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Alabama woman works to help returning citizens rebuild their lives; Marist polls: Harris leads Trump in Michigan, Wisconsin; they're tied in Pennsylvania; UAW contract negotiations at VW focus on healthcare, safety, wages; NC dentists warn of crisis due to low Medicaid reimbursement rates.

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Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

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A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Report: Power Diversity Could Pay Off Big for Kentucky

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Tuesday, January 17, 2012   

BEREA, Ky. - More jobs, greater economic activity and utility-bill savings for customers are all byproducts of investing in clean energy in Kentucky over the next decade. That's according to a new study that examines the effects of the Clean Energy Opportunity Act - House Bill 167, introduced in the Kentucky House - if it becomes law.

Kristin Tracz, who represents the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED), the group that released the report, says those effects could be substantial.

"It specifically shows that 28,000 net new jobs are possible; between 8 to 10 percent reduction in average electric bills; it can create $1.5 billion in additional contributions to the gross state product."

Tracz says the bill would require that utilities in Kentucky get 12.5 percent of their electricity from renewable energy, and achieve more than ten percent savings from energy efficiency efforts by 2022, requirements whose effects are included in the report.

"So, it's a bill that starts small and ends reasonable. It's a ten-year plan to start to transition utilities in Kentucky to a more diversified energy portfolio, and a cleaner energy portfolio."

Pro-coal advocates point to cheap power and job creation as reasons to keep coal in the picture, but Tracz says the report found the dollars Kentucky could spend making the transition to cleaner power sources will go further than a future still dependent on coal.

"The contributions that coal has paid to our economy have been significant, but the average coal plant in Kentucky is 47 years old. We are facing aging infrastructure, and we have a lot of costs associated with modernizing our power infrastructure."

The study was done by Synapse Energy Economics, which specializes in energy, economic, and environmental topics. It predicts that energy costs will rise even if the state does nothing.

Tracz says the report mirrors the benefits that neighboring states such as Ohio and North Carolina have reaped by passing similar legislation.

See the full report at www.maced.org





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