Kentucky Resources Council

10/12/2026

Today is the FINAL DAY to register for the Kentucky Watershed Network Summit!

KRC will be presenting "Managing the Data Center Boom: Policies and Regulatory Tools for Communities," and “What’s in Your Water Permit? Using Public Records to Develop Strong Water Permit Comments,” and we hope to see you there!

Register now 👉 https://www.kwalliance.org/kentucky-watershed-network-summit.html

10/10/2026

Join us on Saturday, November 7th at the Berea College Forestry Outreach Center for KRC’s 2026 Annual Meeting!

Spend the morning exploring the trails at your own pace before we gather at 1:30 p.m. for the annual meeting itself. It’s a great chance to connect with fellow members, learn more about KRC’s work, hear award winners, and meet our staff and board members. Register now: bit.ly/KRCAnnualMeeting2026

10/08/2026

LAST CALL! Every year, KRC recognizes individuals whose dedication, leadership, and advocacy have helped protect Kentucky's natural resources and advance environmental justice across the Commonwealth.

If you know someone whose work deserves to be celebrated, we encourage you to submit a nomination: https://bit.ly/2026EnviroChampionAwards

10/07/2026

A threat to Kentucky's streams and wetlands, power plant pollution rollbacks, a threat to Kentucky's streams and wetlands, and a chance to honor the people protecting our environment. These issues are at the center of our October newsletter, plus an invitation to our Annual Meeting on Nov. 7 and our last call for Environmental Champion nominations.

Swipe through to get this month's headlines, and for the full stories, head to https://bit.ly/October26NewsKRC.

10/01/2026

The Trump administration is moving to repeal the Roadless Rule, a critical tool for protecting irreplaceable undeveloped areas in our National Forest System — including more than 2,800 acres at the heart of Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. For more than 25 years, this federal rule has helped safeguard clean water, wildlife habitat, and scenic landscapes by prohibiting road construction, logging and other activities in roadless areas like the Wolfpen area in the DBNF, near Chimney Top Rock and the Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail. Roadless.org is a great tool for making your voice heard and telling the federal government why protecting the Red River Gorge and other roadless areas matters to you and future generations!

Roadless areas safeguard clean water for 124M people, vital wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreation. Join us in protecting these irreplaceable public lands.

09/21/2026

Join us on Thursday with Artist-in-Residence Shawn Smith!

09/17/2026

If you're in Owensboro, Hawesville, or a nearby community, this one's for YOU.

Data centers developers are eyeing rural Kentucky, where there aren't many rules in place to protect communities from their impacts. Join Sierra Club's Elisa Owen and KRC's Ashley Wilmes and Byron Gary for a panel breaking down what data centers mean for Western Kentucky’s energy bills, water supply, land use, and utility costs — plus real strategies for shaping local siting decisions ✨before they're made for you.✨

Come learn more about data centers and how you can make sure your voice is heard!

09/15/2026

Trump’s EPA just repealed its 2024 rule limiting carbon pollution from power plants — Kentucky's #1 source of greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for 50+ million tons of CO2 a year. 🏭

EPA previously estimated that the now-scrapped rule would result in $120 billion in health benefit benefits by 2047, including preventing 1,200 premature deaths and 360,000 asthma attacks in one year alone.

Unfortunately, the EPA isn't stopping there. It's also moving to strip its own authority to ever regulate this pollution again. "A reckless giveaway to fossil fuel interests that will cost American lives," says KRC Executive Director Ashley Wilmes.

Read more: https://bit.ly/TrumpEPAMoreRollbacks

09/14/2026

Kentucky, like the rest of the nation, has been facing both unprecedented projected electricity demand and affordability concerns around utility rates.

Join us ✨THIS FRIDAY, September 18th, at 12 p.m.✨ to explore these challenges in The Rising Cost of Power: Kentucky’s Electricity Future in the Age of Data Centers with Kent Chandler, former chair of the Kentucky Public Service Commission and non-resident fellow at the R Street Institute.

Kent will discuss how electric rates are currently regulated in Kentucky, how to improve utility planning, what the new era of data center demand and legislative interest in nuclear power development could mean for Kentucky’s ratepayers and communities, and what the PSC and legislature could do to mitigate the risks for everyday Kentuckians.

✍️ Register now: https://bit.ly/RisingCostOfPower

09/11/2026

In much of the U.S., there's no easy way to know when the air outside turns dangerous. Federal air monitoring has been shrinking for decades — fewer monitors, aging equipment, often far from the polluters that matter most.

Now the risks are rising. Wildfire smoke, data center pollution, and climate-driven heat waves are all making air quality worse. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has delayed and rolled back rules meant to curb harmful pollution.

Communities have turned to low-cost sensors to track their own air, but a new Floodlight investigation finds industry pushing back — since 2024, Louisiana, Ohio, and Kentucky have all passed strikingly similar bills, backed by chemical and manufacturing trade groups, that restrict how community-collected data can be used to hold polluters accountable. Read more: https://floodlightnews.org/toxic-air-monitoring-decline/