Editorial: State working against citizens, for coal

An editorial this morning in the Lexington Herald-Leader reminds us of the open-door access the coal industry has to the governor's office. This results in many policies and acts that hurt people and communities while doing the industry's bidding.

One example cited is the decision by the Beashear administration to appeal to the Kentucky Supreme Court three lower court rulings that have allowed citizens to intervene in a Clean Water Act enforcement case involving thousands of violations. Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Len Peters already has admitted his agency does not have the resources to fully enforce the law and has decried legal cases that consume more resources. Yet he is willing to squander more of these resources to prevent citizens from getting to the bottom of his agency's failure to enforce laws protecting people and our water.

Read the Herald-Leader editorial here.