The Sun Shines Brighter On Old Kentucky Homes

Acceding to public pressure, a Kentucky energy company drops plans for a coal-fired power plant[Editor's note: December is Victory Month on 13.7 Billion Years. As the year comes to a close, each post will review a big or small victory that was made possible in 2010 in part by actions taken by the public, such as signing petitions, sending letters to elected representatives, asking companies to change their policies, changing personal habits or making statements at the cash register as consumers. By taking a moment to get involved, you have helped to make a difference. Thank you.]For decades, America's landfills and ponds have been the repositories for coal ash, the toxic waste produced by coal-fired power plants. The waste -- which can include environmental toxins such as arsenic, lead, mercury and dioxin -- has not only been detected in rivers and streams, but has also polluted drinking water.But for residents of Clark County, Kentucky, the threat of new coal ash has been held at bay, as the East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC) announced that it will drop plans for a new coal-fired generating plant near the Kentucky River, acquiescing to the demands of several environmental groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), the Sierra Club and the Kentucky Environmental Foundation. The agreement was spurred by a lawsuit against the cooperative."Instead of increasing its reliance on dirty, coal-burning technology, the cooperative now plans to work with local citizens and activists to develop efficiency strategies and renewable-energy alternatives," according to CBD.Kentucky relies on coal for 90% of its electricity, but this move is a powerful step in the right direction towards a cleaner, more efficient and more renewable energy future."We can all breathe a little easier and steer our time and attention towards energy solutions that better address our common concerns for the health, economic and environmental benefit of co-op members and others in EKPC's service area," said Elizabeth Crowe, executive director of the Kentucky Environmental Foundation, according to the Richmond Register.The co-op is working to ensure greater energy efficiency, said Nick Comer, a spokesman for EKPC, which called the move a "prudent business decision."In an email, CBD applauded "the coalition of activists and community advocates who achieved this remarkable success -- one that will help protect the climate, threatened species and public health while also saving the Cooperative and its customers money."In the 1912 Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, Rev. Thomas B. Gregory wrote about American pioneer Daniel Boone's "first glimpse of the fair region now known as Kentucky," the state for which the folk hero would later be famous for exploring and settling. Gregory wrote that on April 30, 1769, "the Father of Kentucky... stood on a mountain path and looked down upon the Watauga winding along through its enchanting valley, and he resolved that it should not be his last vision of the earthly paradise."If the Bluegrass State continues to move away from its fossil fuel past towards a clean energy future, Boone's earthly paradise may remain intact after all -- and the sun will certainly shine brighter on those "Old Kentucky Homes."GET INVOLVED * Sign a Change.org petition to stop a coal-fired power plant in Borneo, the home of 75 percent of all known coral species, more than half of the world's reefs, 40 percent of the world's coral reef fish species, six of the world's seven species of marine turtle and the world's 40 remaining Bornean rhinos * Tell your senator to extend renewable energy tax credits to support clean wind energy * Take the Public Agenda quiz and find out how much you know about energyRELATED POSTS * Ashes to Ashes (and Drinking Water) (July 8, 2010) * Jimmy Carter Was Right (June 16, 2010) * Our Carbon Future (May 27, 2010) * Pebble Mine (November 18, 2010) * The Destruction of Mining (August 27, 2009) * Appalachian Mountains Get A Breather (April 12, 2009) * What Is Clean Coal? (February 28, 2009) * More Than Four Decades Later, A Portuguese Mine Still Pollutes (February 17, 2009)image: Hideki Okuno