I Love Mountains Day is February 12

Tenth year to recognize importance of mountains to Kentucky

Kentuckians from across the state will gather on Thursday for the 10th I Love Mountains Day march and rally in Frankfort.

Besides celebrating the importance of the mountain area to all of Kentucky, the event helps focus attention on the potential to build a diverse and healthy economy with good jobs and opportunities for Appalachia and all of Kentucky.

“We can create new clean energy power, new economic power and new political power across this state. In doing so we have to stop practices that rob us of our clean water, good soil and health, and take us down the wrong energy path,” said a statement from Kentuckians For The Commonwealth.

The annual event, which draws hundreds of Kentuckians to the steps of the state capitol, will take place on Thursday, February 12. It's organized by Kentuckians For The Commonwealth with dozens of churches and other civic organization participating.

KFTC members want legislators to give serious consideration to the Clean Energy Opportunity Act (House Bill 229), legislation that would require utilities to start generating a modest amount of their electricity through renewable sources. It also would require energy efficiency programs, and give incentives to homeowners and farmers to install renewable systems. There would be no cost to taxpayers.

An independent study found that such programs would create 28,000 new jobs for Kentuckians over the next 10 years. Yet opposition from the coal industry has kept the bill from getting a vote.

Additional jobs could be created through soil and water restoration projects to repair some of the legacy pollution issues left by 100 years of coal mining. Over the past few years, more than 20 peer-reviewed studies have linked that pollution with elevated levels of birth defects, cancer, coronary and respiratory diseases, and a lower life expectancy in areas of heavy strip mining and water pollution compared with non-mining areas.

Legislation that would prevent the dumping of additional toxic mining wastes into any Kentucky stream has been blocked by House leaders.

I Love Mountains Day will include a march from the Kentucky River to the Capitol steps at 12:30 p.m. and a rally at the Capitol at 1:15 p.m.

More information about I Love Mountains Day can be found online at www.kftc.org/love.