The "Dirty Truth" report from the Sierra Club has graded utilities annually since 2021 on how they are upholding pledges to generate cleaner energy. This year, Kentucky utility companies dropped an average of 15 points, with three earning zero out of 100 on their progress toward moving away from coal and natural gas.
Elisa Owen, senior organizer for the Kentucky Beyond Coal Campaign at the Sierra Club, said the state's energy grid is lagging behind in cost-saving and lifesaving emission reductions.
"In all of the different areas that they were grading, we had no movement toward renewables or very little, and we did not have any place to build on," Owen explained.
The report gave failing grades to Louisville Gas & Electric, Kentucky Utilities, and East Kentucky Power Co-op. Kentucky Power scored a 28 out of 100. Owen pointed out renewable energy has been put on the back burner in Kentucky as lawmakers ignore the benefits of retiring coal and onboarding clean energy.
Owen stressed that despite past commitments to affordability, reliability, and a “more efficient” future, utilities in Kentucky and across Appalachia are overwhelmingly failing to move toward cost-saving clean energy. She acknowledged that while the state's history as a coal producer is a source of pride, it is also an impediment.
"We do have a history with coal, and for sure, we powered the industrial revolution, and we have many people who, for many generations, had their families supported by coal," Owen outlined.
She argued state leaders need to take a hard look at economic development in Kentucky and embrace the benefits of moving beyond coal.
"At this point, we need to move into new technologies that are lower cost," Owen emphasized. "When we don't do that, we are hurting the ratepayers in the state."