Water

In the Central Appalachian Mountains, watershed health and community access to clean, affordable water are inseparable. For two decades, ACLC has used legal and policy avenues to hold coal companies and public agencies accountable for pollution of the region’s waterways. In recent years, this work has expanded to address how industrial extraction affects community access to basic water service. Degraded source water and neglected utility infrastructure have made drinking water unsafe, unreliable, and unaffordable in many coalfield communities. 

ACLC works alongside grassroots groups pressing for more public accountability for the effects of mining on watersheds and drinking water. We provide free legal representation and advocacy support, including representation before the Kentucky Public Service Commission and advocacy opposing state legislation that weakens waterway protections. We are currently working with national partners to advance federal legislation that would strengthen long-term treatment requirements for water pollution from mine sites. 

Energy

Eastern Kentucky residents face a growing energy affordability crisis. As the coal economy and population have declined, fewer customers are left to support the costs of the region’s electric system. Repeated rate increases by Kentucky Power, the utility serving much of Eastern Kentucky, has placed a growing burden on low-income residents. Many households are forced to make impossible choices between electricity, medications, food, and other basic needs. Kentucky Power is also proposing new fossil-fuel generation to meet energy demand, perpetuating the region’s dependence on an unsustainable energy source. While the regulatory proceedings that determine these investments and rates remain difficult for the public to access.

ACLC advocates on behalf of the community before the Kentucky Public Service Commission, as a member of the Joint Intervenors coalition. This coalition of environmental and consumer advocates press for affordability, energy efficiency, demand-side management, and more transparent decision making. ACLC also produced a 2026 report analyzing energy burdens and energy shutoffs in the state.

Recent Reports

On Water

• When the Tap Runs Dry: Drinking Water Disconnections in Kentucky
• Drinking Water Affordability in Kentucky
• Martin County Drinking Water Affordability Report

On Energy

• Lights Out in Kentucky: Energy Burdens and Electricity Disconnections Across the State

News & Press Releases