Our blog from Fall 2024 highlighted several truths that still hold true:

• Many Eastern Kentucky counties have few or no licensed childcare providers
• Families often pay a disproportionate share of their income for care
• Lack of access continues to restrict job opportunities and local business growth

However, there are some new developments to report. As Kentucky heads into the 2026 General Assembly in January, childcare is finally gaining the kind of statewide attention that providers, parents and caretakers in Eastern Kentucky have been calling for. New data and new statewide priorities are aligning to make the upcoming session a critical opportunity for progress. 

Lawmakers seem to understand that childcare is a workforce issue, not just a family issue. According to economic modeling from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, improving childcare access and affordability could enable 16,000 to 28,000 Kentuckians to join or return to the workforce. That translates to an estimated $599 million to $1.1 billion in new wages and state/local tax revenue. 

At the Kentucky Chamber’s recent legislative preview event that Mountain Association attended, lawmakers and business leaders emphasized that childcare will be a central workforce priority in the 2026 General Assembly. Lawmakers from both parties pointed to childcare shortages as a direct barrier to workforce participation and business growth. 

We are encouraged by this broad momentum heading into January for Eastern Kentucky, and the wider Commonwealth. We all stand to benefit significantly if legislators pair statewide reforms with targeted investments in rural communities. Mountain Association will continue to monitor childcare-related proposals and discussions in Frankfort and analyze how potential policies may affect families, providers, and employers in Eastern Kentucky. 

The post Childcare Solutions Gaining Momentum in the Kentucky State Legislature for 2026 appeared first on Mountain Association.

Richmond 

The City of Richmond in Madison County is taking a firm stand against vacancy in its historic downtown. With a unanimous vote, the city commission recently passed a comprehensive vacant building ordinance aimed at halting neglect and reversing the decline of once-thriving commercial spaces. The ordinance is part of a broader strategy to restore economic activity and preserve the character of the city’s core, sending a clear message: long-term vacancy will no longer go unchecked. 

The ordinance requires owners of vacant or abandoned commercial properties in the downtown historical district to register their properties and maintain them to city standards, with escalating annual fees based on the length of vacancy. Its goal is to reduce long-term vacancies, improve property upkeep, and revitalize the downtown area by encouraging active use of commercial spaces. 

City officials have been quick to clarify that this ordinance isn’t designed to punish active landlords or discourage investment. Instead, it’s targeted squarely at long-neglected properties that contribute to blight, safety concerns, and economic stagnation. As City Manager Rob Minerich put it, the goal is to hold accountable those who have allowed their properties to deteriorate “for a long time” without any visible effort to rehabilitate them. 

Hazard  

With the hiring of a Downtown Coordinator, Hazard launched a focused effort to bring life and business back to its historic core. In just five years, 77 new businesses opened downtown—nearly 70 of which are still operating—an exceptional success rate far above the national average. At the center of this progress was Bailey Richards, who now serves as Mountain Association’s Director of Business Support. 

A key turning point in Hazard’s downtown revitalization was the implementation of a vacant property tax ordinance in 2017. The ordinance imposed a fivefold increase in city property taxes on vacant and blighted buildings, establishing a formal registry and enforcement process for the first time. “The tax was never intended to be a money maker for the city,” Richards explained, “but rather to be the push people needed to either fix up a building, rent it, or sell it.” 

That push worked. “When the first round of notification letters went out, building owners started to have conversations around what they needed to do to not pay the higher rate. This led many buildings to selling,” she said. In just the first few years of the program, more than 50% of the affected properties changed hands—many of them donated to the city or sold at low cost to neighbors committed to improving their blocks. “Many of these buildings were just considered a low priority to the owners. This made them a higher priority.” 

In one memorable case, a property that had sat empty for over 20 years finally sold after the owner received his first tax bill. “This is a case where the tax did exactly what it was supposed to do,” Richards said. The building is now home to a locally owned boutique. 

Richards also credits Hazard’s success to one-on-one support for entrepreneurs. “Without a doubt the most successful strategy for bringing business into downtown was hiring someone to walk people through the process,” she said. That hands-on guidance was complemented by small grant programs, like the Hazard Downtown Incentive Program, and by the power of momentum. “Success inspires others so each successful business is its own incentive to others to try their own business. You can draw a map of which businesses opened and inspired other businesses.” 

479 Main 

Thanks to momentum from the vacancy tax and strong local support for small businesses, downtown Hazard is seeing some big, exciting changes. One example is the transformation of 479 Main—a historic 11,000-square-foot building that had been empty since 2016. The Mountain Association purchased the property in 2022, and since then, the project has steadily moved forward with structural repairs, design work, and lots of community input. Now, it’s on track to become a vibrant, mixed-use space that brings new life to the heart of downtown. 

With its community focus, 479 Main could inspire similar projects in small downtowns all over Eastern Kentucky. When completed, the project will include restaurant space, retail, residential, event space, and even a rooftop lounge. The plans include an elevator and other accessibility standards not often found in older buildings.  

“479 Main is an anchor for downtown Hazard because of its location,” said Les Roll, Mountain Association Special Projects Manager. “This community deserves to have a vibrant, accessible space for businesses and downtown life and not just big empty buildings full of ‘used-to-be.’ That’s what we’re trying to do.” 

The post Eastern Kentucky communities enact vacancy ordinances appeared first on Mountain Association.

There were several workshops, lectures, and screenings all at once, making it really hard to choose one, but in order to get most of the experience, I personally chose those that were more focused on the culture. At one of those workshops, the facilitators asked us: “When you have felt the most Appalachian?”  

This question for me was intimidating. You cannot tell by my writing, but I wasn’t born in the US, and I have a heavy foreign accent. I am what many consider a “transplant.” I am not native to the area, but I had my roots set here. I know my boundaries and calling myself Appalachian is not something I would do. But the question was about the experience, about feeling part of it, and that I can do.  

Driving in the fall those back roads can be magical, speaking with kids in a high school in Harlan or Corbin, attending a festival in Pikeville. Or learning from the Indigenous people that are still living among us every year at the American Indian gathering. The deep-rooted traditions, and complex social and economic challenges, makes the experience of Appalachia one of resilience, strong community ties, and a cultural identity that both resists and adapts to change. Perhaps the most important is the connection with the place and sense of belonging! It is real— one of the last activities I participated in during the conference was an Appalachian-Japanese Jam, which was a music session lead by a Japanese banjo player from Eastern Kentucky and a fiddler from North Carolina. 

This music session felt otherworldly. While I was listening, I got emotional witnessing the beauty of the music played by a group of individuals of different backgrounds, improvising old music and jamming like they have been together forever, though they had never played together. In that moment, in that place, there were not differences but just love for music and the experience of living the Appalachian culture. 

The Appalachia experience is one of contrasts—beauty and hardship, tradition and change, struggle and pride. It is a region that continues to redefine itself while holding on to the strengths of its past and using innovation to look for a better future.

So, if you are not from here or you’re living away, I encourage you to plan a visit soon to experience Appalachia, support our small businesses as they recover, and just enjoy the culture.

Here are a few interesting upcoming festivals and events to consider:

• Honey Festival – Jackson, KY
• Workshops/Events at Hindman Settlement School – Hindman, KY
• Possum Fest – Cumberland, KY

The post Meanwhile in Appalachia appeared first on Mountain Association.

Last Friday’s Executive Order affecting the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund directly impacts our work here at Mountain Association. For decades, we have served Kentucky’s mountain communities as a Community Development Financial Institution, providing affordable and flexible capital and free support to small business owners who may not qualify with traditional lenders like banks.  

The primary mission of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) is community development, and they are regulated by the CDFI Fund, established in 1994. They hold our industry to the highest of standards, manage $304 billion in loans, and run several programs which CDFIs across Kentucky, Appalachia and America rely on. With a strong fund, CDFIs can continue expanding access to capital, building affordable housing, and increasing quality jobs and quality of life in communities that are underinvested in by private and philanthropic sources.  

The CDFI model is a strategic investment in America’s economy. Over 1,400 certified CDFIs operate across the US, strengthening communities through local, community-based financial services. Since they were established, CDFIs have used federal dollars to build affordable housing, support local businesses, and open pathways to financial independence, leveraging $1 in federal investment into an average of $8 in private funding. Every dollar invested in organizations like ours via the CDFI Fund fuels local economic activity and prosperity in underinvested regions like Eastern Kentucky. In 2024 alone, Mountain Association invested $9.6 million in 85 businesses and organizations working to create communities where people can and want to live, work, and thrive. 

The Executive Order states it is “returning power to local communities,” however, in order to continue to build power in our local communities, we need strong CDFIs that can – and will – support an aspiring business owner with their idea that would help revitalize our Main Streets, that can – and will – invest in a daycare that’s trying to get off the ground in a childcare desert, and that can – and will – provide a mortgage to a young family who wants to buy their own house and build wealth for the next generation. CDFIs understand the economic challenges people face in areas like Appalachia, and we respond to them, taking greater risks than traditional institutions focused on profits.  

The CDFI Fund is not just a budget line, but a lifeline for underinvested communities like those in Eastern Kentucky. 

We urge policymakers and the public to stay informed and engaged in protecting this vital resource for economic development in our state and beyond. 

— 

We also urge you to tell your story – If you’ve been impacted by CDFIs, share how they made a difference for you! 

The post Preserving the CDFI Fund appeared first on Mountain Association.

Understanding how recreation impacts the economy is key to promoting growth and boosting community well-being. When we talk about recreation, we refer to activities people do for fun, relaxation, and personal growth—things like sports, outdoor adventures, arts, fitness, and wellness. Whether it’s going for a hike, playing a game of soccer, or taking a yoga class, there’s something for everyone. These activities not only provide enjoyment but also help people stay healthy and creative. However, the opportunities for recreation can vary depending on things like the local economy, geography, and job prospects.

Economic development plays a huge role in shaping the types of recreational activities available and how many people can participate. Many recreational activities, like rock climbing, can require a fair amount of spending, which in turn has an impact on both individuals and the local economy. For instance, people who go climbing in places like the Red River Gorge will spend money on things like travel, lodging, food, and gear. Bradley and Maples (2021) found that climbers choosing to stay in hotels spend an average of $124 per visit on their trip, while those camping spend an average of $16 on their trip. Climbers using rental cabins typically spend around $190 during their trip. These numbers exclude when climbers who spend zero dollars due to other individuals paying for their trip. Travel and food are big parts of the overall cost of these activities. By budgeting carefully, recreational visitors can make the most of their trip while also helping local businesses and boosting the community’s economy.

Where people live also plays a big role in the kinds of recreational options available to them. In places like Central Appalachia, for example, the economy has traditionally been shaped by mono-economic industries like coal mining and timber, which have often led to economic dependency and high poverty rates (Bradley & Maples, 2021). Over the years, the focus on extraction industries has created an uneven distribution of wealth, and the environmental toll has left lasting effects on local communities, think pollution and land erosion. These issues have made it harder for many residents to access diverse economic opportunities, including recreation.

That’s where the idea of sustainable job opportunities comes into play. By focusing on the natural resources already present in an area, communities can create new, environmentally friendly jobs that support both the economy and the local environment. Central Appalachia, for example, is home to beautiful mountainous terrain that’s perfect for outdoor recreation—activities like hiking, rock climbing, camping, and mountain biking. These activities don’t just let people enjoy the beauty of the region, they also provide opportunities for local revenue and a healthier, more active community.

Maples (2021) suggests that focusing on outdoor recreation can help diversify local economies rather than relying on just one industry. Expanding recreational activities can create new jobs, encourage environmental conservation, and stimulate economic growth. Plus, adding more outdoor activities helps preserve the natural environment, support biodiversity, and reduce waste, which benefit both the economy and the ecosystem.

So, what does this all mean? When communities understand how recreation can boost the economy, they can promote sustainable growth and improve overall well-being. In places like Central Appalachia, where mono-economic industries have caused economic struggles, introducing outdoor recreation opportunities can have a major impact. Not only can these activities create jobs, but they can also boost the local economy through tourism, improve public health, and encourage community engagement.

By tapping into the natural resources already available, places like Central Appalachia have the potential to unlock new opportunities for both recreation and economic growth. Whether it’s hiking, rock climbing, camping, or mountain biking, outdoor activities offer a way to drive economic growth, create jobs, and improve the quality of life for everyone in the community. It’s a win-win that can help communities become more resilient for the future.

References

Maples, J., & Bradley, M. (2021). Outdoor Recreation and rural transitions in Central Appalachia: Revisiting the economic impact of rock climbing in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. Journal of Economic Impact, 3(3), 186–195. https://doi.org/10.52223/jei3032108

The post Understanding the Economic Impact of Recreation on Community Well-being and Sustainable Growth appeared first on Mountain Association.

As Eastern Kentucky’s energy landscape becomes more diversified, solar has the potential to create substantial community benefits, but only if certain measures are taken. My colleague, Chris Woolery noted in his October op-ed that at least 50 new large-scale solar projects have been proposed in Kentucky since 2020. As some of our state’s largest companies purchase energy from these projects, like Toyota’s 100-megawatts from Martin County, how do we ensure that local communities see tangible, long-term benefits from this growth?

Community Benefits Agreements and Community Benefits Plans are key tools that communities can use when a new development is proposed in their area. Agreements are legal contracts where developers commit to benefits like local hiring or infrastructure for nearby communities, such as upgrades to local roads and utilities to support the project’s integration with the power grid. Plans are required for projects seeking federal funding under laws like the Inflation Reduction Act (2022) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (2021) which incentivized clean energy and climate infrastructure.  For example, East Kentucky Power Cooperative’s recent award of up to $1.4 billion toward renewable energy means they would be required to provide community benefits if they use the funding for their planned $335.4 million solar farms in Fayette and Marion counties.

Examples of community benefits agreements around solar could include: 

• Sourcing materials and resources needed for construction and maintenance locally to boost and sustain economic growth
• Committing to hiring a certain number of full-time, permanent jobs in the region after construction is completed and begins operating
• Pledging money towards local workforce development that focuses on financial support for students interested in jobs in solar
• Supporting community organizations with a percentage of revenue generated from the solar facility

As a more creative example, Savion, a developer who built a 1,200 acre farm in Martin County, donated $100,000 towards a solar installation at Martin County High School after conversations with local leadership about community benefits.

Community engagement early in the development process ensures that appropriate lands are selected for use and impactful benefits are agreed to. Communities should consider how these projects may displace wildlife and disrupt recreational activities like hunting or off-road vehicles, which often support local economies/tourism and community traditions. Identifying community benefits based on these types of impacts can help offset potential negative effects.

So how do you start? When a new development is proposed, a company will usually meet with local stakeholders, such as judge executives and economic development authorities.  They will also usually hold public meetings. As a community member, if you are concerned about a certain development and want to advocate for community benefits, a good place to start would be setting up a meeting with those local stakeholders to discuss your concerns and ideas, or gather neighbors to attend public meetings held by the developers. For example, individuals near the proposed Star Fire Project on 7,000 acres in Perry, Knott and Breathitt counties can find status updates on the company’s website. Individuals near the proposed Bright Mountain Solar project on 805 acres in Perry County can go here.

Regardless of political affiliation, community benefit agreements are widely supported. According to the World Resources Institue, over three-fourths of voters support the use of community benefit agreements on development projects. This non-partisan support ensures communities can continue to seamlessly work on solar energy projects, regardless of changes in local, state, and federal government. Kentucky will continue to see more and more clean energy projects proposed. Community benefits plans and agreements are great tools that all community members and leaders need to utilize in order to thrive as new developments come in.

The post How Kentucky Communities Can Benefit As Large-Scale Solar Comes to Town appeared first on Mountain Association.

In fact, more than 90,000 Native American and Alaska Native people live in Kentucky. Though there are no federally or state-recognized tribes in Kentucky, many Cherokee, Shawnee and Chickasaw people, along with other tribes, make up this 90,000. Outside of reserve lands in North Carolina and Oklahoma, there are more people of Cherokee descent living in Kentucky than any other state. We know that Kentucky has long been mythologized as the ‘Dark and Bloody Ground,’ a place where Native tribes were thought to pass through but never settle—a narrative that persists even now. However, both archaeological evidence and recent census data tell a different story, revealing a deep and enduring Indigenous history in the region. Despite this, the federal government does not recognize any tribes in Kentucky, and the state lacks a process for formal recognition, leaving many with Native ancestry working to increase awareness and educate the public about their heritage. 

From organizers and professors, to poets and artists, Native people hold all kinds of different roles in our communities. These community members regularly hold events to celebrate their culture and invite others in. I’ve been able to participate in some of these different events, allowing me to learn the ways they carry on the traditions and wisdom of their culture and witness the generosity with which they share with us in the communities that they live or travel to. Most recently, on November 1st, I attended a visual art exhibit featuring Indigenous people living in Kentucky. Representatives of Cherokee, Choctaw, Mohawks, Anishinaabe, and Mi’kmaq Nation displayed their art, hailing from different counties of Kentucky: Adair, McCraken, Fayette, Daviess, Mercer, Powell, Caldwell, Christian, and Warren, had their art on display. Held at the Capitol Plaza in Frankfort, the ‘Native Reflections’ exhibit was organized by the Kentucky Native American Commission and Kentucky Art Council, and is traveling throughout Kentucky in 2025.

Their pieces were powerful depictions of how Indigenous peoples in Kentucky today are part of a rich and diverse legacy that traces back thousands of years. Native Americans have been in Kentucky longer than any of our families, and they still are. We only have one life to live, and one meaningful way to honor our time in Appalachia is by understanding the rich legacy of those who stewarded this land before us. Learning about the history and ongoing contributions of Native Americans in Eastern Kentucky deepens our connection to the region and ensures we respect the cultures that continue to shape it today. We all need to learn more about the cultures of people that live here by attending powwows, cultural festivals, and education initiatives.  

A great place to start is by following organizations like the Kentucky Native American Heritage Commission that work to promote awareness of the state’s Indigenous history and contributions.

Additionally, in Eastern Kentucky, there is the Richmond Pow Wow Association, the Southeastern Kentucky Association of Native People, Inc., and the Warrior’s Path Project, which Mountain Association is actively working to support.  

The post We’re Still Here appeared first on Mountain Association.

We put our daughter on multiple waitlists for daycare centers the week she was born, as we were told she couldn’t join the list beforehand. She “came off” the waitlist when a spot became available for her at one facility six months later. We were lucky to have family members who could help watch our daughter during the workday in the meantime, as my husband and I both work full time. It was a group effort between her staying home with me, while I was working remotely full time, my husband’s mom, who was also working from home, and my grandmother. We had to coordinate care for her daily that accommodated work meetings and other appointments. This was a major stressor for us. It was a constant pull between being a “good mom” and a “good employee,” while trying my hardest to do both well. 

– Hannah Hall, parent in Hazard 

Research shows the benefits of high quality early care and education lasting into kindergarten and some studies find the impact extends all the way to high school. These benefits include cognitive benefits that prepare children for lasting success and academic achievement in school as well as improved social development and reduced behavior issues. This same research tells us that high quality early childcare is especially beneficial to children from low-income families. 

Those seeking childcare in the region have multiple factors stacked against them from the start, including: 

• Low-income families paying for childcare spend almost $200 per week on care, amounting to about 35 percent of their household income. 

• 70% of people in rural Appalachia live in a childcare desert. 

• Rural parents are significantly more likely than urban/suburban parents to have to drive more than 10 miles to access childcare. Most urban/suburban parents drive less than 5 miles. 

We have families who have decided because of changes in their family situation, that they have to go to work but they can’t find childcare.

– Becky Stacy, Executive Director of Appalachian Early Childhood Network  

All these issues create a fundamentally unsustainable environment for parents, especially Eastern Kentuckians with the lowest incomes. At the same time parents are struggling to find care, childcare providers are constantly facing old and new challenges.

Some of the realities caregivers face include: 

• The childcare business model has been historically unsustainable. 

• Childcare costs have been growing rapidly; wages for childcare workers remain low. The national median pay for a childcare worker in 2022 was still under $30,000 per year. 

• Even when paying childcare employees low wages, the average childcare provider in Kentucky is losing money. 

• Funding available through grants and subsidies is limited and competitive.  

These factors culminate in an environment where starting or maintaining a childcare center in Eastern Kentucky takes not only smart business planning but sheer luck that everything else goes your way. When you’re caring for children and trying to provide for your family, it’s not a gamble many are able or willing to take. 

Addressing these issues requires urgent investment by local Community Development Financial Institutions, like Mountain Association, and other community investors, but also policy action by the Kentucky Legislature. As sources of Federal funding put into place during the pandemic continue to expire, such as the annual $330 million boost from the American Rescue Plan Act, it’s crucial Kentucky continues to invest in the families that make up its workforce. Investments in accessible childcare services and support for those who provide them will go a long way towards a brighter, more resilient future for Eastern Kentucky’s families. 

Mountain Association’s role

Oftentimes childcare center startups are labors of love and intense planning and advocacy. No one knows this more than the team at OCARE in Owsley County, who this winter will proudly open a new childcare facility, located in one of Eastern Kentucky’s many childcare deserts. According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, over 45% of childcare facilities in Kentucky have closed over the past 10 years. By investing in new childcare facilities like OCARE’s Owl’s Treehouse, the Mountain Association is committed to learning alongside these organizations and businesses as they navigate the complexities of launching in a rural region where access to early childcare education has long been limited. Through low-interest financing and targeted technical assistance our team worked with OCARE to build a foundation for their successful launch and sustainable future. 

Lending to childcare centers is often seen as risky and unwise by traditional financial institutions. The margins for childcare are notoriously thin largely due to high staffing requirements, strict regulatory, safety, and health standards that increase operational costs, and a limited revenue model. Childcare centers operate on a narrow revenue model where their primary – if not only source of income – is parent fees. However, with childcare being essential yet expensive, centers in our region face pressure to keep tuition affordable. This puts centers in the difficult position of trying to bridge funding gaps while also meeting high operational costs (oh, and actually caring for the children!). 

As many childcare centers in our region are nonprofits, we identified the need for specialized financial planning support for the team at Owl’s Treehouse. Through Mountain Association’s Business Support program, OCARE worked with Angie LeBlanc of XP UP Consulting to streamline financial operations – simplifying bookkeeping, grant management, and reporting. Together, we guided them through essential steps like establishing separate bank accounts for financial clarity, implementing clear financial reporting for their various entities, and identifying potential funding sources specifically for after-school programs. As this was the first time OCARE took on debt as a nonprofit organization, their training included practical strategies for debt management to ease the uncertainties. 

Through this partnership we’ve gained invaluable insights into the needs of emerging childcare facilities in rural Kentucky, enabling us to better tailor our loan products and support services to meet these challenges and further support accessible, community-centered childcare across the mountains we love so much.  

The post Investing in Childcare in Eastern Kentucky appeared first on Mountain Association.

Large swaths of land across the state are being eyed for new developments of all kinds, including a controversial one: solar farms. At least 50 new large-scale solar projects have been proposed here since 2020, primarily due to new federal incentives and the increased affordability of renewable energy. Often, these farms are supported by Fortune 500 companies looking to purchase the energy. For example, Toyota is the primary buyer for energy generated at the 900-acre solar farm nearing completion on a former coal mine in Martin County. But now that the economics of large-scale renewable energy are penciling out when compared to adding new fossil fuel plants, utility companies themselves are also looking to add solar as a power source in their traditionally coal and gas heavy portfolios.

East Kentucky Power Cooperative is a nonprofit utility owned by 16 cooperatives, serving more than 1 million Kentuckians across 89 counties. They’ve been getting their energy from two coal-powered plants, two natural gas plants, six landfill gas generation facilities, two hydroelectric facilities (via what’s called a power purchase agreement), and, as of 2017, one solar farm. This spring 2024, however, they proposed building two additional solar farms, one in Lexington measuring 388 acres and one in Marion County measuring 635 acres. This has caused increased debate by Kentuckians who cite concern with ‘prime’ land being dedicated to fixed solar panels versus other uses, like farming or housing.

At the Mountain Association, the nonprofit where I work, we’ve been shouting (literally from the rooftops) for years that we think distributed solar is the way to go – this means solar on or near buildings or homes that directly use the bulk of that energy right there on site – versus large-scale farms. Rooftop or other small-scale solar makes use of unused space, and creates a tangible difference on the business’s or resident’s bills. In this work, we’ve also found ourselves at the table with large-scale solar developers as we look to advocate for communities.

Because we serve Eastern Kentucky, most of these conversations are about building solar farms on abandoned surface mine land, which Kentucky has more than 300,000 acres of, according to a new report from The Nature Conservancy. Often this land isn’t suitable for much due to soil instability and other issues. We have come to appreciate the role of large solar farms in the fight against skyrocketing utility rates, climate change, pollution, and even their role in protecting farmland.

In intervening in Louisville Gas & Electric and Kentucky Utilities’ recent proposal to build two new gas-powered plants, we dug into data that proves again and again how much better renewables are for safe, healthy job prospects for energy workers, for the health of residents who live near installations, and for water sources, farmland, and overall climate. Additionally, report after report shows that renewables are cheaper than coal, and likely cheaper than gas, especially in the long run. Many corporations are also actively seeking to locate near clean energy sources, so these projects can function as a key economic development tool to attract job creators. For example, Maker’s Mark will be purchasing solar from EKPC in the near future.

Because coal and natural gas aren’t the answer, we must look at large-scale renewables despite not being perfectly idyllic. In discussions with solar developers, we’ve advocated for community benefits agreements to be worked into deals so surrounding residents see some gain from these developments, especially since the energy is usually sold to large corporations or entities outside the local area, and since they generate few long-term jobs. Community benefits agreements, mandated if a project is using new federal incentives — as EKPC is likely to do for the Lexington and Marion County projects — are a way for community members to benefit from these farms. These are legally binding contracts between developers and municipalities or local community groups. For example, in Martin County, we worked with the developer to grant Martin County High School $100,000 toward a solar installation at the local high school.

If you are impacted by any of these developments, we encourage you to participate in public hearings and file public comments in order to weigh in on things that are important to you. Find information on the October 29 public hearing for the EKPC projects here: https://psc.ky.gov/.

Chris Woolery is the Energy Projects Coordinator at Mountain Association. He can be reached at chris@mtassociation.org.

This is an op-ed that appeared in several Kentucky papers in October 2024.

The post Kentucky’s New Energy Landscape & The Controversy Behind Solar Farms appeared first on Mountain Association.

Michelle Eidschun leads the two initiatives inspired by her family’s military experiences. Thomas Eidschun, Michelle’s husband, is a retired US Army Sergeant Major who suffers from the effects of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) sustained over points of his military service, which led him on 52 missions in 27 countries, and 180 official airborne jumps. Toward the end of his career, they spent three years advocating for Tom’s health at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. At some point in those years, Michelle was finally able to convince Tom to attend pottery classes with her. In one of these classes, something clicked for Tom who had become increasingly withdrawn.

“When you get vets together and working with their hands, whether it be pottery, metal forging, or something else, walls come down. They are with their peers who walked similar paths and use the same language as them… there’s a moment in time where healing can take place,” Michelle explained. “They can just be themselves.”

In 2017, the couple researched places all over the country to settle down. They knew they wanted to raise awareness about veteran health in their retirement. In looking at 10 different states, they ultimately chose Corbin and Kentucky as their forever home and the place they could build something to give back to their military community.

They purchased 150 acres and initially drew up plans to build a retreat for wounded veterans. Though that is still part of their plan, another opportunity surfaced when Felts Music Place, a longtime music venue in Corbin, was shutting down.

Michelle, a musician who also has a background in restaurant management, had fallen in love with the space.

“It was built for music by musicians themselves. The room holds sound and voices beautifully.”

Owned by the Felts family for years, it was about to be sold for boat storage for the nearby lake. Michelle couldn’t bear to see Corbin lose such a magical space that brought community together for over 30 years.

The Eidschuns decided to lease the space from the new building owner, opening it up as The Train Station. They put on events and workshops to generate a source of income for Resilient Knights, the nonprofit wing of their initiative to serve veterans with a variety of services. Their first show was in October 2023. Since then, they have hosted twice weekly line dancing classes, karaoke, comedy nights, class reunions, songwriter contests, art therapy classes for veterans, like wood carving, as well as peer support meetings, and more. They even had a “mom prom” for local mothers to have a night out, where attendees were crowned with awards like ugliest dress, tallest hair and best cat eye.

Everything at the Train Station, from concessions to the sound booth to the gift shop, is run by veterans. Right now, Michelle and Tom have six veterans who live with them on their property and more that they support by connecting them to a variety of resources.

“Our mission is to provide veterans with a new purpose and a new team. That’s what the military gives its service members, and that’s what we hope to recreate for them.”

Most recently, they hosted a reading of Boxes, a community play depicting veterans, post traumatic stress, and caregiver burnout.

Please follow along and support their journey at Resilient Knights and the Train Station on social media or via their website.

The post Striking a Chord: How Veterans are Using Art & Music to Support Fellow Vets in Eastern Kentucky appeared first on Mountain Association.