Committee.

Either way, the Leadership Development Committee considers all nominees to be eligible for any and all of the four positions.

KFTC’s Steering Committee is the statewide board that makes decisions about the organization’s strategy, policies, budget and long-term direction. The Steering Committee is made up of one representative from each chapter, plus five statewide officers.

These five officers make up the Executive Committee.

This group makes necessary decisions between Steering Committee meetings and provides leadership for the organization. Four members of the Executive Committee are elected. The fifth position is the immediate past chairperson. The following is a description of the four elected positions: Chairperson The Chairperson is a voting member of the KFTC Steering Committee and Executive Committee, as well as the Chairperson of the KFTC Steering Committee and the Kentucky Coalition Board of Directors. He or she presides at all Annual Meetings, Steering Committee meetings, Executive Committee meetings, and KC Board of Directors meetings.

Vice-Chairperson The Vice Chairperson is a voting member of the KFTC Steering Committee and Executive Committee, as well as the Vice Chairperson of the KFTC Steering Committee and the Kentucky Coalition Board of Directors. He or she presides in the absence of the Chairperson at all Annual Meetings, Steering Committee meetings, Executive Committee meetings, and KC Board of Directors meetings.

Secretary-Treasurer This officer serves as Secretary-Treasurer for KFTC and the Kentucky Coalition. He or she also serves as a voting member of the KFTC Steering Committee and Executive Committee, as well as the Kentucky Coalition Board of Directors. The Secretary-Treasurer also serves as the Chair of the Finance Committee.

At-Large Representative The At-Large Representative is a member elected from

Requirements: • A statewide officer must be a member of KFTC. • A statewide officer cannot be a paid employee or the immediate family member of a paid employee of KFTC or Kentucky Coalition.

• A statewide officer cannot serve in the same position for more than two years.

• The Leadership Development Committee will consider all nominees and recommend a diverse slate of qualified candidates, taking into account a diversity of characteristics including gender, age, race, income, educational backgrounds, place of residence, level of involvement in the local chapter and statewide organization, issue interests, and other desired qualities.

Current Executive Committee: In making your suggestions, it may be helpful to know who currently serves on the Executive Committee, and whether or not they are eligible for another term: Chairperson: Sue Tallichet Vice-Chairperson: Dana Beasley-Brown Both have served in these positions for two consecutive terms and are not eligible to serve again in the same position.

Secretary-Treasurer: Megan Naseman At-Large Representative: Carl Shoupe Both have served in their positions for one term and are eligible to serve again if nominated and elected.

KENTUCKY COALITION NOMINATIONS: Kentucky Coalition is the sister organization to Kentuckians For The Commonwealth. Kentucky Coalition (KC) is a 501(c)(3) organization, meaning that it is allowed to accept tax-deductible donations from members and it can access foundation grants that are not available to Kentuckians For The Commonwealth as a 501(c)(4).

Kentucky Coalition’s purpose is to support grassroots community organizing, leadership development, and public education around important public policy. KC’s reach stretches beyond KFTC and beyond Kentucky. Kentucky Coalition has provided support and acted as fiscal agent for groups working in Appalachia and the South. For instance, KC is currently the fiscal agent for the Alliance for Appalachia, a group of 13 organizations from Central Appalachia working to stop mountaintop removal coal mining.

The KC Board provides general oversight and direction for the organization. It maintains a close working relationship with the KFTC Steering Committee, monitors finances, and conducts planning and evaluation. The

Board meets at least quarterly, often by conference call.

The KC Board is composed of the five members of the KFTC Executive Committee plus three additional members who are elected by the KFTC membership at its Annual Meeting. KC Board members serve one-year terms. The KC board members who are also members of the Executive Committee follow the term limits placed on them as KFTC Executive Committee members. The three additional KC board members may serve four consecutive one-year terms.

Requirements: • A KC board member must be a member of KFTC. • A KC board member cannot be a paid employee or the immediate family member of a paid employee of KFTC or Kentucky Coalition.

• A KC board member not on the KFTC Executive Committee cannot serve in the same position for more than four one-year consecutive terms.

• The Leadership Development Committee will consider all nominees and recommend a diverse slate of qualified candidates, taking into account a diversity of characteristics including gender, age, race, income, educational backgrounds, place of residence, level of involvement in the local chapter and statewide organization, issue interests, and other desired qualities.

• It is preferred that nominees to the KC Board are people with prior experience on the KFTC Steering Committee or Finance Committee who do not currently serve as their chapter’s representative.

Current Kentucky Coalition Board of Directors: In making your suggestions, it may be helpful to know who currently serves on the Kentucky Coalition Board, and whether they are eligible for another term.

The following members currently serve on the KC Board: Doug Doerrfeld Has served four consecutive terms and is not eligible to serve again.

Homer White Mary Love Have each served one term on the board and are eligible to serve again if nominated and elected.

NOMINATIONS FORM: NEXT PAGE

You may nominate yourself or any other member for KFTC’s Executive Committee, the Kentucky Coalition Board of Directors, or other statewide committees of KFTC.

All nominations must be received by 5 p.m. on June 30, 2014.

www.kftc.org | April 24, 2014

Balancing the Scales | 19

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: KFTC Executive Committee, Kentucky Coalition Board, and Statewide Committees You may nominate yourself or any other member for KFTC’s Executive Committee, the Kentucky Coalition Board of Directors, or other statewide committees of KFTC. All nominations must be received by 5 p.m. on June 30, 2014. You may make your nominations by returning this form to KFTC at PO Box 1450, London, KY 40743. You may also email your suggestions to nominations@kftc.org, or use an online form at www.kftc.org/nominations. Members attending annual chapter meetings in June also will have the opportunity to make nominations during those discussions.

KFTC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:

Your Name: Phone: Email:

KENTUCKY COALITION BOARD:

You may nominate as many people as you like for the KFTC Executive Committee. Please use additional paper if needed.

You may nominate as many people as you like for the Kentucky Coalition board. Please use additional paper if needed.

I would like to nominate: ___________________________________

I would like to nominate _________________________ for a position on the Kentucky Coalition Board.

For the following position(s) on KFTC’s Executive Committee: Chairperson Vice-Chairperson

I believe this person is a good choice because: __________________

______________________________________________________

Secretary-Treasurer

At-large Rep.

Any position

I believe this person is a good choice because: __________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

I have spoken with this person about my nomination, and they are willing to be considered (It’s okay if you haven’t).

I have NOT yet spoken with this person about my nomination, and I do not know if they are willing to be considered.

I would like to nominate: ___________________________________

______________________________________________________

I have spoken with this person about my nomination, and they are willing to be considered (It’s okay if you haven’t).

I have NOT yet spoken with this person about my nomination, and I do not know if they are willing to be considered.

I would like to nominate _________________________ for a position on the Kentucky Coalition Board.

For the following position(s) on KFTC’s Executive Committee: Chairperson Vice-Chairperson

I believe this person is a good choice because: __________________

______________________________________________________

Secretary-Treasurer

At-large Rep.

Any position

______________________________________________________

I believe this person is a good choice because: __________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

I have spoken with this person about my nomination, and they are willing to be considered (It’s okay if you haven’t).

I have spoken with this person about my nomination, and they are willing to be considered (It’s okay if you haven’t).

I have NOT yet spoken with this person about my nomination, and I do not know if they are willing to be considered.

I have NOT yet spoken with this person about my nomination, and I do not know if they are willing to be considered.

STATEWIDE COMMITTEES: KFTC’s statewide committees include: Personnel; Finance; Leadership Development; Land Reform; Economic Justice; New Energy & Transition; Voter Empowerment; and Litigation. You may nominate yourself or other KFTC members for these committees. Nominees for these positions will be reviewed by the Leadership Development Committee and appointed by the new Steering Committee in September 2014.

You may nominate as many people as you like for consideration for KFTC’s committees. Please use additional space or paper as needed.

Nominee:

Committee nominated for:

Nominee:

Committee nominated for:

Nominee:

Committee nominated for:

20 | Balancing the Scales

KFTC staff welcomes Jackson, says goodbye to Henderson, Blanton March and April have brought laughter and tears to the KFTC staff team – the joys of welcoming a new staff member to the team and the sorrows of bidding farewell to other staff as they move on to their next adventure.

KFTC welcomed Enchanta Jackson, who joined the KFTC staff team in late March as the Deputy Organizing Director for Voter Empowerment. A Lexington native, Jackson is returning to the Bluegrass state from Pennsylvania by way of Washington, DC, where she worked as an organizer on several campaigns.

Jackson finds liberation through philanthropy, laughter, reading, running, blogging, traveling and spending time with family and friends. She received a dual bachelor’s degree in African-American Studies and Women’s Studies from Berea College.

Spring and fall elections in 2014 will keep Jackson busy initially. She has been crisscrossing the state meeting members, attending chapter meetings, and working with members and staff to develop strong Get Out The Vote plans for the primary. Jackson has jumped right in as a valuable staff member and is working alongside others to distribute, collect, fact check, and organize all the responses to KFTC’s primary voter guide.

Jackson works out of the Central Kentucky office and can be reached at 859-276-0563 or Enchanta@kftc.org.

KFTC said goodbye to Colette Henderson, who joined the staff team in 2008 after serving as an intern for the Jefferson County chapter. Henderson served as Jefferson County chapter organizer for several years before transitioning to the position of development associate.

Henderson quickly became an energizing organizing force with special skills in community engagement and events. She helped KFTC elevate public events to recruit many new members and raise funds surpassing $40,000 in a single night. She spearheaded teams of staff and members to carry out five Louisville Loves Mountains festivals, the Kentucky Kicks Ass Brew Fest, and multiple large events featuring musical acts such as Yim Yames, Ben Sollee, Daniel Martin Moore and others.

Henderson has accepted a position with Resource Generation in New York City as its membership associate. She was greeted in NYC by her partner, Drew Tucker, and their dogs, Musket and Gracie. She is already working with KFTC members in New York City to host a big Kentucky house party.

Teri Blanton became a household name in the coal and energy movements over the past couple of decades. Prior to joining the staff team in 2007, Blanton served on KFTC’s Executive Committee in various positions from 1998-2004.

In 2007, Blanton was named KFTC Canary Project Fellow. She joined the staff team to help build a robust network of community leaders called the Canary Leadership Network.

Working across Kentucky and the U.S., Blanton was instrumental in building public awareness of the true costs of coal and the impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining.

She has served on regional and national boards, including the coordinating committee of the Alliance for Appalachia (a group of organizations in five states working to end mountaintop removal) and the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council to the EPA.

Blanton has been a dynamic force, recruiting KFTC members no matter where she is. She has been arrested, rallied, spoken, defended, inspired and carried the water for the movement to protect Appalachia.

Now it’s time for her to re-energize.

Blanton is taking some time off to rest. Even though she’s leaving the KFTC staff team, don’t expect to see less of her. In her words, “It’s me, it’s me, it’s Teri B!”

www.kftc.org | April 24, 2014

CALENDAR OF EVENTS CHAPTER MEETINGS May 1 Scott County Chapter Meeting 7 p.m. at the Georgetown Public Library, 520 Hollyhock Lane, Georgetown Info: Joe@kftc.org or call 859-380-6103 May 5 Wilderness Trace Chapter Meeting 7-8:30 p.m. at Inter-County Energy Community Room 1009 Hustonville Rd., Danville Info: Bethbissmeyer@kftc.org or call 859-314-2044 May 12 Jefferson County Chapter Meeting 6:30 p.m. at the First Unitarian Church, 809 South 4th Street in Louisville.

Info: Alicia@kftc.org or call 502-589-3188 May 12 Big Sandy Chapter Meeting 7-8:30 p.m. at the KFTC Office, 152 North Lake Drive, Prestonsburg Info: Jessie@kftc.org or call 606-263-4982 May 12 Harlan County Chapter Meeting 6 p.m. Location TBD. Info: Tanya@kftc.org or call 606-632-0051 May 13 Letcher County Chapter Meeting 6 p.m. Location TBD. Info: Tanya@kftc.org or call 606-632-0051

May 15 Shelby County Chapter Meeting 6 p.m., Stratton Community Center, 215 W Washington St., Shelbyville Info: Carissa@kftc.org or call 502-208-1696 May 19 Perry County Chapter Meeting 6-7 p.m., HCTC Tech Campus, 101 VoTech Drive, Room 118, Owens Building Hazard Info: Jessie@kftc.org or call 606-263-4982 May 19 Madison County Chapter Meeting 6:30 p.m. at Berea College Appalachian Center, 205 N. Main St., Berea.

Info: BethBissmeyer@kftc.org or call 859-314-2044 May 20 Northern Kentucky Chapter Meeting 7 p.m., Roebling Point Books and Coffee, 306 Greenup Street, Covington, Info: Joe@kftc.org or call 859-380-6103 May 21 Rowan County Chapter Meeting 6 p.m., Fuzzy Duck/Coffeetree Books 159 East Main St. Morehead Info: Sara@kftc.org or call 606-632-0051 May 27 Southern Kentucky Chapter Meeting 6 p.m. at The Foundry, 531 W. 11th Street Bowling Green Info: Denney@kftc.org or call 270-779-6483

May 15 Central Kentucky Chapter Meeting 7 p.m. at the Episcopal Diocese Mission House (corner of Martin Luther King Blvd. and 4th Street) in Lexington.

Info: BethHoward@kftc.org or call 859-276-0563

EVENTS May 15 Louisville Metro Council Candidate Forum (Council Districts 1,3,5) 5:30 p.m. Location TBD If you have questions or would like to get involved, contact Chapter Organizer Alicia Hurle at alicia@kftc.org or 502-589-3188.

May 20 Kentucky Primary Election Polls Open 6 a.m. - 6 p.m. www.kentuckyelection.org Info: Enchanta@kftc.org or call 859-276-0563