As you know, the generation, delivery and consumption of energy in the Commonwealth are undergoing dramatic changes and present our Commonwealth with significant challenges. Your comprehensive energy strategy, ?Kentuckys Energy: Opportunities for the Future aptly notes that we have benefited as a state from low-cost electricity yet have lagged behind in the efficiency with which we convert fuels and use energy.
No less daunting is the challenge to low- and fixed-income households of meeting increasing gas and electric utility bills. The affordability of housing, the rates of homelessness, the health and security of people who find themselves on the margins of the economy, are matters entwined with utility regulation, yet historically the PSC Commissioners have not had strong backgrounds in and familiarity with these issues.
We appreciate the recognition in your energy strategy that improvements in energy efficiency in government and other sectors of our economy can greatly benefit consumers and the environment. The PSC is uniquely positioned to implement policies that would encourage utility and consumer energy efficiency, such as the decoupling of a utilitys profits from the amount of energy it sells. Regulatory reforms developed in conjunction with the regulated utilities could yield positive effects on Kentuckys energy use, on energy affordability, and on our economy.
We respectfully urge you to appoint an individual to the vacant position on the Public Service Commission who has a public interest background and who has familiarity and experience with energy efficiency programs and regulatory policies that could enhance the environment and the affordability of energy services for all Kentuckians. Thank you for your consideration of this matter.
Sincerely,
Ben Perry
Appalachia Science in The Public Interest
Mount Vernon, Kentucky
Greg Howard, Director
Appalshop
Whitesburg, Kentucky
Dee Davis, President
Center for Rural Strategies
Whitesburg, Kentucky
Richard J. Mitchell, Board Representative
Central Kentucky Council for Peace and Justice
Lexington, Kentucky
David Coyte
Coalition for Advancement of Regional
Transportation
Louisville, Kentucky
Geoff Young
Bluegrass Group Sierra Club
Lexington, Kentucky
Betsy Bennett, Conservation Chair
Cumberland Chapter Sierra Club
Louisville, Kentucky
Heather Roe Mahoney, Co-Director
Democracy Resource Center
Lexington, Kentucky
Sr. Rose Marie Cummins
Dominican Earth Center
St. Catharine, Kentucky
Cathy Hinko, Program Director
Housing Alliance
Louisville, Kentucky
Sheila C. Schuster, Ph.D.
Kentuckians for Health Care Reform
Louisville, Kentucky
Janet Tucker, Chairperson
Kentuckians for the Commonwealth
London, Kentucky
Dr. Nancy J. Kemper, Executive Director
Rev. W. Chris Benham Skidmore, Associate Director
Kentucky Council of Churches
Lexington, Kentucky
Kentucky Economic Justice Alliance
Lexington, Kentucky
Jim Dailey
Kentucky Mental Health Coalition
Louisville, Kentucky
Tom FitzGerald, Director
Kentucky Resources Council, Inc.
Frankfort, Kentucky
Joshua Bills
Kentucky Solar Partnerships
Mount Vernon, Kentucky
Judith Petersen, Director
Kentucky Waterways Alliance, Inc.
Munfordville, Kentucky
Jeffrey A. Been, Executive Director
Legal Aid Society
Louisville, Kentucky
Jeff Segal, Representative
Legal Aid Workers Union
National Organization of Legal Services Workers
UAW Local 2320
Louisville, Kentucky
Jane Walsh, Director
Metropolitan Housing Coalition
Louisville, Kentucky
Keith Valade, Director
Metro Human Needs Alliance
Lexington, Kentucky
Tim Duncan
Rubbertown Emergency Action (REACT)
Louisville, Kentucky