Tagged: electricity

A group of southern Kentucky businessmen are pushing to remove the chairman of the state's largest rural electric cooperative and making allegations that he has acted improperly.

Somerset businessman John Tuttle is spearheading the drive to oust Rick Stephens of McCreary County as chairman of the South Kentucky Rural Electric Cooperative. Tuttle says that some people are accusing Stephens of illegal activity, but he believes Stephens has made decisions that "don't pass the smell test."

A large coal-burning power plant in Illinois that provides electricity to some areas of Western Kentucky and Indiana is under fire. A non-profit analyzed the costs of the plant and the numbers suggest ratepayers in eight states are paying more than they should.

Coal-fired electricity is one of the reasons Kentucky’s utility rates are among the lowest in the nation. And as new pollution regulations take effect, coal is the reason Kentucky will be among the hardest hit states. Rate increases currently before the Public Service Commission are one sign of the changing tide.

In September, dozens of people showed up at a public meeting in Louisville to weigh in on proposed electricity rate increases. Most of them, like Rev. Milton Seymore, were against the higher rates.