Kentucky Power Company customers can’t seem to get a break. With base rate increases about every two years, and smaller hits in between, residential customers have seen their rates go up by almost 50% compared to ten years ago. Small commercial customers’ rates have gone up 32-37%, and their demand rate, which is an additional charge for the highest amount of power they use at one time, has gone up a whopping 410%. And now Kentucky Power is asking for more. 

Mountain Association, the nonprofit organization where I work, supports small businesses, nonprofits, and local governments who want to lower their energy bills through efficiency and renewable energy upgrades. Through this work, we have usage information from the accounts of over 550 Kentucky Power clients we have served. We analyzed what this rate increase would mean for our clients based on their electricity use and found they would have to spend over $1.5 million more per year in electric costs – not including increases from taxes and surcharges. 

That’s $1.5 million that won’t be used for hiring new employees, growing a business, providing health care, educating students, serving meals to the elderly, or paying police officers. One grocery store in an isolated community would have to pay over $11,000 more per year, even after they’ve invested in efficiency and solar for their store. Greenup County Schools would see an increase of over $48,000 per year for just three of their seven schools. Another county government would see an increase of over $35,000 per year. 

This is money that most Eastern Kentuckians simply do not have. Energy burden is a term for what percent of a household’s income goes to paying energy bills, and Appalachian Kentucky has some of the heaviest burdens in the country. Leslie, Letcher, and Martin Counties, which are mostly served by Kentucky Power, have energy burdens of over 6%, twice the state average. Kentucky Power’s residential and small commercial customers already pay the highest electric rates in the region without factoring in the surcharges and fees, which can add 10-15% to the bill. 

It is true that Kentucky Power faces unique challenges compared to other utilities in Kentucky. Unlike Kentucky Utilities, they serve a more rural population, which means they pay more per customer in infrastructure costs. Unlike rural electric cooperatives, Kentucky Power is a for-profit company so they must make money for their shareholders. In fact, one of the reasons they are seeking such a large increase is that, as of May 2025, Kentucky Power was not earning enough profit for their investors. However, their parent company, American Electric Power saw third quarter earnings of nearly a billion dollars. 

Kentucky Power points to declining load (which means less demand for electricity) as another reason they need to raise rates – as population declines, they’re selling less power. But continually raising rates will cause more businesses to close and more residents to move away, adding to an already steeply declining population trend. Large industrial users may be able to get special rates from a utility, but residents and small businesses don’t have that kind of bargaining power. 

We applaud Kentucky Power’s recent investments in energy efficiency programs for homes and businesses, including rebates and energy audits for residential customers, but it’s not enough to offset the increasing unaffordability of rates. We are at a crisis point and business as usual won’t cut it anymore. We need new ideas and innovative programs like virtual power plants, pay-as-you-save efficiency programs, and distributed solar that will help ratepayers lower their bills while also providing the utility with lower-cost resources they need to meet customers’ electricity needs. In fact, a new statewide report shows that a transition away from continued reliance on coal and gas and towards efficiency and renewables would save Kentuckians billions of dollars. 

The Public Service Commission is required to consider a request for a rate increase if the utility can prove they are not making their needed revenues and approved return on equity for their investors. However, they can – and must – scrutinize the decisions and investments that have led Kentucky Power to this point, so we don’t find ourselves spiraling further in the same direction with new increases proposed again two years from now. Eastern Kentucky cannot afford it. 

There are two remaining public meetings before the hearing: December 18 in Hazard and January 8 in Ashland. You can also file a comment via the PSC website: https://psc.ky.gov/Case/PublicComments/2025-00257

Carrie Ray is the Director of Energy Programs at the Mountain Association. She can be reached at carrie@mtassociation.org. 

The post Kentucky Power Company Customers Can’t Get a Break on Rate Increases  appeared first on Mountain Association.

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.

St. Luke serves around 90 families each month through its food pantry. This past Thanksgiving, they also partnered with a local homeless advocacy group to feed 275 people. Demand for their services has increased in recent years. For example, when supplemental SNAP benefits offered during COVID ended, the pantry had to double its food distribution. 

And with so many ministries relying on the church’s facilities, energy use adds up quickly. The building’s six HVAC units keep the kitchen, pantry, and their Open Door Thrift Store running, alongside the sanctuary and other spaces, making efficiency improvements essential for both cost savings and community service – particularly in the winter. 

“Almost 80 percent of our energy is used from December through March,” Jerry Hardt, a church member and volunteer, explained. But Jerry also explained that changes aren’t just about saving money to do ministry work. 

“Pope Francis emphasized how care of the earth is no different than care for each other.” 

Pope Francis’ encyclical, the Laudato Si’ called on Catholic communities worldwide to care for creation. Encyclicals are the highest forms of the Pope’s teachings, which are circulated the world’s bishops or the entire Catholic community. In response, the Diocese of Lexington committed to achieving net-zero emissions across 50 counties by 2030, where the total amount of energy their buildings consume is equal or lower to the amount of renewable energy their buildings produce. 

To assist with this bold goal, the Mountain Association Energy Team recently held a webinar in partnership with the Diocese and developed a guide for churches on how to save energy. We are also working with several Catholic churches in our service area as they establish their savings goals. 

“St. Luke is leading the charge, having swiftly implemented the recommendations made by our team,” Josh Bills from the Mountain Association said. “We began with a billing review and then a full energy assessment and have been walking alongside the church from start to finish.”  

A review of bills identified the electric company erroneously charging St. Luke sales tax. One phone call to correct resulted in a $2,100 refund and an annual cost savings of $735 per year. Opting in to a Time-of-Day rate class with their utility opened more energy cost savings opportunities. One of the first energy cost savings improvements made was simple, but effective: installing a timer on the church’s hot water heater so it runs primarily during off-peak hours. This change alone is expected to save them $65 per month.  

Next, Appalachian EnergyWorks installed smart thermostats so temperatures can be incrementally and remotely adjusted to save energy costs by preheating and cooling the building during morning off-peak hours. They also switched out 42 light fixtures to LEDs. When insulation work completed by another contractor ran into unexpected issues given the building’s unique roof system, our team stepped in to troubleshoot and ensure everything was installed correctly.  

Now St. Luke is in conversation with the Diocese of Lexington about a solar installation, which will further shrink its energy use and allow the church to redirect those savings back into Magoffin County.  

Through smart energy choices, the church is demonstrating Laudato Si’ in action and how stewardship of the earth only strengthens their ability to serve others. 

Get a free energy assessment for your church here.

The post St. Luke Catholic Church is Cutting Energy Use, Serving More Magoffin County Families appeared first on Mountain Association.

The post Gift Guide to Support Eastern Kentucky Businesses appeared first on Mountain Association.

But Brewtanicals owner, Stephen Greasor, hasn’t always loved coffee. He laughed as he described his first experience with coffee as a teenager. Working for a roofing company, he tried the end-of-the-day breakroom brew that made him swear coffee off entirely. That vow lasted until 2018, when he got his first Keurig, quickly followed by his first pour over set-up, which was quickly followed by his first espresso set-up.  

And when COVID hit, like most of us, Stephen needed a project. Luckily for Richmond, it was perfecting the art of all things coffee. However, it would be a few years before the idea for Brewtanicals fully took shape. 

With a newfound love for quality coffee, over the next few years, Stephen enjoyed traveling and sampling local coffee shops around the country. A friend had also introduced him to the world of plants, so he was also spending a lot of time exploring botanical gardens and arboretums. As his job at the Bluegrass Army Depot started to wind down, he began to think of what was next, and what he could bring to his community.  

Building A Business

“One day, I just woke up and said, ‘I want to open a coffee shop,’” Stephen said. “I’ve always wanted to start a business, but it never presented itself until that moment.”

After that day of clarity, it was on. He began to look at spaces, pull together funds, and research the basics of business. In late 2024, with the perfect space leased, and flexible financing from the Mountain Association, Stephen started the build-out phase.  

“I wanted to create a place you don’t expect. Somewhere you can come in and forget your everyday problems, and sit and relax.”  

And that he did. Almost all of the work in the perfectly curated, moody yet vibrant space, he completed himself — from redoing the ceiling, the drywall, the paint, to installing the flooring and building the bar. He hunted through thrift stores for the right decor and Facebook marketplace for the right furniture. All while, keeping dozens of plants carefully tended.

As with any good remodeling project, there were a few setbacks in his timeline, but finally, in August 2025, Brewtanicals opened its doors. Stephen said every bit of the hard work over the last year has been worth it. 

“One of my favorite things is to watch how people come in and just naturally strike up conversation with each other,” he said. “It makes my day to see people connect and pause.” 

Building Community

Community and collaboration is at the heart of his mission as a business owner. They’ve partnered with Golden Leaves from Richmond on a special Rescue Blend tea that sends $1 from every purchase to the humane society, and Stephen personally drives extra pastries and goodies to Madison Home, a local shelter, on his way home.

And in just the first three months of opening, they’ve hosted local musicians, a poetry night, and have plans to add yoga and meditation sessions. Stephen has also partnered with the fellow shopping center businesses to offer customer discounts for supporting other businesses in the complex. 

He said great mentors from regional coffee shop owners, like Leestown Coffee House in Lexington, City Roastery in Georgetown, and Hazard Coffee Company in Perry County, have helped him troubleshoot equipment and cheered him on. Business experts from the Kentucky Small Business Development Center helped him through the planning process, while Mountain Association’s Lending Team worked with him on the flexibility he needed in a payment schedule to get his doors open and get business built up.

“I couldn’t have done it without that flexibility, it feels like you all are really here for small businesses and what we need.”

In the future, Stephen said he hopes to offer coffee workshops, plant exchanges, and more. But for now, he is trying to pace himself and enjoy that the shop is already exactly what he envisioned—a little oasis from the hectic world. 

Follow along on the Brewtanicals journey here: https://www.brewtanicalsky.com/

The post Richmond, Kentucky’s Newest Coffee Shop is a Plant Lover’s Paradise appeared first on Mountain Association.

In October 2025, local and state leaders, neighbors, and visitors gathered downtown to cut ribbons on a brand-new City Hall, police station, and fire department. 

“I hope this will be a place where you voice your concerns and your voices are heard,” Mayor David Thompson said at the gathering. 

The new City Hall is now equipped with a Level 3 EV Charger, thanks to assistance from Rural Reimagined and the Mountain Association.  

“Every day there is a car there,” said Mayor Thompson, excitedly sharing a story with the crowd about how he taps on each car’s window to find out where they are coming from. “It’s bringing people off the highway and into our downtown.”  

“EV drivers often plan trips around chargers,” said Marcia Dixon, the tourism director. “This positions Barbourville as a must-stop, where visitors can enjoy the charm of downtown and visit our historic sites.” 

The event also marked the launch of Yodel, a new automated shared calendar designed to make it easier for the community and its visitors to stay connected with what’s happening in Barbourville. Claudia Greenwood with the Barbourville Chamber of Commerce, described the frustration both event planners and the community felt in trying to advertise the town’s many happenings.  

“A lot of people were saying, ‘Well, we would have come if we had known about the festival or whatever event it may be.’ Now, with Yodel, those events are going to be easier to find and share.” 

The platform automatically gathers events from Facebook into one big master calendar. Barbourville received funding for Yodel through their participation in What’s Next EKY’s Community Accelerator program in partnership with the Mountain Association. The initiative was organized by leaders from Union Commonwealth University, the Chamber, and many other partners. 

Overall, the day was a wonderful celebration of what can happen in a small town when people come together. Senator Robert Stivers, who grew up in the area and helped secure funding for the new buildings, said it well, “It’s a chain — a strong chain — of people bringing issues to us, giving us an opportunity to make things happen.” 

EV Charging in Eastern Kentucky: Funded by a $65,000 grant from Rural Reimagined, the Barbourville charger is part of a growing effort to build out Kentucky’s EV infrastructure to draw in more tourists and bring travelers into our unique towns. The Mountain Association’s Energy Team supported by running an analysis of how much the town would need to charge users to support the additional electric use. We also connected the city with Johnathan Gambrell, a Corbin-based contractor, who completed the installation. 

Beyond bringing in new people, the chargers also create opportunities for local residents. “We want to give local people an option to consider an EV if it works for their family,” Mayor Thompson said. 

If your town or facility in one of the 54 Appalachian Kentucky counties is interested in exploring EV chargers or energy savings, contact Hope Broecker at hope@mtassociation.org or apply here.

The post Charging Ahead: Barbourville Celebrates 225 Years with New Energy appeared first on Mountain Association.

“So far in Kentucky we don’t have a significant amount of demand on the grid from data centers,” explained Byron Gary, Program Attorney at Kentucky Resources Council. “We have a few smaller operations, but nothing on the ‘hyperscale’ size seen in other places yet. If the growth projected by Louisville Gas & Electric Company (LG&E) and Kentucky Utilities (KU) does come about, though, we could see as much as a 20–30% increase in demand over the next 7–8 years. And this could have a real impact on costs for ratepayers.” 

That kind of increase would require the utilities to make significant new investments in Kentucky’s energy infrastructure. How those costs are distributed will matter to everyone who uses electricity. 

Utilities like LG&E and KU already received permission from state regulators to build two new gas power plants and make upgrades to existing coal units in anticipation of higher demand. They have said that data centers would pay their fair share, but Gary notes that cost allocation is not always clearly defined. 

“The companies claim that the rates paid by data centers will fully cover the costs of all the needed infrastructure, but we have our doubts,” Gary said. “If the data centers don’t materialize, existing ratepayers could end up footing the bill. Even if they do, cost allocation in a utility setting is incredibly complex — and there’s significant room for debate over who’s really driving what costs. The immediate harm to residential customers, especially those already struggling with the costs of things like housing and groceries, could be very real and if electricity costs rise, Kentucky could lose the competitive edge that attracts real, job-creating industries.” 

Higher energy costs don’t only affect households — they ripple through local economies, schools, and community institutions that depend on affordable electricity. In much of Kentucky, residents have limited opportunities to provide input on major industrial developments. Only about one-third of counties have planning and zoning ordinances, meaning that in many areas, projects like data centers can move forward with minimal public notice. 

“It doesn’t help that many local officials negotiating with the developer have signed non-disclosure agreements preventing them from openly speaking with the community about the potential project as they should,” Gary said. 

Beyond concerns about energy costs, data centers can be noisy and do not sustain many local jobs beyond construction. As data centers consider locating in Kentucky, it’s important that communities, regulators, and utilities work together to ensure that new development strengthens, rather than strains, the state’s energy system. Transparent decision-making, fair cost allocation, and thoughtful planning can help make sure that Kentucky remains an affordable and reliable place to live, work, and do business.

The Mountain Association and our partners regularly intervene in utility company proposals presented to the Kentucky Public Service Commission, our state regulators, in order to advocate for energy affordability in Eastern Kentucky.

To stay up to date with this work, please subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

The post Energy Costs & Data Center Development in Kentucky appeared first on Mountain Association.

“No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow,” reads the Maya Angelou quote that hangs above Mitch Smith’s desk, and he draws strength from it when he’s struggling. 

“That’s something I look up at, sometimes many times a day, depending on the challenges of the day,” Smith said. It’s a message that stays with Smith, each day, in his work at a women’s recovery center in a remote area of Perry County, Kentucky. 

It’s a message the center’s residents have to believe as well. Buckhorn Children and Family Services helps not only women and men in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. It also helps troubled boys at the Dessie Scott Children’s Home in Pine Ridge. Buckhorn works to preserve families who are at risk of having their children taken and provides foster care for kids who need significant therapeutic support.

Youth who come to Buckhorn have often experienced multiple traumas. At least three-quarters of them have a history of attempted suicide, and four out of five have experienced sexual abuse. More than half have used drugs, and 90%  have a parent with a history of drug abuse.

Smith came to Buckhorn after working in local government finance in nearby Breathitt County. “It’s been a humbling and educational experience for me as someone who never worked in this type of world prior to this job,” Smith said of his work at Buckhorn. “You read some of these files on these clients and what they face, and then you see them come in, many times in a super-fragile state, and as they work through our program and evolve and grow, it’s really hard to communicate in words the impact it has.” 

The nonprofit’s work is centered in Perry, Wolfe, Pulaski and Laurel counties, though some of their services are available to those farther afield. Many of the communities they serve are in coal country, and the decline of coal mining has contributed to further impoverishment. Wolfe County has the lowest median household income in the nation — less than $20,000 annually — and more than half of its children live below the poverty line.

As Chief Financial Officer at Buckhorn, Smith has shepherded the financing of the Rogers Cottage solar expansion, knowing that money saved on power bills can be put back into these life-changing services. The first phase of the project opened in 2021, but Buckhorn didn’t yet have the resources to build it out to full power.

The second phase of the project adds about 27 kilowatts, more than doubling its size. It is expected to provide 36,724 kilowatt hours annually, 

Appalachian Solar Finance Fund, the Mountain Association, Everybody Solar, and Solar Moonshot all contributed to the project, which Smith said depended on multiple partners. “It could have never happened any other way,” he said. “With the two phases together, you’re looking at well over $200,000. For a nonprofit, where we literally have to watch every dollar, it would have been a pipe dream.”

Under the Inflation Reduction Act, nonprofits like Buckhorn are eligible for a 30% U.S. Treasury payment after installation, along with an additional 10% because the project is located in a community impacted by the changing energy economy. Pitched as “solar in the heart of coal country,” the first phase of the Rogers Cottage array was named Solar Builder Magazine’s “Ground-Mounted Project of the Year” in 2021.

The array fulfills a long-held dream within the organization of pivoting to renewable energy sources. “Buckhorn Children and Family Services has always wanted to be a leader in our community, not only to other nonprofits, but to the private sector and to individuals as well,” Smith said. “Bringing solar and alternative sources of energy is a big way to do that to our communities. What better way to be a leader, than to actually put our best foot forward, and show people you know what the results can be, and encourage and be a resource for other people?”

Buckhorn started in 1903 as a K-12 college, then became an orphanage and children’s home. It has continued to evolve to meet the area’s significant needs, including adding adult substance abuse treatment. “We’re very remote,” Smith said of Rogers House and nearby Midway Cottage, which houses men in recovery. “There’s basically one highway in and out. The whole remoteness of it can be conducive to recovery.”

Clients can hike, canoe, garden and care for animals. They are also developing an equine therapy program operational for adults. And the solar panels have piqued client interests as they think about workforce re-entry after treatment.

“One of our objectives is to increase awareness, not only to other nonprofits and corporations, but to individuals as well,” Smith said. “It’s definitely a plus for everybody.”

It took about five years to fund and install an array capable of powering the Rogers Cottage campus, and a lot of looking up at Maya Angelou for hope. “You just have to push forward and get through it,” Smith said. “When you finally see a dream and a project, a multi-year project, come to fruition, it just shows that determination, perseverance, persistence, gets the job done every time.”

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed by the 117th Congress and signed by President Biden is a piece of federal legislation that aims to reduce inflation by lowering the cost of prescription medications, investing in domestic energy production, and promoting clean energy, among other objectives.

The post Women’s Recovery Center in Eastern Kentucky Powered by Solar appeared first on Mountain Association.

Since Cox Foods started serving the people of eastern Kentucky in the late 1970s and early 1980s, a simple statement has guided the company: “To serve the people of eastern Kentucky clean, fresh, family-friendly grocery stores at a competitive price.”

Tate Cox, the company’s president, said that simple sentence speaks volumes on how Cox Foods has succeeded.

“That’s what it is, and that’s what it’ll always be, regardless of how many people are here or what the economy is doing.  So that’s what we’ll always try to do,” he said.

A Family Legacy

Perhaps it was inevitable that Tate would end up in the grocery business.  His dad, Jimmy, helped establish the Cox Foods brand in eastern Kentucky, and his older brother, Martin, also stepped in to help.

“I grew up in Hindman, and that’s where he ran a small store and he and my mom lived in an apartment over the store.  I grew up in a double-wide trailer the first years of my life that was right next to the store and we could walk to it,” Tate said.  “From there, he expanded into multiple stores and my older brother, Martin, stepped in as well to help.  At one point, they had actually grown the company to about 14 stores throughout Kentucky and Ohio.”

But then, Tate’s dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease when he was in his mid-50s and Tate was a teen.  While he was in college, his dad’s health was declining and Tate’s future took a turn.

“He and my brother asked me to kind of step into that role, so I became president of the company in February of 2020,” Tate said.  “We had to do some different things, kind of downsize and restructure the company and the group.  And then, COVID in March of 2020.”

A new president, his dad’s health declining and a national pandemic.

“It’s weird to say it was a blessing that nobody else knew how to handle it either, so you just kind of had to figure it out on your own,” Tate said.  “But we had a really good team, and that’s what allowed us to do what we needed to do and why we are still here today.”

Community Partners

Today, Cox Foods has locations in Happy, Jackson, Hyden, McDowell and West Liberty.  [Additionally, they added Pikeville to their portfolio, and have renovated that location, reopening it in 2025.]  All the locations take pride in being a valuable member of their communities, and no better example of that is when those communities have experienced a disaster.

West Liberty was the site of a massive, deadly tornado in 2012, and then there was the deadly flooding in eastern Kentucky in 2022.

“The West Liberty store was one of the few things that somehow managed to not get damaged.  We spent a lot of time just trying to be there for the community,” Tate said.  “That was the right thing to do, and we spent a lot of time handing water and cleaning supplies out.  Just being there for the community.”

Then came the floods where employees lost their homes and everything they had.

“I do think part of our job as the local grocer is to be there for people, whether it’s your own employees or the customers,” he said.  “You just [have] to be there for your communities, and I think that’s one of our greatest strengths.  This is us.  This is who we are, where we are from.  We are born and bred and raised here, and it’s our people.”

Tate said that mindset goes back to the legacy his dad left.

“I feel like my dad was one of the kindest and wisest people that I ever knew, and he always took care of people.  I can remember Christmases where he would have a box full of holiday hams and I’d ride with him around the community just handing out hams for free to people.  That leaves an imprint on your mind.”

Protecting SNAP Benefits

During the 2023 General Assembly, House Bill 367 was filed, which would have restricted SNAP eligibility requirements.  The bill did not pass the Senate, but Cox Foods knows how important the benefits are for their communities.

“I think there’s a stigma out there that eastern Kentucky is known for struggling.  And I’m from here; I understand what that means and what that feels like.  And food stamps do play a huge role in the overall health of our economy.  So many people need them and truly need them to help feed their families.  It’s not just a cliché.  I mean, people really need it.”

He said it is easy to see the impact SNAP benefits have on the community when he sees sales reports.

“The first thing you see is, wow, what happened to the SNAP benefits here?  Because you can just physically see the numbers coming in,” Tate said.  “Compare it to during COVID, when they were sending out more benefits with people, and then all [the sudden] take it away.  And you can physically see the drastic decreases.  You can see it through the month, because they come out typically first of the month, and then towards the end you see the falloff.

“It feels like there’s probably a lot of hungry people right now, which is sad.  It’s a huge part of our community, and there’s no doubt that when those things are altered or changed, it not only impacts the people in our community, which we care about the most, but it also greatly impacts the local grocer and their ability to do what they need to do to support the community.”

Cox Foods Has Seen the Region Through It All

Cox Foods has seen eastern Kentucky’s ups and downs through the coal boom and busts.

“Dad felt like he was part of that coal boom and got to see the towns thriving.  It’s weird to hear and see some of the numbers of some of the stores’ sales back in those days versus the store sales today.  You can just visibly see the change in the economy and the change in the number of people [who] are here,” Tate said.

As the region now sees its own struggles as people move out of the region, there’s the challenge of finding workers.  Cox Foods employs about 225 to 250 people.  Tate said they do all they can to attract and retain workers.  They have been fortunate to have several people that have been with the company long term, including store managers who have 40 years of experience and several employees with 25-plus years of experience.

“That’s what makes the company go.  It’s not me; it’s truly the team of people that we have,” he said.  “So many of them act and treat this company or their store as their own, and that’s the way I hope they always see it.  That’s why I feel like we’ve survived because we have some of the best people that I’ve ever met.  When someone walks through the store, they know their name, they know their family, they know what they are doing, who they are.  And that just goes such a long way with customers and being in the community.

“I do think it’s important that we are here for these people and give them what our mission statement says — fresh, clean, family-friendly grocery stores for the people of eastern Kentucky.  That’s what it is, and that’s what it’ll always be, regardless of how many people are here or what the economy is doing.  So, that’s what we’ll always try to do.  We’ll survive as long as we can.”

Partnership with Mountain Association

By Ariel Fugate

Mountain Association has supported Cox Food Group over the decades with affordable financing and energy savings expertise.

Most recently, we worked with Tate on his acquisition and renovation of the former Velocity Market in Pikeville, which they reopened as the reimagined Pikeville Fresh Market in Spring 2025. With the renovation they significantly expanded the stories produce, deli and meat departments. Our Energy Team was also happy to provide additional support in their USDA Rural Energy for America Program grant, which brought in funding to support more efficient lighting and upgraded refrigeration to support to expanded fresh options.

The post Cox Foods Keeps Its Mission for Eastern Kentucky Simple appeared first on Mountain Association.

Impacts on Kentucky Businesses & Organizations

When a rate increase is proposed, the Mountain Association Energy Team calculates the impacts on our clients. We want to make sure the nonprofits, small businesses, and local governments we work with are aware of what’s being proposed and how it’s going to affect their budgets. We looked at 218 accounts, 66 of which are small businesses, 85 are nonprofits, and 67 are local governments. If passed as proposed, this increase will raise electric bills for these clients by nearly $306,000 per year – not including increases in taxes and surcharges. One local government alone is looking at over $13,000 per year in additional electric costs. That’s money that won’t go toward hiring new employees, supporting vital services, or investing in communities.

For large commercial customers – places like grocery stores, small manufacturing facilities, medical clinics, and schools – things will get even more complicated. These customers pay a demand charge, an additional cost based on how much power they pull through their meter at one time. Right now, these customers pay for the most power they pull through their meter at one time over the course of the month. Now KU is proposing to completely restructure that rate into three separate charges based on the time of day the highest power draw happens.

I’ve been analyzing commercial electric bills for 8 years, and it took me several hours to figure out how to utilize the information from our clients’ advanced meters to understand what the impacts of the new rates would be. And that’s only the first step – customers will then need to know how to shift their operations to different times of day to reduce their costs. If you’re the owner of a grocery store, or running a school, you’re probably not going to have the time or expertise to figure that out, if it’s even possible to shift usage in the first place.

KU wants to impose a complex rate structure on an entire class of customers without, apparently, offering any assistance or resources to help them manage their increased costs. You should not need an advanced degree to understand how to manage your electric bill.

Impacts on Solar Customers

On top of all this, KU is again trying to change its solar net metering rate by slashing the amount customers would be credited for electricity they generate but don’t use immediately by nearly half. This time, however, they want it to affect existing solar customers. This means that homeowners and businesses who have installed solar since 2021 with the expectation that they would get a certain financial return could see that investment downgraded. One of our clients would see their yearly solar savings drop by nearly $1,600 per year under the proposed rate. This is especially egregious because ratepayers have looked to solar as a way to curb the impact of repeated rate increases, and now KU is trying to claw back some of those savings.

What You Can Do

Mountain Association is jointly intervening in the rate case with other public interest organizations to advocate for our clients and all the small businesses, nonprofits, local governments, and homeowners who will be impacted by this increase. It’s vitally important that the Public Service Commission also hears directly from the people that will be affected.

If you’re a KU customer, you can file a comment on this rate increase with the PSC at https://www.k4ed.org/lge-ku.html, or directly by emailing psc.comment@ky.gov, and mentioning Case No. 2025-00113. You can also attend a public meeting:

• Lexington: October 14 at 5 p.m., Bluegrass Community & Technical College: Keeneland Room, 500 Newtown Pike
• Middlesboro: October 16 at 5 p.m., Middlesboro Community Center, 705 N. Petersborough Ave
• Frankfort: November 3 at 9 a.m., PSC Offices, 211 Sower Blvd

If you’re worried about your electric bills, energy upgrades can help you reduce the impact of rate increases. KU offers rebates for commercial energy upgrades, and some commercial customers may be eligible for free lighting and thermostat upgrades. Our Energy Team can help you understand your options. Learn more and get started at mtassociation.org/energy. 

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