I was very disappointed to learn that the Kentucky legislature passed SB 349 at the very end of the legislative session. This bill would create a new 18-member commission that can veto the retirement of coal, oil, or natural gas-fired plants.

There are many reasons that a diverse group including U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, The Sierra Club, The United Way, Consumer Action for a Strong Kentucky, Costco, and many other advocacy and consumer groups opposed this bill:

1. It creates a new bureaucracy estimated to cost over $1.5 million per year. 2. It meddles with the business decisions of our investor-owned utilities. 3. It will surely harm Kentuckians’ health, ensuring that dirty, inefficient coal plants will continue sending pollutants and CO2 into our state’s air. 4. The bill claims to promote electric reliability, but the KY Public Service Commission already considers reliability when approving plant shutdowns.

I would like to thank local representative Kevin Jackson for his “no” vote on the bill. Unfortunately, the three other Warren County representatives, Michael Meredith, Robert Duvall and Shawn McPherson, voted in the affirmative. I hope that Gov. Andy Beshear will veto this bill and that citizens will tell legislators that they must let the veto stand.

Tom Morris

Bowling Green