Martin Richards

Jason Bailey from the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED http://www.maced.org/) will be speaking about KySEA principles and the both the potential and need for efficiency in Kentucky. Dave Kreher will present People’s Self Help Housing (http://www.pshhinc.org/) as a case study of what is already happening on the ground in Kentucky. The Committee meeting is from 10am – 12 pm in room 131 of the Annex and is open to the public.

There was great turnout and lots of new faces at the Kentucky Sustainable Energy Alliance June 1 meeting in Lexington. 40 people representing 28 different organizations, groups and businesses came together to learn about the Kentucky energy landscape, KySEA, each other and how to take the next steps of moving Kentucky to a clean energy future.

The goals for the meeting were to:

• Continue to build relationships and understanding about our work  – independently and collectively.
• Report and evaluate work on clean energy issues in the 2010 Gen. Assembly.
• Inform/educate ourselves about one or more topics related to clean energy.
• Review, improve and affirm a proposed action plan for remainder of 2010.
• Identify ways for each group to participate

First in the morning was a six-month recap of the need for state clean energy policy, Kentucky’s energy challenge, and KySEA’s history, principals and policy priorities.

Following the “look-back” was a brief summary of energy policy and politics in the 2010 Legislative session and what KySEA’s goals and accomplishments were.

The morning ended with a round-robin set of education sessions on:

Renewable Portfolio Standards

FRANKFORT, Ky 

Tom Joseph, Public News Service - KY

Report author Mark Cooper, who is the research director for the Consumer Federation, crunched the numbers on the costs of better appliances and insulation against the price of electricity, and found bottom-line savings. He says the most bucks are saved with a 30 percent increase in efficiency.

"Now, it's not free - you have to spend money to make money. On net, however, they'll end up at the end of the year with $300 more in their pocket."

Cooper explains that efficiency is simply a profitable investment.

• HB 3 bill does not make energy efficiency Kentucky’s top energy priority. Unlike HB 408 and Governor Beshear’s Energy Plan, HB3 masks the importance of efficiency by lumping it in a category that could also include nuclear power and other expensive generation strategies.
• HB 3 has no requirement for any program or effort to help low-income Kentuckians with energy efficiency. The efficiency standards in HB 408 require energy efficiency specifically for those who are most vulnerable in a time of rising rates.
• Under HB 3, the requirements for efficiency and renewables are about half the size of the goals in HB 408. The goals in HB 3 will not help Kentucky to keep pace with neighboring states in meeting efficiency and renewable targets that achieve job growth, protect vulnerable families, and stabilize long-term energy costs.
• HB 3 does not contain provisions that are needed to spur development of in-state distributed renewable energy generation, such as a specific goal for solar generation and production-based incentives. HB 408 has these provisions.
• HB 3 creates new tax incentives and expands others for various energy projects - HB 408 does not. These incentives will impact future state budgets.
• HB 3 creates a new “low-carbon ” energy standard. This new designation would encourage the development of some of the most expensive generation strategies, including nuclear power and coal plants with carbon capture and storage. HB 408 focuses only on energy efficiency and renewable energy.

HB 3 focuses more on centralized power generation and increasing the efficiency of the generation and distribution infrastructure, with little support for the end user, especially low-income households.

HB 408 makes energy efficiency Kentucky’s top energy priority.  It assists the elderly and the poor.  It seeks to make efficiency and renewables available to all.  HB 408 is similar to legislation already enacted in Ohio, Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina. And while both bills strive to create new jobs, HB 3 will likely concentrate those jobs.  HB 408 will make more jobs statewide.

Call or write your Legislator and ask that Kentucky pass energy legislation that makes energy efficiency, including low-income Kentuckians, a priority; and makes energy efficiency, renewable energy and the jobs they create available to all Kentuckians.  

The Kentucky Sustainable Energy Alliance is enthusiastically supporting HB 408, legislation introduced by Rep. Harry Moberly to promote the growth of clean energy jobs in every Kentucky community, while also helping our families and businesses to save energy and money by becoming more energy efficient.

At this time HB 408 is the only bill before the legislature to encourage greater investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency. HB 408 creates incentives necessary for utility companies to make greater investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy, and holds them accountable for making progress towards ten-year goals.

We anticipate that other proposals from House Leadership and the Beshear Administration will be announced this week. Now is a critical time for legislators to hear from people back home in support of the clean energy solutions contained in HB 408. Let them know that you want strong, clean energy legislation to pass in 2010!

Please call toll-free message line in Frankfort TODAY to urge action on proposals to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy in Kentucky. The helpful people who answer the phone will direct each message to the right legislators, even if you aren’t sure who represents your area. The line is open until 11 p.m.

Call: 1-800-372-7181

Ask to leave a message for: “House and Senate Leadership, your Senator and Representative, and members of the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Energy Committee.”

Message: “Please support HB 408 to create clean energy jobs across Kentucky and help our families and businesses save energy and money.”

More information about HB 408:

Representatives Mary Lou Marzian (D-Jefferson 34), Jim Wayne (D-Jefferson 35) and Dennis Horlander (D- Jefferson 40) have recently signed on to HB 408. Please call and thank them and encourage your own Representative to support HB 408. To reach your Legislator in Frankfort call 502-564-8100. 

Don't know who you Legislator is go here: http://www.lrc.ky.gov/Legislators.htm

KySEA members from the Housing and Homeless Coalition of Kentucky, the Cumberland Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Kentucky Environmental Foundation and Kentuckians for the Commonwealth spent the day this past Wednesday talking with Legislators to build support for HB 408. The KySEA members were specifically working to add co-sponors to the bill, to get a hearing in the Natural Resources Committee (where the bill has been assigned) or to get the bill reassigned to another committee.

Penny Young, Executive Director of HHCK describes the day, "As a new member of the KySEA, this was an excellent opportunity for us to be able to talk with legislators about the human impact of energy efficiency as it relates to the ability of families to sustain their homes through utilization of clean, affordable enery sources.  Affordability of housing includes cost of utilities as much as the cost of the rent, mortgage, taxes and insurance.  Members of HHCK have already began embracing green building techniques into construction and rehabilitation of homes in Kentucky.  We want Kentucky to be a leader in this field and not be the state that ignores progressive technologies that could have positive results for our future and the futures of our families."

House bill 408 is set to create new standards for Kentucky''s energy future. For a summary of what the bill would create go here on the KySEA website: http://www.kysea.org/legislative-policy-work/current-legislation-1

To read the actual bill go here: http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/10RS/HB408.htm