Call to Order and Roll Call
The 1st meeting of the Special Subcommittee on Energy was held on Wednesday, June 19, 2013, at<MeetTime> 2:00 PM, in Ballroom D, Northern Kentucky Convention Center, Covington, Kentucky. Representative Richard Henderson, Chair, called the meeting to order, and the secretary called the roll.
Present were:
Members: Senator Jared Carpenter, Co-Chair; Representative Richard Henderson, Co-Chair; Senators Ernie Harris, Ray S. Jones II, Dorsey Ridley, Katie Stine, and Johnny Ray Turner; Representatives Rocky Adkins, Dwight D. Butler, Leslie Combs, Tim Couch, Jim Gooch Jr., Keith Hall, Thomas Kerr, Martha Jane King, Tanya Pullin, Tom Riner, John Short, Kevin Sinnette, John Will Stacy, Fitz Steele, and Brent Yonts.
Guests: James Henning, President, Duke Energy for Ohio and Kentucky; Greg Coker, Director, External Relations, Delta Natural Gas; Matt Tackett, Executive Director, Kentucky Gas Association; Melissa Howell, Executive Direction, Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition; Virginia Carrington, Branch Manager, Department for Community Based Services, Cabinet for Health and Family Services and Mike Moynahan, Energy Programs Director, Community Action Kentucky.
LRC Staff: D. Todd Littlefield, CSA, Janine Coy-Geeslin, and Susan Spoonamore, Committee Assistant.
Natural Gas in Kentucky and Beyond
Matt Tackett, Executive Director, Kentucky Gas Association, Greg Coker, External Relations, Delta Natural Gas and Melissa Howell, Executive Director, Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition, spoke about Natural Gas in Kentucky and Beyond. Mr. Tackett explained that there are 160 members of the Kentucky Gas Association. Eighty-three gas utilities serve 4,366,814 people in Kentucky. Utility sales revenue totaled $896,800 in 2011. The natural gas industry provides 4,397 direct jobs and 9,992 indirect jobs.
Melissa Howell, Executive Director, Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition (KCFC), spoke about the KCFC’s numerous natural gas projects with companies such as M&M Cartage, Louisville; Waste Transport Services, Elizabethtown; and Lexington Fayette Urban County Government, for fleet management, training and refueling stations. KCFC is a non-profit partnership supported by public and private members, including UPS, which is the Commonwealth’s largest private-sector employer.
In response to Senator Carpenter, Mr. Coker stated that there must first be fueling centers for freight hauling trucks using Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). Kentucky needs to be a leader.
In response to Representative Atkins, Ms. Howell stated that Kentucky is headed in the right direction using natural gas for transportation fuel. However, she explained the infrastructure has to be built before the customer demand will support the need for more natural gas outfitted vehicles.
Presentation and Public Hearing on the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Block Grant Application – FY14
Virginia Carrington, Branch Manager, Department for Community Based Services, Cabinet for Health and Family Services, and Mike Moynahan, Energy Programs Director, Community Action Kentucky, testified on the FFY 2014 Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Block Grant Plan Summary. Ms. Carrington explained allocation of funds, LIHEAP eligibility and application requirements, and the weatherization assistance program.
Upon motion of Representative Tanya Pullin and second by Representative Keith Hall, the LIHEAP Block Grant Application Findings of Fact were approved without objection, by unanimous vote.
The meeting was adjourned.