Renner Barsella, renner.barsella@sierraclub.org
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Sierra Club and partners held a funeral procession Sunday to memorialize the 494-acre wildlife corridor in Bernheim Forest that will be destroyed in Louisville Gas and Electric (LG&E) and Kentucky Utilities’ (KU) pipeline buildout. Advocates and community members gathered to eulogize the land, water, and wildlife that will be destroyed by the pipeline.
The Kentucky Public Service Commission PSC will host a hearing on Monday, August 4 to evaluate LG&E and KU’s Certificate of Public Necessity and Convenience (CPCN), asking for approval of $3.7 billion in spending on gas system expansion, including the pipeline buildout. The PSC is accepting public comments on the CPCN until August 4.
Following the rally, Elisa Owen, Sierra Club Senior Campaign Organizer, Beyond Coal Campaign, released the following statement:
“We have a lot to mourn right now. Kentuckians are struggling every month to pay their power bills. Thousands of families are facing utility shut-offs. Our sacred spaces, air, and water are being sacrificed. Meanwhile, utilities continue to invest in fossil fuels and the rise of data centers threaten to undo progress we have made and then some. However, with this much to mourn, we are more motivated than ever to enact change and protect our communities.
“We do not have to choose between adequate electricity and protecting our environment. This is a choice between a livable future or not, between seizing our power to build a new, just economy or continuing to allow billionaires to get richer. Our voices make a difference. We must drive in public comments to the Public Service Commission and continue to fight LG&E’s gamble on gas; especially for customers that don’t yet exist.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.