KFTC members speak up for just transition at SOAR Summit
The conversation about economic transition in eastern Kentucky and Appalachia got a big boost on Monday as more than 1,500 people gathered in Pikeville for the SOAR Summit. Dozens of KFTC members participated, sounding the drumbeat for a just transition in the mountains and distributing ideas and literature with specific suggestions on the principles, process and policies that should guide that transition.
SOAR stands for Shaping Our Appalachian Region, a regional planning process announced in October by Governor Steve Beshear and U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers. The summit on December 9 in Pikeville was the first step in that process.
But KFTC members have been talking about a just transition for years.
“It’s a different tenor than what we had in April. But I’m excited. They know we gotta do something.” —Ray Tucker
Ray Tucker of Pulaski County said the summit would not have happened if KFTC hadn’t hosted the Appalachia’s Bright Future (ABF) conference in April. That three-day event in Harlan brought together more than 200 people from across the region and outside it to explore avenues for a just transition in the mountains.
“It’s a different tenor than what we had in April," said Tucker, noting the involvement at SOAR of many people connected with government and business. "But I’m excited. They know we gotta do something."
Several themes of ABF were on the agenda at SOAR, including youth engagement, building from existing local assets, broadband access, entrepreneurship and regional collaboration. One legislator even used the words “bright future.”
“They looked to our template,” said KFTC member Sylvia Ryerson of Letcher County.
In the course of the day, participants contributed dozens of ideas during breakout sessions and via comment cards. Recurring themes included encouraging entrepreneurship, quality training for highly skilled jobs, working across county lines, strengthening education at all levels, sharing resources, expanding broadband, improving highways, offering better childcare, and putting aside political egos and rivalries.
Reflecting on the summit, KFTC members generally felt positive about the day.
Josh May of Letcher County attended a breakout session on leadership development and youth engagement. “I just couldn’t believe that a hundred people could come to consensus about some of the things we did,” May said. “I’m reeling right now. It’s surreal and amazing in some ways.” One thing his group came to consensus about is that eastern Kentucky needs new people in elected office.
The crowd of 1,500 at the summit spent the morning hearing from Beshear, Rogers, and a father and son from northeastern Minnesota who described economic transition in the Iron Range. In that region, people realized in the 1970s that a transition was coming, so they established a “rainy day fund” to fund economic development. Minnesota also returns two-thirds of severance taxes to the mining region.
In the afternoon, participants chose from nine breakout sessions: job creation and retention, entrepreneurship and innovation, infrastructure, public and private investment, tourism, regional collaboration and identity, leadership development and youth engagement, lifelong learning, and health/biotechnology/human services.
The planning committee will compile the recommendations and develop a report to Beshear and Rogers within 30 days. Beshear and Rogers will review the report and produce a plan within another 30 days.
"Today is not the end of gathering new ideas," Beshear said. "That will be an ongoing process."
Keep checking our blog for additional stories about the SOAR summit. And here's some news coverage of the event:
SOAR summit met with wait-and-see attitude
At summit, Eastern Kentucky leaders look to Minnesota for ideas to renew economy
SOAR Summit in Pike County, Ky. Addresses Economic Challenges
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