Commentary | Why wait for clean power's benefits?

Earlier this month I attended a hearing of the Interim Joint Committee on Natural Resources, which included a presentation from the Energy and Environment Cabinet on the proposed Federal Clean Power Plan.

Under the Federal Clean Power Plan as currently proposed, Kentucky would need to reduce its power-sector carbon emissions rate 18% between 2012 and 2030. While this sounds like a significant reduction on the surface, the goal is far less stringent than most state goals across the country. More importantly, the information from Kentucky's Energy and Environment Cabinet presented two very clear facts: That coal is continuing to decline in this state regardless of the EPA's Clean Power Plan and that Kentucky is well on its way to meeting the Plan's goals.

What was unfortunate during this hearing, however, was the accompanying presentation by Paul Baily, senior vice president for the American Coalition of Clean Coal Electricity. ACCCE encouraged lawmakers to delay any action in building a state implementation plan for the rule and then predicted that the rule would result in an "enormous" increase in electricity prices and risk to reliability, with a particular impact on low-income communities.

First, several analyses of the Clean Power Plan indicate that by its full implementation in 2030, electric bills in Kentucky will be nearly 8% lower than without the plan, saving the average household over $100 annually.

Second, it seems somewhat disingenuous for coal lobbyists to be raising the question of the impacts of cleaner power to low-income communities, after a long, well-known history of pollution and health impacts brought on by the coal industry to these very same communities.

Our most vulnerable citizens are the ones most at risk from the health impacts of climate change and air pollution. According to the Clean Air Task Force, 71% of African-Americans live in counties that violate federal air pollution standards, primarily caused by coal-fired power plant emissions.

Impacts to low-income Appalachian mining communities are just as profound. Numerous peer-reviewed studies have shown distinct connections to declining health in coal mining areas of Appalachia, with public health costs of pollution from coal operations estimated to be $75 billion per year.

While the recent Supreme Court ruling will no doubt be a temporary setback for Federal regulations to clean up coal-fired power plants, it should not slow down the need for Kentucky to diversify its energy portfolio, improve the health of its citizens and create new jobs in the clean energy and energy efficiency sector.

Rather than accept the scare tactics from ACCCE, lawmakers should instead look to exciting opportunities for diversifying our energy needs, as demonstrated by a presentation last week to the Special Subcommittee on Energy from the Kentucky School Board Association, which highlighted the fact that Kentucky is in the top ten percent of ENERGY STAR schools across the nation.

According to the presentation to the Energy Subcommittee, KSBA's efforts have resulted in avoided energy costs of more than $13 million annually, with the potential of significantly amplifying those savings across the state as the program grows. This came about as a result from state legislation passed in 2008 to promote the efficient use of energy in public buildings. These kinds of energy efficiency programs are something Kentucky legislators and the public can be proud of. Just imagine how much these benefits can be amplified by expanding and adding solar to the mix, as demonstrated by schools such as Richardsville Elementary in Warren County.

You would think that rather than hold on to old, dirty power, lawmakers would embrace incentives to quickly move Kentucky to a cleaner, more diversified portfolio of energy options that can expand this potential for new jobs and greater cost savings.

We realize that change is hard, but our schools are clearly leading the way to show that change is paying off. We must continue to support and encourage our legislators and leaders to adopt these energy efficiency and renewable energy policies. The more incentives our lawmakers build in today to increase efficiency and expand renewables, the more real dollars there will be for our future.

Lane Boldman is executive director of the Kentucky Conservation Committee.