See the message below from our friends and partners at the Kentucky Waterways Alliance regarding the proposed Senate Bill 89. While the bill was recently pulled from the House Natural Resources & Energy Committee agenda, there are ongoing efforts to bring it back for a vote. With over 87,000 letters sent in opposition, it’s clear that Kentuckians are standing strong, but we need to remain vigilant and continue advocating against this harmful legislation.
An update on the fight to oppose Senate Bill 89 from becoming Kentucky law: SB 89 was pulled from the House Natural Resources & Energy Committee agenda on Thursday, but Chairman Gooch indicated that he may call a special meeting next week where SB89 would be heard and voted on. When details of the timing are made public by the Legislature, KWA will share that information on our social media pages.
Now is no time to rest! If you have not sent an email or called recently, we urge you to reach out be prepared to do so again after Tuesday or Wednesday. Please see below for our most up to date guidance on the most effective way to reach out to your elected officials.
The strong opposition to SB 89 voiced by thousands of Kentuckians is having an impact. As of the writing of this update, more than 87,431 letters have been sent to our representatives through the Action Network. While coal companies and industries have the ear of our representatives, this week a representative admitted publicly he does not read the letters sent through the action network by constituents.
Instead of listening to the people they represent, supporters of the bill are responding by making false claims about the impact of SB 89, claims that are creating confusion and spreading misinformation. If you have questions about the damage SB 89 will do to our waterways and the people who depend on them for drinking water, farming, tourism, and recreation, here are a few resources to we hope will be helpful.
- KWA Fact Sheet: Read it here.
- Our partners at Kentucky Resources Council published a new fact sheet to address false claims.
- Tom Fitzgerald, a trusted advocate for Kentuckians, calls SB 89 “draconian” and calls out the General Assembly for their “efforts to muddy the waters on the reach and negative impacts of SB 89” in an op-ed published by the Kentucky Lantern on March 7.
- A letter opposing SB 89 from the Rebecca Goodman, Secretary Energy and Environment Cabinet.
WHAT NOW?
Make a Call: Call the Legislative Message Line at 1-800-372-7181 (open 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Monday–Friday) and ask to leave a message for House Natural Resources & Energy & Committee members to VOTE NO on SB 89.
Office contact information including office phone numbers and direct emails for each legislator can be found on their individual bio pages:
House Natural Resources & Energy Committee Leadership:
Jim Gooch: Jim.Gooch@kylegislature.gov
Jared Bauman: jared.bauman@kylegislature.gov
Richard White: Richard.white@kylegislature.gov
Sponsor of SB 89: Scott Madon, scott.madon@kylegislature.gov
Senate President: Robert Stivers, Robert.Stivers@kylegislature.gov
Speaker of the House: David Osborne, David.Osborne@kylegislature.gov
What happens with all those telephone messages you leave via the Legislative Message Line? Phone calls get written on green cards by Legislative Research staff and delivered to the Representatives. When a representative wants to call attention to how many people are calling or justify not voting on something, they will bring all their green cards to the floor and use them as a visual for how much their district cares about the issue.
It’s important to keep up the pressure. The best way to do this is to make phone calls starting Monday morning. We also ask you to continue to voice your opposition SB 89 by sending direct personal emails to your representatives and the leadership (listed below), and the Action Network (add a personal note).