Kentucky students are j...

Editor’s Note: The following is a guest blog post from a guest blogger. The views and opinions expressed in this guest blog do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Renew Appalachia or of the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED). Six proud,...
Abandoned Mine Lands funds should be reinvested in just economic transition

Abandoned Mine Lands fu...

Central Appalachia needs more than just good ideas to shepherd the region through a just economic transition; it needs investment – and lots of it – to make those ideas a reality. That may seem like a tall order, especially given that perhaps the region’s most reliable...
Kentucky General Assembly tinkers but doesn’t change way it spends severance funds

Kentucky General Assemb...

The Kentucky General Assembly came to a close last week, and its accomplishments (or lack thereof) leave much to be desired for eastern Kentucky. A bill to make permanent scholarships for coal county students attending coalfield schools passed, but beyond that, little was done to support...
Severance Tax Dollars Need Stronger Overall Strategy

Severance Tax Dollars N...

This blog is cross-posted at the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy. The House version of the new state budget takes $20 million of coal severance money the governor’s budget had allocated to region-wide programs and local governments and shifts money to over 400 earmarked local...

“It doesn’t take ...

The latest issue of LEO Weekly, a news magazine out of Louisville, features a cover story on the coal severance tax. “Reclaiming Kentucky,” by Willie Davis, explores the questions so many of us have been asking for some time: what is the best use of the severance tax?...
Where Should Coal Severance Money Go?

Where Should Coal Sever...

Two Eastern Kentucky legislators have pre-filed a bill in Frankfort that would send all coal severance funds back to coal-producing counties. Eastern Kentucky local governments have been seriously struggling to get by as the coal industry declines in the region, so this money would mean...
Coal Severance Controversy

Coal Severance Controve...

Coal severance has been in the news quite a bit lately, raising questions about how it’s being used and who is benefiting. Earlier this month, it was revealed that Kentucky would be using $2.5 million in coal severance dollars to fund the renovation of the University of Kentucky’s Rupp...
Sharp Decline in Coal Severance Tax Revenue Underscores Need for Economic Plan

Sharp Decline in Coal S...

We are pleased to share with you this important piece from Jason Bailey at the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy:  New data showing that eastern Kentucky lost 4,000 coal jobs last year should raise alarm among public officials about the longstanding need for an economic transition...