New report finds punitive water shutoff policies
When a household budget is stretched thin, the loss of a basic utility can quickly turn financial strain into a crisis. A water disconnection means losing the ability to cook, bathe, wash clothes, care for children, or remain safe at home.
Last month, ACLC released When the Tap Runs Dry: Drinking Water Disconnections in Kentucky, a follow-up to our 2023 report on water affordability. The new report examines 114 Kentucky water systems and found nearly 57,000 disconnections in FY24, an increase over FY23.
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Key findings include:
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Another concern is that many municipal water systems fall outside of Public Service Commission oversight and reporting requirements, including small, struggling systems in high-poverty areas. This leaves customers with few protections and makes shutoffs harder to track.
The report points to a need for stronger oversight and customer protections, better public reporting,and assistance programs for households. ACLC will continue to work with partners toward these aims.
Read coverage of the report by the Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky Lantern. .
New federal bills target “zombie mines”
Mine reclamation advocates welcomed three federal bills that would tighten cleanup requirements for non-producing, unreclaimed coal mines. Dubbed “zombie mines,” these abandoned industrial sites can pollute water systems, destabilize land, and increase flooding and landslide risks. They also delay economic development that is urgently needed in coalfield communities.
One of the bills, Beyer’s CLEAN UP Mines Act, would set clearer time limits for completing reclamation, a provision that responds to findings in ACLC’s 2025 report on delayed mine land cleanup. The bills also reflect reforms that ACLC and partners called for in a co-authored letter to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.
To learn more about the bills introduced by Reps. Chris Deluzio, Summer Lee, and Don Beyer, read our press release.
Documentary examines black lung crisis
The bill never comes due for the industry, but it does for their miners.
– ACLC Executive Director Wes Addington, interviewed in Black Lung Rising
Black Lung Rising, a Fault Lines documentary, looks at the devastating effects of black lung disease on miners and their families amid a resurgence of this preventable illness.
The film profiles disabled miners including Mackie Branham Jr., who was diagnosed with progressive massive fibrosis at just 38, and includes Wes Addington discussing silica dust exposure and the coal industry’s history of avoiding accountability.
Workshop shares ways to lower energy bills
Letcher County residents gathered last week for the second of six community conversations on energy affordability, hosted by ACLC in partnership with Appalachians for Appalachia. Chris Woolery of Mountain Association shared low-cost ways to ease home energy bills.
We’re grateful to Stewart-Hindman Fund at Blue Grass Community Foundation for supporting the event and helping provide energy-savings kits to participants
These First Tuesday workshops are also streamed on Facebook, with our next event focused on solar energy. Follow the workshop series.
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