July 2015 - balancing the scales

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

BALANCING THE

VOLUME 34 NUMBER 5 JULY 21, 2015

NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID LEXINGTON, KY. PERMIT NO. 513

Members speak out about oil & gas regulations, pipeline safety pg. 15

Our gifts, when joined together, make a big impact........................................3

Wilderness Trace chapter hosts third successful Barn Bash................... 8

Abandoned Mine Lands initiative could bring new jobs .............................14

We Are Kentuckians: Serena Owen shares her story.......................................... 6

Proposed 2015-2016 Platform ...................................................... 9-12

New Stream Protection Rule falls short of what’s needed..............................14

2 | Balancing the Scales

www.kftc.org | July 21 2015

Table of Contents Executive Committee Corner

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: • foster democratic values • change unjust institutions • empower individuals • overcome racism and other discrimination • communicate a message of what’s possible • build the organization • help people participate • win issues that affect the common welfare • have fun KFTC membership dues are $15 to $50 per year, based on ability to pay. No one is denied membership because of inability to pay. Membership is open to anyone who is committed to equality, democracy and nonviolent change.

Our gifts, when joined together, make a big impact........................................................................................3

Member Commentary On the day two little girls bury their daddy….................................................................................................... 4 Jonah Cabiles reflects on his internship with KFTC.........................................................................................5

Local Updates We Are Kentuckians KFTC member exchange travels across the state.................................................. 6 Central Kentucky chapter trains members on the importance of KFTC membership........................7 Wilderness Trace chapter hosts third successful Barn Bash........................................................................ 8

KFTC News Proposed 2015-2016 Platform.............................................................................................................................9-12

Grassroots Fundraising Update My Morning Jacket selects KFTC to benefit from The Waterfall Project............................................... 13

Canary Project Update Abandoned Mine Lands funds could spark employment in coalfields...................................................14 New Stream Protection Rule falls short of what’s needed..........................................................................14

Bluegrass Pipeline Update Legislators asked to consider safety of pipelines........................................................................................... 15

KFTC STEERING COMMITTEE Dana Beasley Brown, chair Carl Shoupe, vice chair Elizabeth Sanders, secretary-treasurer Tanya Torp, at-large member Sue Tallichet, immediate past chair

Chapter Representatives

Homer White, Scott County Christian Torp, Central Kentucky Lisa Montgomery, Rowan County Rick Traud, Northern Kentucky Ryan Fenwick, Jefferson County Alan Smith, Southern Kentucky Andrea Massey, Harlan County Russell Oliver, Perry County Meta Mendel-Reyes, Madison County Gwen Johnson, Letcher County Nina McCoy, Big Sandy Lee Ann Paynter, Wilderness Trace Leslie McBride, Shelby County Alternates: Rosanne Fitts Klarer, Scott County; Sarah Martin, Central Kentucky; John Hennen, Rowan County; Ben Baker, Northern Kentucky; Nan Goheen, Jefferson County; Dora James and Jeanie Smith, Southern Kentucky; Clair Stines, Harlan County; Katie Pirotina, Perry County; Megan McKinney, Madison County; Herb Smith, Letcher County; John Rosenberg, Big Sandy; Leah Bayens, Wilderness Trace; vacant, 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 Plaza Drive Suite #4, Lexington, Ky, 40503 or tim@kftc.org. Subscriptions are $20/yr.

New Energy and Transition Update KFTC members speak out on the future of fracking ....................................................................................16 2015 Annual Membership Meeting Schedule and Registration.............................................................17-18 Steering Committee nominates an experienced, diverse group...............................................................19 KFTC Executive Committee and Kentucky Coalition board to be selected at annual meeting....19 Say “Hello” to KFTC’s newest staff members..................................................................................................20 Calendar.........................................................................................................................................................................20

Your membership in KFTC helps to build a community of Kentuckians working for New Power!

NAME: _______________________________________ ADDRESS: _______________________________________ CITY: _______________________________________ STATE & ZIP: _____________________________________ PHONE: _______________________________________ EMAIL: _______________________________________

Suggested membership dues are $15-$50 annually, based on ability to pay. We welcome you to give whatever amount you are able.

Step Two: Payment Method: □ Check or money order enclosed □ Bank withdrawal (Please return this form with a voided check from the account you wish to have the withdrawals made) □ Credit card: Complete information below. □ Visa □ Mastercard □ Am. Express □ Discover

Select which organization you would like to donate to:

□ KFTC: Membership dues and donations are not tax-deductible. □ Kentucky Coalition: Membership dues and donations are tax-

Card Number: __ __ __ __ -__ __ __ __ -__ __ __ __ -__ __ __ __

deductible.

Become A Sustaining Giver: Sustaining Givers provide steady

income to support KFTC’s work throughout the year. And being a Sustaining Giver allows you to give more than you might be able to give in a single gift. With as little as $5 per month, you can make a greater investment in KFTC. Make me a Sustaining Giver!

I will contribute $ _____ every: □ Month □ Quarter □ Year

I would rather make a one-time gift of: □$100 □$50 □$25 □$15 □$5 Other: $__________

Expiration Date ___ ___ / ___ ___ Bank Withdrawal/Credit Card Payment Authorization

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

Authorized Signature: _____________________________ Date: _________________

www.kftc.org | July 21, 2015

Balancing the Scales | 3

executive committee corner

Our gifts, when joined together, make a big impact

By Dana Beasley Brown

every day in our communities.

Big money has had such a profound and negative imIn our vision statement, we have pact on our democracy, but this is one way we can all take some pretty lofty goals, like wip- what we have and put it together to amplify our voices and ing racism from our laws, habits increase our power. and hearts. But it takes a long I became a Sustaining Giver because I wanted to increase time. the amount I was giving to KFTC. I felt like the work we

The deep work to achieve were doing was important, but I never had money left over at our vision happens in relation- the end of the month to give more. I hated that feeling of not ships and on the ground. We being able to give $25. But I felt like I could pull together $8 can only have the real systemic a month. And at the end of the year, that $8 a month turned change we need when we listen to out to be way more than $25. It was exciting to give more each other, have the hard conversations, than I ever could before by giving a smaller amount each and bring together people from both rural and urban areas. month.

Though we begin by thinking the issues are separate, we find As KFTC chair, I’ve learned what an impact member through these relationships that gifts make on our ability to do they are actually linked in very the work every day, especially One of the ways we build our power intimate ways. monthly gifts. Being able to and use our power for change is by One of the ways we build count on that income makes taking the resources we each have, our power and use our power a difference in our ability to for change is by taking the rerespond to issues we’re facing no matter how small we may think sources we each have, no matter on the ground. Other funders they are, and combining them to behow small we may think they come and go, but if all our come something much larger. are, and combining them to members renew every year at become something much larger. whatever level we can afford, As we work to grow and deepen KFTC’s membership and just think what we can do. Our potential is huge. build power for the long road ahead, Sustaining Givers will All the member gifts combined are more powerful than be very important. a grant or any other larger source of funding, because we These are folks who commit to give to KFTC, at what- as members have a stake in the success of our organization. ever level they can afford, every month, quarter or year. When we have a large base of members who invest for the Those small, steady contributions, when combined with the long haul, we are a stronger organization. It’s that simple. contributions of others, enable KFTC to do the work we do When KFTC members talk about what we want to ac-

BECOME A SUSTAINING GIVER You can join a growing group of dedicated members who are choosing to become Sustaining Givers. Through an automatic recurring gift, you can help ensure that KFTC’s important work keeps happening every day, all year long.

• You get to choose how much and how often you give.

• You can have a bigger impact on KFTC’s work. Small monthly gifts can add up to a deeper investment throughout the year.

• It’s easy. Once your Sustaining Gift is established, you always know your membership is current.

Who are KFTC Sustaining Givers? People of all ages and income levels.

• Parents

• College students • Working people • Retired people Why are Sustaining Givers so important to KFTC’s future?

Sustaining Givers help ensure that KFTC is a truly grassroots organization, where our members are also our most important stakeholders. The best way for KFTC to become more sustainable is for all of our members to give consistent, small contributions over time.

Since 1981, KFTC members have worked together to make our state a better place to live. Throughout our history, thousands of committed members have supported KFTC financially through gifts large and small. Today, regular contributions from our members are more important than ever. As we grow a strong community of Kentuckians, we’re building New Power to achieve the Kentucky we know is possible.

complish together, I feel better knowing I’m a Sustaining Giver, knowing that my monthly commitment makes our organization more nimble. We can plan better, do more and get closer to our vision for Kentucky.

I see it as another way I’m investing in our work, just like I’d come to a meeting, lobby my legislator, or attend a rally. Giving monthly is just another way I’m investing in our work. And that feels good. It’s just as important as the other ways that I invest in KFTC. Please think about becoming a Sustaining Giver. No matter what your financial situation, KFTC will help you find a plan that works for you. Just fill out the form on page 2 or call KFTC at 606-878-2161. Or sign up online at kftc. org/sustaining-giver.

Soon you can start making a bigger impact on the work we do together to achieve our vision for Kentucky.

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

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

Berea Lisa Abbott, Beth Bissmeyer, Amy Hogg, Central Kentucky Tim Buckingham, Kevin Pentz and Jessica Hays Lucas, Sasha Zaring Beth Howard, Enchanta 140 Mini Mall Drive Jackson, Erik Hungerbuhler, Berea, Ky 40403 and Heather Roe Mahoney 859-756-4027 250 Plaza Drive, Suite 4 Lexington, Ky 40503 Bowling Green 859-276-0563 Molly Kaviar 502-599+3989 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: We have been here before, past KFTC Chairperson, Jane Harrod speaking at a legislative rally in the late 1980’s.

4 | Balancing the Scales

www.kftc.org | July 21 2015

member commentary

On the day two little girls bury their daddy…

By Tanya Torp

I remember exactly where I was when the space shuttle Challenger exploded – 4th grade classroom on Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, watching on television.

With 9/11, I was in class at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, when a student came running in the room to tell us, “You all better go home now if you want to make it back across the water through the tunnel. They are closing everything down in case terrorists are flying planes near here.”

When you live in a military community with every military branch present and the FBI, CIA and the DEA, things work a little differently. This Air Force brat will never forget the silence that seemed so deafening. It was the first time in my life I did not hear planes flying overhead from the base as the “No Fly” order was enforced for all aircraft.

And when I heard the news that a young white man walked into a black church, sat through an hour of Bible study and then murdered nine people while a grandmother and a 5-year-old had to pretend to be dead, I was at home in Lexington, Kentucky, preparing for a road trip with my husband we had planned for the following morning. I immediately hit my knees and began to pray for the families, the community, and our world. And I wept. I stayed up for hours not watching the news, but weeping, because we have been here before, yet never really left.

And, as tired as some are of talking about race, I am bone

weary of death.

I have had a few friends ask what are tangible ways they can help. I share them here with you.

7. Have a talk with your kids about race, terrorism, and why it exists. There are TONS of age-appropriate mate rial you can use.

1. Read the piece by Bianca Spriggs. She just posted it.

She is brilliant. (Re-printed below with permission)

8. Wail and travail. Travail is different than merely praying.

2. If you’ve not read “Sister Citizen” by Melissa HarrisPerry or “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” by Michelle Alexander, head to the bookstore or library today. Like now.

9. Believe us.

3. Ask your church or place of worship for a tangible plan to address racial equity. Are you serving people of color? Does your staff reflect it? Do you have cultural competency? Does your church use “When Helping Hurts” as a curriculum for volunteers? Please recognize the book is awesome with empowerment but not so great on race, so you will need to supplement.

4. Grieve with us, understanding that you won’t understand exactly how we are feeling. Don’t tell us you do.

It is insulting.

5. Don’t ask stupid questions. It’s exhausting unpacking years of institutional racism. If you really just want to argue, do it with someone who agrees with you. Otherwise, practice radical listening.

6. Evaluate your own life. How many friends of color eat at your table per week? How many of your friends of color have you sit at their table? I don’t care if you have kids of color, that isn’t the same as truly getting it.

Invite people who look like your kids to the table, too.

How to make it through work the day after nine Black people are gunned down in a South Carolina church while praying

By: Bianca Spriggs They rose on the air.

They flew in a flock that was black against the heavenly blue.

—Virginia Hamilton, The People Could Fly The night before, call everyone Black you know in the area and make sure you hear their voices before you go to bed.

Call everyone Black you know where you live and make sure you hear their voices before you go to bed.

Tell the young brothers to please stay safe.

Tell the young sisters to please stay safe.

Remind them to lock their doors. To not stay out too late.

And if they go out, to listen for the sound of their own breaths.

To remember that staying alive is also an act of protest.

10. Get off the comment section and instead of arguing, create something artistic. Write. Paint. Dance. Sing.

Garden. Whatever. Create to break apart the destruction.

11. Resist the urge to make this about one insane person.

Don’t buy into that narrative. We have a systemic race issue. Don’t post articles or watch news sources who do not acknowledge this. Ratings get them advertising, and if they aren’t telling the truth, stop feeding them.

As a Steering Committee member, I joined KFTC’s Racial Justice Ad Hoc Committee to make a difference in Kentucky. I believe that we are all unique and different and that we should all be celebrated. But I recognize a system of systemic oppression from the school to prison pipeline, to mass incarceration, and everything in between.

I want to live in a Kentucky that is inclusive. I want to live in a Kentucky that values all humans and works to bring equity, not just equality, into our way of life. We have so far to go, but together, we are unstoppable.

Will you join me?

Tanya Torp is a member of the Central Kentucky Chapter and currently sits on the KFTC Executive Committee.

Turn off the news. Sleep, but do not sleep well.

When you pull up to your job, hope today is a slow day.

That nobody pulls any Don’t-Start-Nothin-Won’t-Be-Nothin with you.

Not today. Today is not the day. Recite to yourself every Yea-Though-I-Walk-Through and every Precious-Lord and every I-Plead-the-Blood, that you know down every hallway, every break room, every mail room, every copy room, and in every bathroom stall you may go.

Wear them all like chainmail anyway, even though it didn’t work for those nine. Make eye contact with your coworkers but do not bring it up. If someone else brings it up, shaking their heads in disbelief, do not take the bait. You’ve learned not to call out any Pot-Calling-the-Kettle-Black, at least while at your day job.

Go to your car instead to dry-heave, to weep.

Listen for the sound of your own breath. Give thanks for every breath that comes from your still-living lungs. Look to the sky.

Envy the hawk and raven and dove—envy even the sparrow’s silhouette against the clouds. Ask whoever is listening—really listening, that next life you and all your people be sent back with wings Posted with permission by Bianca Spriggs http://www.biancaspriggs.com/

www.kftc.org | July 21, 2015

Balancing the Scales | 5

member commentary

Jonah Cabiles reflects on his internship with KFTC

By Jonah Cabiles

would be organizing volunteers to work a booth for KFTC at a three-day music festival, called the Moonshiner’s Ball, in a As a college student from secluded field about 30 minutes outside of Berea’s city limits.

Hawaii (specifically, from As a person who had never been to a music festival, I was not the island of Oahu), I am at all within my element at this event. As I took in the various often asked by my peers campsites being set up and the amount of beer cans piling and professors why I up in a nearby recycle bin, I wasn’t so sure that KFTC would chose to intern with Ken- find many supporters from people at this event. tuckians For The Com- “This is a festival,” I thought to myself. “No one is going monwealth. They say to care about KFTC or social justice right now.” But within things like, “Kentucky minutes of setting up the table for KFTC (complete with broisn’t even your home chures, bumper stickers and KFTC T-shirts), I was surprised state. Why do you care to meet a man smoking a cigarette with a smile who shook about Kentucky’s politics my hand and introduced himself as one of the main organizanyway?” ers for the event who was proud to have KFTC at the festival.

And I respond: I care He then informed me that he was a member and supporter of because for four years KFTC and would be allowing festival-goers to donate some (minimum) of my life, money when buying their ticket to attend the event.

I will be living here in From then on, people from all walks of life made their Kentucky with all of its politics. I care because I want to learn way to me who were interested in showing their support how an organization can empower its citizens to become to the organization and in possibly becoming members. At the change-makers within their own communities and want certain points of the festival, different bands would do shoutto see how it can be applied to communities on my island outs to KFTC, offering their support, which brought more home. And I am also a proud member of the organization, so people to my table. As I yelled loudly over music to explain there’s that too. what KFTC was and passed out brochures, I couldn’t help My internship with KFTC would last eight weeks and but feel a deep appreciation for our members in various and would allow me to take unexpected places who work notes on community orgato make the organization bet“I couldn’t help but feel a deep apprenizing while I polished my ter. ciation for our members in various and research skills gained from

Seeing how others invest my training as a Psychology in this organization inspires unexpected places who work to make the major. And now that I am my own support for the ororganization better. Seeing how others nearing the end of my eight ganization. Working with invest in this organization inspires my week internship (in fact, by and for KFTC feels like more own support for the organization.” the time you read this, I will than just a job (as a volunteer probably be back home on a and intern), it is a commitbeach), I am glad to say that ment to take action to create the lessons that I’ve learned about community organizing, a better community for myself and others. research, and life will stay with me forever. Over the course And now that my internship is nearly over, I can’t help of this internship, I have joined staff meetings, action teams, but feel that my relationship with this organization is just beand have been given a look into the organization that few ginning. I plan to become a Sustaining Giver (for the cost of others have had. One of my favorite memories from this a cup of coffee a month, I can help sustain all the good work internship comes from my first day as an intern.

KFTC does) and stay active within my KFTC chapter to do My internship with KFTC started on a weekend. I my part to make the organization and Kentucky better.

Is your membership current?

Look at the cover of Balancing the Scales. Under your name we’ve listed the date and amount of your last contribution.

Suggested membership dues are $15 to $50 annually, but we welcome you to give whatever amount you are able. Your investment of any size will renew your membership for another year, and we’ll put it to work building New Power in Kentucky.

As a member of KFTC, you help to build healthy communities and a bright future for Kentucky. Your membership supports local campaigns around

housing, minimum wage, mining issues and more, and statewide campaigns for voting rights, clean energy and tax reform. And you’re part of a growing community of Kentuckians working toward a vision for our state, where everyone enjoys a better quality of life and the voices of ordinary people are heard and respected.

You can join a growing group of dedicated supporters of KFTC by becoming a Sustaining Giver.

Through an automatic recurring gift, you can help ensure that KFTC’s important work keeps happening every day, all year long.

Membership renewal form is on page 2!

COMMUNITY FORUM ON PIPELINE REPURPOSING IN ROWAN COUNTY

By Annie Adams The Rowan County KFTC Chapter hosted a community meeting regarding the Kinder Morgan pipeline repurposing proposal on June 23 in Morehead.

Rowan County chapter member Ted Withrow and Tom FitzGerald, the director of the Kentucky Resources Council, explained the scope of the project and outlined its significant risks. With the help of moderator Sue Tallichet, another Rowan County chapter member, they entertained a number of questions from the sizable audience, which included the county attorney, the judge-executive and many of the property owners directly affected by the repurposing proposal.

The wide-ranging discussion repeatedly returned to what individual citizens could do to help stop this project. Audience members were urged to check deeds to see what easement existed for the 20 miles of existing pipeline that cuts through the county, to call and write their state and federal representatives asking them to oppose this project, and to contact the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission requesting that an expanded environmental study be part of the decisionmaking process.

Kinder Morgan wants to re-purpose its pipeline that runs from Louisiana to Ohio from natural gas to hazardous liquids, which are many times more volatile and dangerous.

Attendees also were encouraged to attend the Rowan County chapter’s monthly meetings to help continue work on this important issue.

The chapter provided informational literature on the pipeline repurposing project and compiled a contact list of those who attended. With this list, and in concert with FitzGerald, the chapter will keep the community up-to-date on pipeline developments.

They also will produce a series of talking points and contact information for a letter writing campaign against this venture.

At the end of two very productive hours, the audience applauded the efforts of Fitzgerald and the Rowan chapter.

Earlier in the month, the Rowan Fiscal Court approved a resolution opposing the Kinder Morgan re-purposing project. This came after efforts by chapter members to educate the magistrates. When the resolution was first proposed to the court in April, two of the three magistrates were opposed. The June vote was unanimous in support.

6 | Balancing the Scales

www.kftc.org | July 21 2015

We are Kentuckians Serena Owen, Northern Kentucky Serena Owen is a teacher, a member of the Northern Kentucky KFTC Chapter and an incoming member of the KFTC Steering Committee.

How did you hear about KFTC? I was doing work around public transportation for Elmsmere and Erlanger. After meeting with Joe [Gallenstein], the northern Kentucky organizer, I decided to get involved.

Can you tell us more about that issue?

In my town, there is a bus that goes around the outskirts of the city, but a lot of folks who live within the city have to walk 30 minutes or more in order to access public transportation. My husband, who is a marine veteran and an educator, was one of the folks who would have to walk to catch that bus. One day in the winter he was crossing a bridge to get to the bus stop. That sidewalk was not maintained, so you had to walk in the street. He was walking in the street and jumped back onto the sidewalk to avoid getting hit by a car.

He slipped and hit his head and had a stroke at the age of 44.

I shared that story with our city council and mayor, and at first they were not receptive to my concerns. But I knew that my family and our neighbors deserved safe sidewalks and reliable public transportation. We have a lot of folks in our community who rely on that to get to school or work.

We have seniors who can’t be as independent as they would like because they can’t walk 30 minutes to access public transportation. We have people trying to get to medical appointments or just to the grocery store.

So I started a petition, and I gathered 500 signatures. It worked. The city saw that this was important to its citizens.

Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky agreed to a pilot of expanded routes within the city. Ridership increased. I’m confident that safe and reliable public transportation within the city will be here to stay.

We found that together we have power.

What has been your favorite KFTC moment?

If I had to pick one, it has to be the annual meeting. You meet members from all over, folks who are passionate about helping in their communities. You go to different workshops that are hands-on and very interactive. And you get to network – to learn from one another and also to teach. And share your story. And become better at building New Power.

My family went. My husband loved it. My daughter

KFTC is made up of more than 9,000 individuals who together amplify our voices and fight for a better Kentucky. As individuals we bring our own talents and treasures with us to the organization. We Are Kentuckians is a new series that will profile KFTC members in various aspects of the organization.

got to meet other children. It was very well organized. They had childcare. They had activities planned for adults and for children. There were options, so we didn’t tag along with each other all the time. We could look at the schedule to see what piqued our interest and then come back together and share what we had learned. It was like an educational family vacation. It was wonderful.

I’m looking forward to the annual meeting again this year.

I’m just really excited about increasing the membership and meeting others and networking. I’m all bubbly inside. I’m excited because you know you’re going to meet others who care as much about the environment, who care as much about humanity, who care as much about equality and others as you do. The annual meeting brings people together and builds that family.

What are other ways you’ve seen KFTC bring people together?

Going to Frankfort and fighting for voting rights for our returning citizens, lots of different people really came together in solidarity. KFTC gives meaning to solidarity. It’s more than just a community coming together. It’s a family reuniting. KFTC helps us to realize that we are all one family, fighting for the same thing. For a better democracy for everyone and to improve the quality of life of everyone.

Because KFTC is grassroots, we go to communities throughout the state and we listen. We are observant and listen

BECOME A SUSTAINING GIVER You can join a growing group of dedicated supporters of KFTC by becoming a Sustaining Giver. Through an automatic recurring gift, you can help ensure that KFTC’s important work keeps happening every day, all year long.

• You get to choose the amount and frequency of your contributions. Small monthly gifts can add up to a deeper investment throughout the year.

• You help ensure KFTC is a truly grassroots

organization, where our members are also our most important stakeholders.

• Your reliable, steady support cuts administrative costs and allows more of every dollar to go straight to work in our communities.

• It’s easy. Once your Sustaining Gift is established, you always know your membership is current.

To become a Sustaining Giver, fill out the form on page 2.

to what the issues of the people are. That shows you care. People know that when KFTC is around, there are people that care.

Why should someone get involved with KFTC? Here in northern Kentucky, we just celebrated our fifth year as a chapter. We had a community birthday party in the park, and wanted to ask the folks who came, “What issues are most important to you?”

You know, that’s a question that people don’t get asked often. Before KFTC, I don’t remember being asked that question. But it’s important to the growth of the community.

It’s important to helping others. How can you meet their needs if you don’t know what they are? KFTC members ask those questions.

People know what’s important in their communities, and often they have ideas about solutions to the issues. By asking those questions, a lot of times it brings out the leader in people. It brings out the advocate in people. KFTC leaders find out what your needs are, what interests you the most, and what skills you have. Or they teach you new skills, like lobbying, and give you immediate opportunities to use your talents to help in your community. They help you build power within your community.

You don’t just have to be a bystander. You have power.

Any talent or skill that God has blessed you with, you can use to lift up yourself, your community, and this nation. KFTC brings that out in others, and that’s why people should join us. Let’s work on these issues together. When we’re one family, one voice, we can make one big change.

What is your vision for Kentucky?

My vision for Kentucky is that every voice will be heard and valued. That inequality would no longer exist. That corruption in our government would no longer exist. That’s my prayer.

My hope and vision for Kentucky, and for KFTC, is that we can help alleviate some of those problems and improve the quality of life for others. That we can achieve our vision of equality, of fairness, of a good economy, and clean air. That we continue improving ourselves, so that we can improve our communities, our state, and our nation.

There’s no better way to achieve our vision than to build others up. That’s what KFTC does.

www.kftc.org | July 21, 2015

Balancing the Scales | 7

Local Updates

Central Kentucky chapter trains members on the importance of KFTC membership to build power The Central Kentucky KFTC Chapter used their July chapter meeting to focus on the importance of membership.

They discussed the value of membership and effective tools for recruiting new members, asking members to renew their membership, and recruiting Sustaining Givers (people who commit to a recurring gift).

The training was co-facilitated by Central Kentucky Chapter Organizer Beth Howard and Tanya Torp, a member of the CKY chapter and KFTC’s Executive Committee. Torp talked about her own experience as a KFTC member and how much the relationships, leadership training, and issue education have meant to her family.

The training began by asking folks to reflect on how they got involved in KFTC and to think about the benefits they have received from being involved. Upon reflection, members noticed two things: almost always, they became members because someone personally asked them to get involved. And they have all gotten something rewarding from membership.

Member Miranda Brown said she’d received inspiration and community. “I’m constantly being re-inspired to work on issues,” Brown said.

Susan Williams has received friends and knowledge.

“At the local level, I have learned a lot that I can pass on,”

Williams said.

One of the key take-aways from the training was to begin thinking of membership as an opportunity. By asking people to become members of KFTC, we are offering them an opportunity to be a part of something great and fulfilling – something that enables them to change their communities, the state and their lives.

When members make the assumption that someone doesn’t want to be bothered or can’t afford it, or when we are afraid to ask them to join, we are denying them an opportunity to be a part of something really meaningful.

Someone gave us this opportunity by asking us. It’s important that we pass that opportunity along to others.

Another key point is that membership is an investment, meaning we get a return. We invest money into the organization by paying dues, but we also get a return on that investment. The return we receive on our investment varies for each person, but includes national and local trainings on issues and community organizing skills, invaluable relationships with fellow members across the state, winning on local and statewide issues that we care about, power and a voice in our communities, and more.

“KFTC invests in their people,” said Christian Torp.

“We’re gonna pour into you because it’s people who make change.” Torp was also grateful for the opportunity to

lobby with his fellow members. “I never knew that you could go lobby, just as a person.”

Tanya Torp explained the advantages of being a Sustaining Giver: you get to decide how much and how often you give, you can have a bigger impact on KFTC’s work, and you always know your membership is current. It’s beneficial for KFTC because it provides steady, long-term income. Torp said supporting KFTC monthly gives her family more of an interest and a stake in KFTC’s work.

Members continued to talk about the benefits of membership and were given the opportunity to not only make specific plans for asking people to join KFTC, renew and become a Sustaining Giver, but to actually sit down with a fellow member and practice making the ask.

This training is available to every KFTC chapter and is a great way to help each chapter reach its individual chapter membership goal and also help the organization build power to win on issues we care about and transform our state into a more just commonwealth. The KFTC Steering Committee also got this training at its meeting on July 11.

To bring this training to your chapter, contact your chapter organizer or Development Director Amy Hogg at amy@kftc.org or 859-756-4027. And, Central Kentucky members are happy to visit with you and your chapter to share what they’ve learned!

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A KFTC MEMBER? • You’re part of a community of people who share a vision for Kentucky.

• You get to impact issues that are important to you. You’ll receive information, training and opportunities to speak directly with decision makers.

• You get to amplify your voice and build New Power. Working together, we can do so much more than any of us can do alone.

• You get fellowship and fun with others who share your values.

Contact a KFTC office near you to learn more ways you can make a difference Find your local chapter: www.kftc.org/chapters Central Kentucky chapter member Tayna Fogle led a workshop at “24 Hours For Justice,” hosted by the Central Kentucky chapter in June in Lexington. Workshops ranged from voting rights to restorative yoga to urban farming. Members are already planning the next 24 Hours event. Be on the lookout for more information.

Like us on Facebook: www.kftc.org/facebook Follow us on Twitter: @kftc Email us: info@kftc.org

8 | Balancing the Scales

www.kftc.org | July 21 2015

Local updates

Wilderness Trace chapter hosts third successful Barn Bash Heat and threats of storms didn’t keep about 100 people from coming out to Woodwind Farm in Junction City on June 13 for the third annual Wilderness Trace KFTC Barn Bash. The weather behaved just right for people to enjoy a great afternoon of good music, delicious food, beautiful surroundings, lake swimming, and friendly silent auction bidding, all to benefit KFTC. Thanks to event sponsor Stuart Powell Ford Lincoln Mazda, the chapter was able to highlight locally sourced foods for the second year in a row. Folks who came hungry were delighted to enjoy sausages from Sunwatch Homestead, hot dogs from St. Catharine Farm, and burgers from Rising Sons Beef. KFTC members filled out the rest of the meal with wonderful side dishes and plenty of desserts.

While folks chowed down on food, they got to hear a little bit from member Jim Porter about why he is proud to be a KFTC member.

“Back in 2007, when we returned to Kentucky after 18 years in Chicago, we were looking for a strong, progressive, environmentally focused organization to affiliate with. We discovered what we were looking for when Lee Ann Paynter helped start the Wilderness Trace chapter of Kentuckians For The Commonwealth,” said Porter. “We quickly found that KFTC is on the right side of the issues that mean so much to us.”

Porter then told the crowd a little about one of those issues: proposed natural gas liquids pipelines, including the Bluegrass Pipeline and Kinder Morgan’s proposed re-purposing of the Tennessee Gas Pipeline.

“Through the efforts of KFTC, the Kentucky Resources Council, and the Sisters of Loretto, the construction of that

For a third year in a row, the Wilderness Trace chapter hosted a successful Barn Bash that raised funds, friends and fun.

Members worked hard to secure sponsors, good local food and to make a program that was inviting to new members.

pipeline has been turned back,” said Porter about the Bluegrass Pipeline.

Last fall, local KFTC members learned that Kinder-Morgan had plans to repurpose a 70-year-old, 1000mile pipeline from carrying natural gas to transporting natural gas liquids through 18 Kentucky counties.

Since learning about KinderMorgan’s proposed re-purposing, “a group has been formed, meetings have been held, the Danville City Commission and Boyle County Fiscal Court have passed resolutions against this ill-fated project, and over 500 letters and emails have been sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the vast majority speaking against this project,” Porter shared.

“We have not defeated the pipeline just yet, but they know that they are in a fight, and it may just be that they have bitten off more than they can chew.”

Porter shared that KFTC was one of the first organizations to take a stand against both the Bluegrass Pipeline and the Kinder Morgan re-purposing project, and that was just one of many

reasons he is glad to support KFTC. “I am proud to be a sustaining member of KFTC, and I hope that each of you will consider becoming a member!” said Porter.

Great music filled the barn over the course of the evening as the Danville Dulcimers played music to welcome people, and then the Lexington trio The Jarflies took the stage and played a mix of bluegrass and folk music. While taking in the sounds, people spent time perusing and bidding on items in the silent auction that included a wide range of items from restaurant certificates to large artwork.

In the end, the Barn Bash proved to be a great success in its third year as it brought in several new and renewing KFTC members and raised more than $2,000 to support KFTC’s work. Beyond raising money, it was also a great event for people to enjoy time with old and new friends and talk about what they are excited to work on together.

To learn more about how you can get involved in this work, please contact KFTC Organizer Sasha Zaring at 859358-9713 or sasha@kftc.org.

ACTION: Chapter Meeting Wilderness Trace Chapter Meeting First Monday of the month.

7-8:30 p.m. at Inter-County Energy Community Room. 1009 Hustonville Road, Danville.

Info: Sasha@kftc.org or call 859-358-9713

www.kftc.org | July 21, 2015

Balancing the Scales | 9

Proposed 2015-2016 Platform

For consideration at the August 23, 2015 Annual Business Meeting Suggested changes/additions are in CAPS. Deletions are struck through.

I. What is the KFTC platform?

The KFTC platform is a statement of KFTC’s public position on issues. It reflects important issues and concerns that have been identified by our membership over the years on which we’ve taken a position. If something is in the platform, chapters can engage in work on that issue. The platform is not our public vision or mission statement. It is an internal document used to help allow chapters and clusters of members to work in KFTC’s name on issues.

II. What is the annual process for revising the platform? (a) At the Chapter Annual Meetings, each chapter discusses the platform and makes recommendations to the Steering Committee. The platform is also published in an issue of the KFTC newsletter, Balancing the Scales, and recommendations can be submitted to the Steering Committee by individual members. (b) The Steering Committee discusses these suggestions and decides how to handle each one. They may accept, revise or decline any recommendation. The Steering Committee then adopts a draft platform to recommend to the members at the Annual Meeting. This draft platform is printed in Balancing the Scales prior to Annual Meeting. (c) Members at the KFTC Annual Meeting can make recommendations to the draft platform during the business portion of the meeting. (d) At the Annual Meeting, all of these recommendations are explained, discussed and considered.

Each recommendation is voted on unless there is a motion to accept the entire platform as proposed. At the end there is a vote to accept the entire platform as proposed or amended.

Preamble Kentuckians For The Commonwealth is a statewide, grassroots, citizens organization working for a new balance of power and a just society. As we work together we build our strength, individu-

ally and as a group, and find solutions to real life problems. We use direct action to challenge – and change – unfair political, economic and social systems. Our membership is open to all people who are committed to equality, democracy and nonviolent change. KFTC’s goals of organizing

are: (1) fostering democratic values, (2) changing unjust institutions, (3) empowering people and communities, (4) helping people participate, (5) overcoming racism and other discrimination, (6) communicating a message of what is possible, (7) building organizations, (8) winning issues that affect the common welfare, and (9) having fun.

We are working to create a society which focuses on supporting the human rights of all people.

We are a social justice organization. We believe that all people must be treated with respect and dignity regardless of ability, age, gender, national origin, race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other defining characteristic.

We are working to build New Power – new economic, energy, and political power – in Kentucky and the nation. New Power consists of a new economy, a diverse homegrown economy good for all people, an economy that is just and sustains workers, communities, and the environment. New Power includes new energy that is clean, renewable, affordable, and generates jobs for our workers. New Power means a new democracy that includes, respects, and represents everyone.

10 | Balancing the Scales

www.kftc.org | July 21 2015

_______________ We understand that the global climate is changing as a result of human activity. The changes already underway have profound effects on our weather, our water, our food, our economy, world politics, and the natural environment. And we understand, if not checked, climate change will have a catastrophic impact on the entire globe.

Specifically: ●

As Kentuckians, we are committed to working here at home and with communities across the nation and around the world to prevent catastrophic climate change by working for a just transition.

●

We believe that a just transition is one that celebrates our cultures and invests in communities and workers who currently depend on the old economy.

Since clean air, water and land are every Kentuckian’s right, KFTC will work to protect and preserve a clean environment and to protect health and bio-diversity by working for stronger regulations and better enforcement. Specifically: ●

●

We oppose the use of the mountaintop removal method of surface coal mining and valley fills that bury perennial, intermittent and ephemeral streams.

●

●

We will work for a sustainable forestry products industry [non-timber and wood products] for Kentucky that relies on ecologically sound forest management and the use of Best Management Practices on public and private lands. ●

We oppose the construction of new pipelines, or the repurposing of existing pipelines, to carry oil, fracked gas or its by-products, tar sands oil or any toxic substances because of the proven vulnerability of pipelines to leaks and explosions that can adversely affect residents.

We demand full enforcement of laws and regulations related to the mining, transportation and burning of coal in order to protect water resources, prevent blasting damage, and require the reclamation of land and permitting of secondary roads used for hauling coal.

We oppose the use of dangerous coal sludge impoundments and call for the development of emergency action plans for communities living near impoundments.

power. ●

We will work to protect air quality to ensure the health and safety of Kentuckians.

●

We support local and statewide policies to ensure smoke-free workplaces.

●

We will support reducing the use of harmful pesticides and herbicides, the right of the public to know the nature of pesticides and herbicides applied, and the right of a local government to have more stringent control of pesticide and herbicides use.

●

We promote source reduction, recycling, strong procurement policies for recycled products and a bottle bill.

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We will oppose environmental racism and classism, or the practice of locating polluting industries and waste facilities near lowincome and minority communities, and in neighborhoods where people are least able to fight back.

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We will work to preserve and protect publicly owned lands and their natural resources.

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We oppose on every front the rollback of the authority and funding for agencies and services that protect the environment and the rights of surface owners.

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We will fight to protect Kentucky’s precious water resources including ensuring safe, accessible and affordable water for all Kentuckians.

We oppose the environmental and economic destruction of industrial farming and its threat to clean air, clean water, rural communities, and small family farmers.

●

We oppose importation of all solid, hazardous and special wastes including those related to fracturing. We promote local control over land-use decisions involving landfills, incinerators, and related facilities.

●

We support strengthening present timber theft laws in Kentucky to protect forests and private property rights.

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We support protection of biodiversity, including endangered species.

Recognizing the high costs and deadly effects of uranium mining, processing, and waste disposal, we oppose the expansion of nuclear

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WE FAVOR CONSERVATION REPRESENTATION ON THE KENTUCKY FISH AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION.

●

●

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We demand reasonable regulation of oil and gas drilling including protection and replacement of water and reclamation of damaged land.

We oppose fracking and fracturing drilling technology until such time it is proven safe.

●

www.kftc.org | July 21, 2015

We will fight to protect surface owners from the abuses by extractive industries. Specifically: ●

●

●

●

● ●

●

●

●

●

We demand that the broad form deed amendment be fully enforced by all levels of government.

●

We support a change in property laws so that a minority owner of an undivided interest cannot allow the sale, leasing or mining of land or minerals against the wishes of the majority of owners.

●

We demand that oil and gas operators have permission of surface owners before they drill.

We support the property rights of all landowners and will work to ensure these rights are exercised responsibly and equitably so as not to unfairly compromise the interests of the public, the environment, or surrounding property owners.

We will work to empower voters and expand authentic, democratic participation that makes government open, honest, and responsive to the needs of the people. Specifically: ●

Balancing the Scales | 11

We will fight to protect the local control of solid waste management and siting, and support strong host agreements before permits are issued by the state.

●

●

●

We support campaign spending limits and public financing of elections to reduce the amount spent on elections and the power of big money contributors.

We will work to make state and local economic development authorities accountable to the people.

●

We demand easy access and an end to the OVERLY bureaucratic procedures necessary to obtain open records in Kentucky.

●

We support equitable access to state funds for roads and public transit.

●

We support local communities’ cooperation on common issues.

We support restoring voting rights to former felons. We support programs that promote the positive re-entry of former felons into our communities.

We oppose ALL FORMS OF voter suppression and support policies that facilitate full democratic participation.

and communities to access energy efficiency measures and clean energy solutions. ●

We support funding effective and efficient community services through an equitable, fair, and progressive tax structure.

●

We support the continued fair taxation of unmined minerals.

●

We support the collection of coal severance taxes on every ton of coal mined and demand an increasing return of severance tax funds to promote sustainable economic development in coalfield counties; we further support at least one-percent of coal severance taxes collected be put in a permanent trust fund that will be used by and for the communities where the coal was extracted for the purpose of creating a more diverse and sustainable economy; we call for an increase in the severance tax rate and the creation of a community-based process to determine how funds are spent.

●

We call for a system of high quality public education, including pre-school through higher education that is accessible and affordable for all Kentuckians.

●

We support policies that are in favor of reducing the economic burden of higher education.

●

We object to the dominance of corporate interests in the decision-making, values and priorities of our public universities.

●

We support economic reform through the use and support of sustainable agriculture.

●

We support affordable access to nutritious and healthful foods for all people.

●

We advocate for quality and affordable health coverage, including PREVENTIVE preventative heath care, HIV PREVENTION AND CARE, and reproductive health services for all Kentuckians, and we affirm our support for a single payer health care system.

●

We support a comprehensive approach – and investments – that recognize good health is determined by a wide range of social and economic factors such as education, social welfare, housing, income, and environmental conditions, as well as traditional health factors.

●

We support the right to a living wage for all Kentuckians that provides adequate income for housing, health care, education and basic necessities. We oppose wage discrimination based on gender, race, ability, age, national

We will fight to create a just economy that sustains communities, families and individuals, promotes health, and protects resources for the future, AND SUPPORTS SOCIAL INVESTMENT THAT ELIMINATES STRUCTURAL POVERTY. WE SUPPORT COMMUNITIES THAT VALUE SOCIOECONOMIC DIVERSITY. Specifically:

We will work to strengthen and enforce ethics codes for elected and appointed officials.

We support an amendment to the US Constitution making it clear that corporations are not people and money is not speech. Furthermore, we will work to eliminate the connections between money in political campaigns and governments that are non-responsive to the people.

We oppose closed-door meetings and decision-making not open to the public WHEN USED TO BLOCK PUBLIC PARTICIPATION OR TRANSPARENCY.

●

We will work with all interested parties, including recipients, to develop a welfare AND BENEFITS system that SERVES benefits the community as a whole, provides a safety net, helps people move forward, and treats people fairly and with dignity AND DUE PROCESS. We will work for an economic development process that is open, sustainable, supportive of local economies, and sees that companies receiving public money for job creation provide training, safe working conditions, health benefits and a living wage and transition away from a fossil fuel extraction industry. KFTC does not support prison expansion as a means of economic development.

We support public policies and utility programs that minimize utility customer shutoffs due to inability to pay and we will work to eliminate customer shutoffs during extreme weather conditions and medical emergencies.

We support energy conservation programs, the implementation of percentage of income payment plans and fair access to utility services including local gas hookups.

We support policies aimed at significantly increasing the development of energy conservation, energy efficiency, and clean renewable energy sources in Kentucky, ultimately leading toward climate neutrality.

We seek energy policies that promote the development of community-scale, locally owned renewable energy sources, create local jobs, and help low-wealth households, enterprises,

12 | Balancing the Scales

www.kftc.org | July 21 2015

origin, citizenship, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, immigration status, or any other defining characteristic.

●

●

We oppose exploitation of labor and unjust international trade programs and demand an end to the use and sale of sweatshop-made products.

We will fight to create a fair and just society that respects human and civil rights, uplifts all people to their potential, and values the participation of everyone. Specifically:

●

We call for a new system for the transportation of coal that makes possible better pay for truckers, shared company accountability for safety violations and road damage, safe roads and safe mining communities, and reduced weight limits for coal trucks.

● ●

●

We support the right of workers to organize and the right to collective bargaining.

families in the workplace.

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We support affirmative action programs that guarantee equal rights for all people.

●

We oppose all forms of racism and work to eliminate it from our society and from within our organization.

●

We condemn and oppose DISCRIMINATION, oppression, and harassment OF ALL PEOPLE

BY PUBLIC OR PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS OR INSTITUTIONS BASED ON ANY OF THE FOLLOWING: ability, age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, familial status, national origin, citizenship, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, immigration status, current or former incarceration status or any other defining characteristic. WE BELIEVE THAT DENIAL OF THE RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS CONSTITUTES DISCRIMINATION AND OPPRESSION.

We support quality, affordable, accessible housing and demand just housing policies that protect the rights of renters to be treated fairly. WE SUPPORT THE RIGHT OF ALL PEOPLE TO LIVE IN INCLUSIVE, HEALTHY AND SUSTAINABLE NEIGHBORHOODS OF THEIR OWN CHOOSING. We demand enactment and enforcement of occupational health and safety laws that protect all workers in Kentucky, especially workers in occupations that continue to suffer high rates of preventable work-related death, disability, and illness such as coal miners, coal truckers, and other coal industry workers.

●

We support fair and equitable lending practices.

●

We support adequate, affordable, and energy efficient public transportation on a statewide basis, and we demand infrastructure planning that supports alternative modes of public transportation such as biking and walking.

●

We support fair and equitable access to information and communication systems for all people.

●

We support policies that enable people to live safely and well in their homes and provide good alternatives to nursing home care.

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We support policies that foster the growth of alternative economies, including workerowned cooperatives.

●

We support policies that promote substantial paid family and medical leave from the workplace that are flexible regardless of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, age or any other defining characteristic. We also support access to safe, affordable childcare that values

WE OPPOSE THE PRIVATIZATION OF PUBLIC SERVICES.

●

We will work toward a more fair justice system not mired in discrimination based on ability, age, gender, national origin, citizenship, race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, immigration status, or any other defining characteristic.

●

We support the right of residents who are undocumented to be treated with the respect and dignity that all human beings are entitled

to. We also support open pathways to citizenship for people who are undocumented. ●

We oppose the inappropriate use of police powers to address problems, the expansion and privatization of the prison system, and the use of excessive force by police, INCLUDING THE TARGETING OF AFRICAN AMERICANS AND OTHER PEOPLE OF COLOR. We do support full funding of public defenders in order to ensure the diligent and competent representation by these public servants.

●

We support a transition from our current punitive justice system to a more restorative system that honors the inherent dignity of all individuals, INCLUDING PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL ILLNESS, MENTAL ILLNESS OR ADDICTION. including people struggling with illnesses such as addiction.

●

We support the abolition of the death penalty.

●

With farmers, horse owners, pet owners and a diverse array of wildlife, Kentucky is a state that values animals and their contributions to our lives, our economy, and our well-being. It is also a state with some of the weakest laws and enforcement related to animal cruelty.

We support sensible local and state initiatives that would prevent the abuse of animals.

●

WE UNDERSTAND THERE’S A LOT OF DIVERSITY AROUND GUN OWNERSHIP ACROSS THE STATE. WE SUPPORT RESPONSIBLE GUN OWNERSHIP AND INITIATIVES TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM OF GUN VIOLENCE.

www.kftc.org | July 21, 2015

Balancing the Scales | 13

Grassroots Fundraising UPDATE

My Morning Jacket selects KFTC to benefit from The Waterfall Project A grassroots organization like Kentuckians For The Commonwealth is built on a variety of strategies for success.

Communication, fundraising, leadership development, and personal relationships are just a few that help the organization build power, win issues, and grow.

Sometimes really big opportunities grow out of a personal relationship that members have. Over the years, KFTC staff and members have grown strong relationships with musicians across the state and around the country – people who are willing and able to share their talents to help raise awareness, celebrate and raise funds for KFTC’s work.

One big example is My Morning Jacket front-man Jim James and drummer Patrick Hallahan. They have supported KFTC and shown a strong interest in the work members are doing in eastern Kentucky.

KFTC’s work around mountaintop removal coal mining and safe water peaked their interest in the late 2000s. Since then they have continued to grow interested in KFTC’s work around a transitional economy in the mountains.

In 2010, James performed at Louisville venue 21c alongside Daniel Martin Moore and Wendell Berry to raise awareness for KFTC. Then in 2011, James teamed up again with Moore and long-time supporter Ben Sollee to sell out the Brown Theatre. All of this on top of Sollee and Moore’s collaboration with James on the Dear Companion album that benefited Appalachian Voices.

James, Hallahan and band are at it again, lending their talents and voice to help raise awareness and funds for grassroots organizations.

In May, the band announced a long-term philanthropy effort called The Waterfall Project.

Named after their new album, the project has been established to house the band’s ongoing cause-related work.

The inspiration and drive behind The Waterfall Project is to support great nonprofit organizations and to promote the seemingly small acts people take toward making a difference, and that when combined with others, can lead to big change.

Over the course of this album cycle, The Waterfall Project will focus on supporting and amplifying environment and climate issues. The effort will include raising funds through ticket proceeds, exclusive merchandise items, direct donation and fan engagement with great nonprofit organizations.

Beneficiaries of The Waterfall Project are: KFTC, The Gulf Restoration Network and Climate Justice Alliance.

Again, it comes back to personal relationships and growing our collective grassroots power. KFTC is a partner in the Climate Justice Alliance and is very excited about the work happening at The Gulf Restoration Network.

The Waterfall Project is powered by Revolutions Per Minute (RPM), a nonprofit agency that provides artists with strategy and support for their activism and philanthropy.

Former KFTC development director and long-time KFTC member Jessica George now works for RPM in Louisville.

Over the years she has worked diligently to keep My Morning Jacket looped into the work KFTC members are doing across the state and saw this new project as a perfect partnership of KFTC and My Morning Jacket.

Jim James performed in December 2011 at a sold-out concert at the Brown Theatre alongside Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore as a benefit for KFTC.

ACTION: MMJ TOUR Funds for The Waterfall Project will be raised via ticket proceeds, exclusive merchandise items, and direct donations. Support The Waterfall Project by going to see MMJ on their worldwide tour this summer and fall. www.mymorningjacket.com

In early July members of Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, ACLU of Kentucky, and Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law met with Governor Beshear to discuss improving the health of Kentucky’s democracy by restoring voting rights to 186,000 former felons. From left to right Enchanta Jackson, Kate Miller, Governor Beshear, Mantell Stevens (back), Tayna Fogle, Beth Howard (back), Joe Gallenstein (back), Michael Hiser, and Tomas Lopez.

Revolutions Per Minute (RPM): is a nonprofit agency that provides artists with strategy and support for their activism and philanthropy. RPM was founded in 2005 by musicians, managers, and advisors from bands including Pearl Jam, The Beastie Boys, and R.E.M. in order to share best practices and lessons learned from their own activism. Today, RPM’s network includes over a thousand musicians, comedians, and other allies. As the leading nonprofit dedicated to helping artists be powerful allies for change, RPM provides a wide range of offerings, from finely honed “DIY” resources to customized advisory services. The agency is best known for its disaster response program, artist activism retreats, ticket add-on services, issue briefings, and election-year strategies.

14 | Balancing the Scales

www.kftc.org | July 21 2015

canary project update

Abandoned Mine Lands funds could spark employment in coalfields Billions of dollars are needed to repair the damage of abandoned coal mines, and spending that money in strategic ways could be a significant boost to social and economic development efforts in the Appalachian region.

That is one of the findings of a research report released in June by the Appalachian Citizens Law Center and the Alliance for Appalachia.

“If designed strategically, AML projects can provide long-term economic impacts and create local jobs,” the report states. “As evidenced by a set of case studies, AML sites have been leveraged to create thousands of jobs in agriculture, recreation, tourism, renewable energy production, retail, and beyond.”

The Abandoned Mine Lands program was established in 1977 to repair and restore unreclaimed coal mines. It is paid for by a fee on each ton of coal mined.

Over the years, the fund has paid for the reclamation of nearly 800,000 acres of damaged land and water across the country, including Kentucky, and has supported 1,317 jobs in Central Appalachian states.

Yet the fund could do much more, especially if spent in a way that supports local economic development rather than being limited only to addressing environmental damages.

“In recent years, organizations across the region have begun campaigns that look at economic diversification needed to re-establish thriving economies in the coalfields, and address the legacy costs that industry has left behind. Leveraging the AML fund to support our community needs has been a key priority for grassroots groups,” said Kendall Bilbrey of the Alliance for Appalachia and one of the co-authors of the report.

There are more than 6.2 million acres of lands and waters ravaged by abandoned mine problems still in need of reclamation. That number is likely to grow if an updated inventory is done – one of the recommendations of the report.

The groups also recommend changes in how the AML program is implemented. Currently, AML funds are distributed based on where coal is mined. That means Kentucky and other Central Appalachian states with diminishing coal production are receiving fewer funds. But it is these states, with a 100-year history of coal mining, that have the greatest number of unreclaimed mine sites.

The report states: “AML funding is not distributed according to need.

Congress should enact legislation that replaces all AML sub-funds with a single distribution mechanism based on a state’s percentage of the updated federal AML inventory. This would distribute funding to states and tribes that have the largest AML problems and would simplify an unnecessarily complicated funding system.”

Congress would need to approve such changes before the distribution of funds based on need could happen.

The report also notes the benefits of an accelerated release of AML funds. In February, the Obama administration proposed the release of an extra $1 billion over five years with the projects having an economic development component.

“Obama Administration’s proposed POWER+ Plan would create an estimated 3,117 jobs, contribute a total of $489 million to the U.S. economy, and deliver a net GDP increase of $289 million, annually,” the report found. “Approximately 35% of these impacts would accrue in Central

In 2007 KFTC member Larry Easterling stood at an acid mine runoff site in Miller’s Creek near Island Creek of Grapevine in Pike County.

Appalachian states, in FY2016.”

Congress also would need to approve these changes.

So far, U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell and U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers – two Kentuckians in the best position to make this happen – have shown disdain for Obama’s proposal.

The report can be found at: http://bit.ly/1NUwd2U.

New Stream Protection Rule falls short of what’s needed The news was mixed for Appalachian streams and the people who live alongside them or downstream on July 16 when the Obama administration announced a new Stream Protection Rule.

The new proposed rule will not prohibit the dumping of toxic mining wastes into streams, generally known as valley fills. Valley fills have buried more than a thousand miles of Kentucky streams and created water pollution that will not go away for decades.

However, the proposal also calls for bonding reforms to lessen the cost to taxpayers, water quality testing before and after mining, increased monitoring and some stream restoration.

Additionally, the new rule has clarified the term “material damage” in the federal surface mining law. The 1977 law prohibits coal mines from causing “material damage” to surface waterways and groundwater.

“This proposal doesn’t go far enough to protect streams and communities,” said Neil Gromley with Earthjustice in a press release issued by a coalition of community groups and national environmental organizations. “In the final rule, the Obama administration should change course and preserve the buffer that protects streams from direct mining damage.”

Prior to 2008, there was a “Stream Buffer Zone” based

on the 1977 federal surface mining law. That rule prohibited mining activity within 100 feet of a stream, though Kentucky officials generally ignored the law.

In 2008, the Bush administration proposed replacing the buffer zone with a much weaker version that only called on mining companies to “minimize” direct disturbance to the extent deemed “reasonable” – a requirement too vague to be effectively enforced.

The Bush rule was thrown out by a federal court in February 2014 because the administration had failed to follow proper process in re-writing the rule. The original and stronger Stream Buffer Zone Rule has been in effect since then, but enforcement has been minimal with the knowledge that the Obama administration was writing a new rule.

“The Stream Buffer Zone was critical for protecting our water, only to be taken away by the previous administration,” said KFTC member Teri Blanton. “We need a new stream protection rule, as it is now called, that lives up to its name and actually leads to protection of our streams.

“That means there needs to be an intent to enforce this rule, and make sure states like Kentucky use the rule to protect our health and our streams,” she added, noting the history of non-enforcement.

The U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and En-

forcement (OSMRE) said that it will hold five public hearings on the proposed rule, including one in Lexington. The day and time have not yet been announced. The new rule will be finalized next year.

OSMRE’s rule can be found here: www.osmre.gov/programs/rcm/streamprotectionrule.shtm.

ACTION: TWITTER @KFTC @NKY_KFTC @ScottCoKFTC @MadCo_KFTC @EKY_KFTC @JCKFTC @WT_KFTC @SoKyKFTC @VotingRightsKY @CanaryProject

www.kftc.org | July 21, 2015

Balancing the Scales | 15

bluegrass pipeline update

Legislators asked to consider safety of pipelines Two legislative committee hearings in July focused on pipeline safety in Kentucky.

On July 16, KFTC member Bob Pekny joined Rep. David Floyd to talk about the Pipeline Safety Bill that was introduced in the 2015 legislative session.

“Kentucky is crisscrossed with pipelines of various sorts, most of them related to energy” Rep. Floyd told the Interim Joint Committee on Economic Development and Tourism. “We believe an increase in precautions would be wise.”

“All pipelines are dangerous, they cannot all be treated the same,” Pekny emphasized. “Different pipelines have different dangers.”

They went on to weave the stories of the proposed Bluegrass Hazardous Liquids Pipeline, which was stopped in April 2014, and the current proposal by Kinder Morgan to repurpose the Tennessee Gas Pipeline from natural gas to hazardous liquids.

“There are inherent limitations for detecting leaks,” Floyd added. “We believe more active monitoring is called for.”

Pekny described some of the limitations.

He noted that Bluegrass Pipeline officials told concerned residents not to worry, that pipeline pressure was monitored remotely (from Oklahoma) around the clock and they would respond immediately to any leak.

When residents checked out these claims, they found that “only about one in 20 leaks are found by remote monitoring,” said Pekny, who lives in Woodford County just a half mile from where that pipeline would have crossed the Kentucky River in Woodford County.

Another way that pipeline companies monitor for leaks is to fly over the pipeline looking for dead vegetation.

“That’s kind of alarming that a leak could go on long

enough to kill vegetation,” Pekny pointed out.

After much research and questioning, Pekny heard from a pipeline safety engineer that his company’s remote monitoring equipment did not record leaks until there was at least a 1.8 percent drop in pressure.

That may not sound like much, he said, but considering that the Bluegrass Pipeline and Kinder Morgan wants to pump 16 million gallons a day of hazardous liquids through their pipelines, “more than 300,000 gallons per day could leak before their instruments will even tell them it’s leaking.

“We can have a fairly large leak in Kentucky, and even though they are monitoring remotely, they won’t know it’s leaking,” Pekny said.

Floyd’s pipeline safety bill is meant to address some of these concerns. One approach is to require soil and water monitoring to help detect small leaks before they become large leaks.

The legislation also would direct the Kentucky Public Service Commission to become certified to inspect certain gas and hazardous liquids pipelines, and set up a pipeline safety fund to help train and equip local emergency response agencies for pipeline leaks and disasters. A per-mile fee on big transmission pipelines would fund the safety program.

Upon completion of their testimony, Rep. John Short, who was chairing the meeting, jumped to the defense of extractive energy industries. He said, “We have no problems” with oil and gas drilling in his district (Knott and Magoffin counties). “Maybe a little occurrence once in awhile.

“We can’t shut the United States down to make a few people happy,” Short said. “I’m not saying I’m for or against fracking. We just have to turn the lights on.”

Rep. Terry Mills helped get the meeting back on track.

“This is an appropriate discussion for us to have,” Mills said. “We need a balance between economic development and protecting the environment. That’s what this is all about.”

Mills expressed concern about the Kinder Morgan re-purposing project which would affect him home of Marion County.

“It bothers me that we are going to run this volatile product through pipelines that have been in the ground 70 years,” Mills said. “I have serious questions if this is the safest.”

Other supportive com-

Bob Pekny (left) and Rep. David Floyd speak to a roomful of legislators about the need for a pipeline safety law.

ments were offered by Reps. Arnold Simpson and James Kay, and Sens. Reginald Thomas and Mike Wilson.

The following day, the Special Subcommittee on Energy got an overview of federal pipeline safety program and concerns about shortcomings in those program.

Arthur Buff of the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration reported that there are more than 36,000 miles of energy-related pipelines in Kentucky, almost all used for natural gas transmission and distribution. There are 916 miles of hazardous liquids pipelines in Kentucky.

Buff downplayed PHMSA’s lack of resources to adequately inspect these pipelines, but Tom FitzGerald of the Kentucky Resources Council did not.

“They don’t have the resources; they don’t have the staff,” FitzGerald said, pointing out that PHMSA has “137 inspectors for hundreds of thousands of miles of lines [nationwide].”

FitzGerald also said, “The concern that many folks have is that no one is really minding the store on the federal level.” He said projects like Kinder Morgan’s repurposing project requires “no permit, no advance review” by any federal agency.

He also pointed out that the Kentucky Public Service Commission has no jurisdiction and local government jurisdiction was been pre-empted by the General Assembly in 2003.

Pekny also spoke briefly at this hearing, emphasizing the need for the legislature to be proactive on the safety concerns, particularly for projects like the Bluegrass Pipeline or Kinder Morgan project.

“I’d like you to understand that because it’s a liquid instead of a gas, every linear foot of this pipeline has the explosive capabilities of one ton of dynamite,” Pekny pointed out.

“Even if this were a brand new pipeline, PHMSA has guidelines that a pipeline of this diameter ought to be set back a minimum of 5,000 feet” from any home or public space. “If they were putting this pipeline in now, it would not be allowed to be put in where it is.”

16 | Balancing the Scales

www.kftc.org | July 21 2015

NEW ENERGY AND TRANSITION UPDATE

KFTC members speak out on the future of fracking KFTC members have been gearing up for three public hearings in July to give input to state officials on the future of fracking and oil and gas development in Kentucky.

The state Energy and Environment Cabinet is conducting the hearings to gather input for an oil and gas working group that is advising the cabinet in anticipation of a hydraulic fracking boom that appears headed for Kentucky.

But KFTC members are telling cabinet officials they can avoid all the problems and misery that a fracking boom would cause by banning high-volume hydraulic fracking in Kentucky.

KFTC has developed extensive comments to submit to the cabinet, documenting the many reasons that allowing hydraulic fracking in Kentucky is a really bad idea. Those reasons include: • exposure of workers to toxic air and chemicals • exposure of nearby residents to toxic air migrating away from the drilling site • excessive use of water drawn from local sources • inevitable pollution of surface and ground water • the lack of capacity to treat or properly dispose of large volumes of toxic fracking wastewater • disruption to the rural quality of life • costly damage to rural roads • the lack of adequate staff and political will on the part of

state officials to protect Kentuckians from these and the many more consequences of fracking.

All of these problems have been thoroughly documented in states where hydraulic fracking takes place, leading Maryland and New York to ban fracking out of concerns for their residents. Many of these problems already occur to a lesser extent from the conventional drilling that takes place in Kentucky.

The cabinet’s working group was responsible for developing and supporting legislation that passed the 2015 General Assembly.

That legislation closed some gaps in existing law and added some requirements for oil and gas operators. But KFTC opposed the industry-backed legislation because its purpose was to set up a regulatory structure for large-scale hydraulic fracking in Kentucky, and will not prevent the myriad of problems that come with hydraulic fracking.

Instead, KFTC supported landowners and residents who called for a ban on high volume hydraulic fracking.

One hearing has already taken place – July 7 in Madisonville. The upcoming hearings are Thursday, July 23 in Somerset and Thursday, July 30 in Hazard. The cabinet also is accepting written comments (which can be emailed to OilandGasComments@ky.gov through July 31).

ACTION: SPEAK OUT

Learn more at www.kftc.org/ban-fracking.

Should Kentucky allow the development of high volume hydraulic fracking for oil and gas or should we ban it like other states and municipalities have? If it’s going to be allowed, how should it be controlled so as to minimize damage to workers, neighbors, water, air and land? Or are those concerns even of any consequence?

The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet wants to hear the public’s views on those issues at three public hearing to take place in July. The input will be compiled for an oil and gas “working group” that was formed in 2014 to advise the cabinet on oil and gas development, including fracking.

The two remaining public hearings will take place as follows: • July 23 at the Center for Rural Development (2292 South Highway 27 in Somerset in the auditorium).

• July 30 at the Hazard Community & Technical College (One Community College Drive, in Room 208 of the Jolly Center, located in the JCC Building).

For all hearings the doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and the meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. local time.

Anyone who cannot attend the meetings in person, but wishes to submit written comments may do so by July 31. Those written comments can be emailed to OilandGasComments@ ky.gov by July 31.

Join the Maxwell Street Legal Clinic and the Central Kentucky chapter of Kentuckians For The Commonwealth for “Who is Dayani Cristal?” free community film screening, Thursday, August 6, 6 p.m. at the Lexington Public Library Village Branch location located at 2185 Versailles Road. A community dialogue will follow the film. “Who Is Dayani Cristal?” tells the story of a migrant who found himself in the deadly stretch of desert known as “the corridor of death” and shows how one life becomes testimony to the tragic results of the U.S. war on immigration. As the real-life drama unfolds we see this John Doe, denied an identity at his point of death, become a living and breathing human being with an important life story.

ANNUAL AUGUST

MEMBERSHIP MEETING 2224

www.kftc.org | July 21, 2015

Balancing the Scales | 17

KFTC 2015 ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING ALL IN: UNITING AROUND A PROGRESSIVE VISION FOR KENTUCKY KFTC has a powerful and large vision for change in Kentucky. We believe we are in a political and economic moment when we have huge opportunities to bring Kentuckians together across lines of difference. We can find where our interests meet and build a movement from that place of intersection. From values-based conversations about our future to building large, diverse coalitions, we have much work to do. Join us at KFTC’s annual meeting to explore how to build a social movement in Kentucky that is “All In.” Friday, August 22 4 p.m.

Registration Opens

7:30 p.m.

Keynote Speaker

We are working to confirm a well-known speaker who shares KFTC’s vision and values and will challenge us to all move forward, together, toward a progressive vision for Kentucky and beyond.

9 p.m.

Night Life Fun Music, Mingling and Dancing

Saturday, August 23 7:45 a.m.

Breakfast

9 a.m.

Welcome and Opening

9:30 a.m. Plenary Join us for a high-energy morning focused on exploring what an inclusive All-In approach to working for social change in Kentucky looks like.

10:45 a.m.

Break

11 a.m.

KFTC Plenary

Learn from KFTC members from across the state how they have been organizing in their communities for social change. Hear compelling and creative stories of neighborhood leaders who are making a difference every day and their thoughts on what is needed to broaden and build the progressive movement in Kentucky.

12:30 p.m.

Lunch

2 p.m.

Workshops Choose one of six workshops designed to build our individual and collective skills.

White People Organizing for Racial Justice, Part 1: When Discrimination is Wiped Out of our Laws, Habits and Hearts In this workshop, we will focus on engaging white people in racial justice efforts, working in alliance with organizations of color, and bridging the class divide to specifically reach poor and working-class white people.

Sunday, August 24 7:45 a.m.

Breakfast

9 a.m.

Sunday Morning Workshops:

What the Oil and Gas Boom Means for Kentucky: Fracking, Pipelines and the Ohio River Join us in this workshop to learn more about what the oil and gas industry means for our future as Kentuckians and how to get involved.

Making Change Beyond Frankfort: Building New Power Locally This workshop will focus on how KFTC builds power on the local level, influences local decision makers, and how local work can energize statewide campaigns. Participants will learn more about organizing tools for effective, inclusive, and inspiring local issue campaigns.

#BlackVotesMatter: How Voting Rights and Criminalization of Black People Stifles our Democracy in Kentucky Across the nation people are unapologetically speaking out against the unjust treatment of Black and Brown communities. From police brutality to deportation, the criminalization of people of color has become a mainstream conversation. Mass incarceration is not only crippling our communities; it is also damaging our democracy.

Roots & Wings: Intergenerational Movement Building Join this workshop for stories from and strategies for rural and urban communities on the sharing of leadership across generations.

Organizing for the Common Wealth: KFTC’s Tax Justice Project There is a role for everyone in KFTC’s new tax initiative. Come and participate in this workshop to fill your toolbox with ways to take action.

Growing New Power through Nonviolent Direct Action This workshop will provide an introduction to nonviolent direct action as a powerful means of working for social change.

White People Organizing for Racial Justice, Part 2: When Discrimination is Wiped Out of our Laws, Habits and Hearts In this workshop, we will focus on how to have challenging conversations that call white people in, instead of calling them out or giving them a pass, to racial justice work.

Grassroots Organizing 101 Come to this workshop to learn more about KFTC’s 34-year history, vision, and approach to change using grassroots community organizing.

All Together Now: Cultivating a Climate of Cultural Organizing Come and learn from a panel of allies from the Climate Justice Alliance about how cultural organizing – from hip-hop to community gardening and more – is being used to build an inclusive movement across many broad issues, from water rights to worker cooperative development to climate justice.

3:30 p.m.

Break

Take a break and relax at General Butler among friends with swimming, hiking, tennis, and much more.

7 p.m.

Dinner & Awards Ceremony

9 p.m.

Evening Social Activity: Cultural showcase and talent show

To Change Everything, It Takes Everybody: Climate Justice and Just Transition in Kentucky and Beyond Come to this workshop to learn and become a part of KFTC’s work on climate change. Participants will learn about and help develop KFTC’s plans to draft Kentucky’s own Clean Power Plan through a participatory public process in order to decrease carbon emissions, build a just transition, and create political will for New Power in the state.

All Kentuckians Deserve a Home: Housing as a Human Right KFTC members and allies across the state are working to ensure that all Kentuckians have access to quality, affordable, accessible housing and demand just state and local housing policies. Learn more about this work and how you can get involved.

10:30 a.m.

Break

10:45 a.m.

Business Meeting Join us for this annual opportunity to vote on KFTC’s platform of issues, elect officers and more.

12 p.m.

Adjourn

www.kftc.org | July 21, 2015

Balancing the Scales | 18

KFTC 2015 ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING ALL IN: UNITING AROUND A PROGRESSIVE VISION FOR KENTUCKY REGISTRATION Name: ____________________________________________________ Name: ____________________________________________________ Name: ____________________________________________________ Address: __________________________________________________ City, State, Zip: _____________________________________________ Phone: _______________ Email Address: ________________________ Which nights will you be staying with us? __ Friday night __ Saturday night Lodging Preference: KFTC expects to fill up all rooms and cabins at General Butler State Park. We will do our best to accommodate lodging requests, but in order to maximize the amount of overnight lodging slots, we cannot guarantee your lodging preference (cabin vs. lodge room) will be granted. __ Guest room in the lodge __ Cabin (Cabins are located slightly farther from the conference center where the annual meeting will take place and would require a short drive between the two. Cabins have either one, two, or three bedrooms, with each cabin having only one bathroom and only one full-size bed in each bedroom.) __ Camping (KFTC will not be handling camping reservations. Primitive tent camping is available for $14 a night by just showing up at the campground, and no reservations are needed. If you would like RV and other campground reservations, you can make your reservation directly through ReserveAmerica.com. For questions about the campgrounds, call General Butler directly at 502-732-4384).

Other Preferences: Room equipped for physical disabilities? Please specify _______________ ___________________________________________________________ Roommate preference (2 to 4 people will share a room). Please specify the names of individuals you would like to share a room with _______________ ___________________________________________________________ Will you need childcare?

If so, please list the names and ages of the children.

Name: _________________________________________ Age: ________ Name: _________________________________________ Age: ________ Name: _________________________________________ Age: ________

Meals: KFTC is required to use the food service at General Butler for our event. We do our best to meet the dietary needs of all participants, but are limited by General Butler’s food service options and willingness to accommodate special requests.

Do you have any special dietary requests? (We will communicate with you ahead of time if your dietary restrictions can’t be honored so that you are able to bring your own food.) Specify:_________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ Meals you will be in attendance for: __ Saturday breakfast __ Saturday lunch __ Sunday breakfast __ Sunday lunch

__ Saturday dinner

Silent Auction: Please let us know if you are willing to help out by bringing items for the silent auction: __ Yes Transportation: __ I am driving myself __ I can offer a ride

__ I need a ride

Is this your first time attending KFTC’s annual meeting? __ Yes __ No Cost: $80 per adult before July 17 $100 per adult after July 17 If you are reserving your own campsite or don’t need lodging, cost is $40 before July 17 and $60 after July 17.

KFTC covers a good portion of expenses for the annual meeting. We ask that participants pay a portion of the expense for your attendance, if you are able to. We want everyone who would like to participate to do so. Please don’t let the suggested donation be a barrier to attending.

How would you like to pay? __ I will pay online at www.kftc.org/annual-meeting __ I will pay when I arrive at the meeting __ I will mail a check (address below) __ I cannot afford to pay, but I still wish to attend Please make a check or money order payable to KFTC and put “Annual Meeting registration” in the note field. Mail to: KFTC, P.O. Box 1450, London, Kentucky 40743 Payment can also be made upon arrival, but please register early so we know you are coming.

www.kftc.org | July 21, 2015

Balancing the Scales | 19

Steering Committee nominates an experienced, diverse group KFTC Executive Committee and Kentucky Coalition board to be selected at annual meeting The KFTC Steering Committee has nominated a talented and diverse set of community leaders to serve as statewide officer in the coming year. These nominations will be presented and voted upon by the full membership at KFTC’s annual business meeting on August 23.

The proposed slate includes Dana Beasley Brown as chairperson, Tanya Torp as vice-chair, Elizabeth Sanders as secretary-treasurer, Homer White as at-large representative, and Sue Tallichet as immediate past chairperson.

These nominees are based on the recommendation of the Leadership Development Committee, which carefully considered all nominations offered by chapters and individuals. The Leadership Development Committee is charged with recommending a diverse slate of qualified candidates, taking into account desired traits as well as characteristics including gender, age, race, income, educational background, place of residence, level of involvement in the local chapter and statewide organization, and issue interests.

To serve on the Executive Committee, a person must be a current member of KFTC, may not be an employee or immediate family member of an employee of KFTC or the Kentucky Coalition, and may not serve more than two consecutive one-year terms in the same position. Below is some information about the nominees: Chairperson: Dana Beasley Brown lives in Bowling Green and is a member of the Southern Kentucky Chapter.

She has served on the Executive Committee for five years, most recently as chair, and was vice-chair before that.

She also is active on KFTC’s Economic Justice Committee. Dana has spearheaded local organizing efforts around affordable housing and tenants’ rights and has worked to build a strong housing rights coalition in Bowling Green. She has helped organize numerous outreach, education and fundraising events, including many door-to-door efforts. She’s also been a frequent spokesperson on statewide tax reform and economic justice issues. Dana represented KFTC on a national advisory board to the Marguerite Casey Foundation, and has spoken at public hearings, in testimony before the legislature, and in the media. She is a mother of two young children.

Vice-Chairperson: Tanya Torp lives in Lexington and is active in the Central Kentucky KFTC chapter. She also serves on KFTC’s Leadership Development Committee. She is active in voter empowerment efforts in her community, including as a part-time voter empowerment organizer last year. She has led workshops for KFTC and other groups on topics including: racial justice, diversity and inclusion, immigrant rights, and conflict resolution. Tanya and her husband, Christian Torp, call their home “Justice House,” and have made it a center for community building, fellowship, and organizing for social change. Tanya volunteers with many community organizations and initiatives, including Faith Feeds, Radio Eye, and her neighborhood association. She is the founder of Be Bold, an empowerment program that partners with girls to set and

achieve tangible goals for themselves. She is also program director for Step-by-Step, a mentoring and support organization for at-risk young, single mothers and their children.

Secretary-Treasurer: Elizabeth Sanders lives in Whitesburg and is active in the Letcher County chapter. She served on KFTC’s Steering Committee for three years and serves on KFTC’s New Energy and Transition Committee. She has represented KFTC in many ways, including at I Love Mountains Day and in national convenings of the Climate Justice Alliance. She was a key planner and host of the Appalachia’s Bright Future Conference in 2013. Elizabeth works at Appalshop’s community run radio station, WMMT-FM. She has been an important part of the Stay Together Appalachian Youth project and the Central Appalachian Prisoner Support Network, which provides community support to prisoners and their families, many of whom are incarcerated far from home.

At-large member: Homer White lives in Georgetown and serves on the Steering Committee as the Scott County representative. He also serves

Kentucky Coalition Board members During the August 23 Annual Business Meeting, KFTC members will also have the opportunity to vote on three members nominated to serve on the board of the Kentucky Coalition. Kentucky Coalition is a taxexempt affiliate organization to KFTC that supports leadership development, research and public education about important policy issues, and civic participation.

The coalition’s board is composed of the five statewide officers of KFTC, plus an additional three individuals who are elected by KFTC’s membership. The Steering Committee has nominated the following individuals to serve next year on the KC board: Mary Love lives in Oldham County and is active in the Jefferson County chapter. She currently serves on the Kentucky Coalition board. She also serves as co-chair of the Land Reform Committee and is on KFTC’s Leadership Development, New Energy and Transition, and Litigation committees. Mary represents KFTC in a number of state and regional coalitions, including the Alliance for Appalachia, Kentucky Sustainable Energy Alliance, and Extreme Energy Summit. Mary lobbies and testifies frequently on KFTC issues, including clean energy, water quality and mining issues, payday lending and telephone deregulation. She is a retired Presbyterian minister.

Megan Naseman lives in Berea and is active in the Madison County chapter. She has served one year on the Kentucky Coalition Board, previously served two terms on KFTC’s Executive Committee, and represented the

on KFTC’s Economic Justice and Voting Rights committees. He was a strong voice in KFTC’s work to defeat the Arizona immigration bill a few years ago, and more recently, Homer helped lead a campaign from the faith community to prevent mining for limestone on a mountain where a spiritual retreat is located. Homer was involved in KFTC in the 1990s as part of the Pike County chapter, and is a leader in the Scott County chapter; he and his wife recently hosted a KFTC cookout, and Homer frequently introduces Georgetown College students to KFTC’s work. He also plays a significant role in developing the Scott County chapter and its alliance with the local NAACP chapter.

Immediate Past Chairperson: Sue Tallichet is an active member of the Rowan County chapter and KFTC Land Reform Committee and Litigation Team.

She has served for a number of years on KFTC’s Steering Committee, including as chairperson in 2012-2014. She is a frequent spokesperson about mountaintop removal mining and its impacts on land, water and people. She is also the author of the book Daughters of the Mountain: Women Coal Miners in Central Appalachia.

Madison County chapter on KFTC’s Steering Committee. In her role as KFTC’s secretary-treasurer, Megan served on KFTC’s Finance Committee. She is also on the New Energy and Transition Committee. Megan has spearheaded many local events and projects, including an annual pie auction and chapter friend-raiser. She has represented KFTC in many settings, including as a spokesperson for the New Power PAC and as a host of KFTC’s Annual Awards Ceremony. She works at the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED).

Tayna Fogle lives in Lexington and is active in the Central Kentucky chapter, the Voting Rights campaign and in Voter Empowerment efforts.

She has served on the Voter Empowerment Committee for several years, and is a powerful leader and spokesperson in that campaign. She’s coordinated several events, including several Singing for Democracy events, tables, speaking engagements and canvasses. In 2014 she worked for KFTC as a Voter Empowerment Organizer. She’s also involved with the Catholic Action Center and through her involvement, helps displaced people find and stay in stable housing. She’s been the director of a program to help returning citizens as they transition back into society. Tayna is very involved in the Lexington faith community, especially Total Grace, and has worked to build relationships between KFTC and the faith community. Tayna was also featured spokesperson who represented KFTC in Equal Voices, a project of the Marguerite Casey Foundation, and emcees a variety of Voting Rights events.

20 | Balancing the Scales

CHAPTER MEETINGS August 3: Big Sandy Chapter Meeting 7-8:30 p.m. at Floyd County Public Library 161 N. Arnold Avenue, Prestonsburg Info: Jessie@kftc.org or call 606-263-4982 August 3: Wilderness Trace Chapter Meeting 7-8:30 p.m. at Inter-County Energy Community Room. 1009 Hustonville Road, Danville.

Info: Sasha@kftc.org or call 859-358-9713 August 4 Letcher County Chapter Meeting 6 p.m. at the Isom Subway, 75 Isom Dr. Isom Info: Tanya@kftc.org or call 606-632-0051 August 6: Scott County Chapter Meeting 7 pm. at Sociology House 514 Hollyhock Drive in Georgetown.

Info: Joe@kftc.org or call 859-380-6103 August 10: 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 August 10: Harlan County Chapter Meeting 6 p.m. at The Portal upstairs board room. 101 North Main. St. Harlan Info: Tanya@kftc.org or call 606-632-0051 August 17: Perry County Chapter Meeting 6 p.m. Potluck, 2500 Upper Second Creek Rd. Hazard. Info: Jessie@kftc.org or call 606-263-4982 August 18: Northern Kentucky Chapter Meeting 7 p.m. at Center for Great Neighborhoods 1650 Russell St., Covington.

Info: Joe@kftc.org or call 859-380-6103 August 20: Shelby County Chapter Meeting 6 p.m. at Stratton Community Center 215 W Washington St., Shelbyville.

Info: Carissa@kftc.org or call 502-208-1696 August 20: Rowan County Chapter Meeting 6 p.m. at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church 145 East 5th St., Morehead.

Info: Sara@kftc.org or call 606-632-0051 August 20: Central Kentucky Chapter Meeting 7 p.m. at theNorthside Branch of Lexington Public Library. 1733 Russell Cave Road, Lexington.

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

www.kftc.org | July 21 2015

ACTION: ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING Are you crafty? A collector? A great cook?

Here’s your chance to share your passion and raise funds for KFTC. Each year at KFTC’s Annual Membership Meeting in August, we have a silent auction. It’s a great opportunity for knitters, quilters, jam makers, writers, painters, photographers and collectors of interesting things to bring something special and help create buzz and friendly competition among folks at the meeting.

All items are on display throughout the weekend, and sometimes the bidding gets pretty tense.

Now’s a great time to start working on a special item you can contribute to help offset the cost of the meeting and make the weekend more fun. Handmade items including foods are especially popular, but if that’s not your talent, you might think about asking a business in your community to donate an item.

Or if you have something at home that you’ve enjoyed and think others might, too, bring it with you to the meeting or send it with someone who’s coming.

And here’s another idea: you can donate a service. A massage, cooking lesson, or gift certificate to a salon is also a great item.

If you have questions about the silent auction, give us a call at 606-878-2161.

Say “Hello” to KFTC’s newest staff members Please welcome KFTC’s two newest staff members, Molly Kaviar and Sasha Zaring. Molly has filled the position as the Southern Kentucky Chapter Organizer and Sasha is the new Madison County and Wilderness Trace Chapter Organizer.

Take a moment at the Annual Membership Meeting, August 22-24 to say hello and introduce yourself to Molly and Sasha.

Molly Kaviar is a Louisville native and graduated from Western Kentucky University with a B.A. in Spanish and Anthropology. As a KFTC member she has been active in voter empowerment efforts, organizing for renter’s rights in Bowling Green, and other KFTC efforts both in Jefferson and Warren counties. Molly enjoys reading, camping, traveling, and spending hours doing puzzles.

Sasha Zaring was raised in Rockcastle County and that is where she spent most of her adult life as well. While always passionate about environmental concerns and economic justice, it wasn’t until she moved to Berea with her children that she found herself in a position to volunteer with a local KFTC chapter. She jumped at the chance to work with KFTC during this past election cycle as a Voter Empowerment Organizer. “I learned more about how our organization interacts with its members and organizes its staff, which made me more fully realize what a truly unique and wonderful group this was to work for.”

KFTC merchandise

kftc.org/store Totes, Shirts, Hats, Hoodies, and More!