Louisville Gas & Electric and Kentucky Utilities are asking the PSC to approve the building of two new gas plants and a solar farm, closing two aging coal plants, and changes to their energy efficiency programs.

While most of this sounds good we need to push the PSC to deny the permit for new gas, which locks us into paying for new fossil fuel plants and 40 more years of carbon pollution. And we need more solar (especially rooftop solar) and energy efficiency programs that help the folks who need it most (not just programs that look good on paper)

The question at hand is "do we need two new gas plants right now?" and the answer is "No." 

• The companies own projections don't show a need for new generating capacity until 2028
• We're expecting new regulations on gas plants coming from the federal government soon
• It's not smart or safe to lock customers into paying for two new gas plants to be built when we know we need to be moving away from fossil fuels.

This is your opportunity to get your voice heard! Submit your public comment using the form below before August.

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Don't overthink it. Your comment can be simple

See more sample talking points below if you want to include more specifics.

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Sample Talking Points

We don’t want or need new fossil fuel generation

• We support closing coal plants but we absolutely do not want to replace them with expensive and polluting 40 year gas plants and their infrastructure.   
• Before 40 year gas plants are even considered we need to expand efficiency programs, rooftop solar, utility scale solar, storage, and fully explore new capacity alternatives such as virtual power plants, joining regional grids. 
• The companies’ proposed energy efficiency proposals are inadequate. Kentucky has one of the poorest records in the country on energy efficiency in terms of residential energy efficiency program savings as a percentage of sales, and revenues spent on energy efficiency programs
• Kentuckians need EE programs that achieve at least 2-3% of load.
• We want a public commitment to ignore the 1% cap on solar and to continue to support distributed resources after reaching that threshold.
• We want the companies to help customers invest in EE, solar, and storage - and access IRA benefits outside of company programs: this means better policy advocacy.

The companies need to do more for low and moderate income customers.  ​

• Companies need to track need (energy burden), energy insecurity (arrearages and disconnections),  and utility retrofits better - and make that data publicly available.
• The companies need to support  energy efficiency financing programs that are maximally inclusive and do not neglect particular income groups.  Support programs that address the problem of split incentives between landlords and tenants. 
• The reach of the proposed low income weatherization and efficiency programs is far too limited.
• They need to offer better value for rooftop solar

Gas threatens our health and safety

• We need to lower pollution levels and threats of extreme temperatures and extreme weather events.  These extremes threaten our health, agriculture, and economy. 
• These threats are expensive and these costs need to be factored in.

Customers will be on the hook

• ​​Gas plants face carbon policy threats during their 40-year life cycle, increasing the risk of stranded assets/ bad debt for customers. (EPA is already proposing new pollution requirements.)
• Utility should assume risk of fuel cost volatility, rather than passing costs through via the fuel adjustment charge; reference their comments on carbon regulation and price volatility