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Donate now to support housing affordability policy
A fairer, healthier, more-just Louisville housing market is possible, but taking action on affordable, sustainable policies starts with us.
DonateThe Public Service Commission (PSC) is a three-member administrative body that governs the public utility companies in Kentucky. The PSC reviews different types of cases, such as rate increase or reduction, consumer complaints, compliance, demand side management, integrated resource plans, and much more. The Metropolitan Housing Coalition and Everyhome are joint intervenors on important rate cases, demand side management cases, and integrated resource plans that affect Louisville energy costs.
Winter Storm Elliott hit the eastern portion of the US on December 23-25, 2022. As the storm moved across Kentucky, it transitioned from rain to ice then snow. In Louisville, temperatures dropped from the mid-40s to sub-zero. In response, millions of households across Kentucky turned up their heat, straining the grid and making it hard for utility companies to provide enough electricity to keep everyone’s power on. To keep up with demand, utility companies, like LG&E and KU, forced power outages and left people without power in dangerous winter weather conditions. Now, two years later, the Public Service Commission will investigate the cause, impact, and result of the struggle, and ultimately the inability, to provide retail electric service at the level demanded from December 23 to December 25, 2022.
On May 23, 2024, the PSC held a hearing on the Winter Storm Elliott case. The outcome of this hearing will be used in LG&E/KU’s upcoming Integrated Resource Plan filing in October 2024, in which LG&E/KU will examine both their energy demand and supply and must identify any risks that could prevent them from meeting their customers’ long-term energy needs at reasonable costs. A final decision on the case has yet to be made.
With a changing energy landscape and an outdated utility business model, we need to ensure that the Public Service Commission, along with our energy providers, protects the public interest in terms of health, affordability, and resiliency, and begins the renewable energy transition so that no community experiences rolling blackouts again.
To read our article on the events of the Winter Storm Elliott hearing in the Courier Journal, please click here.
Bills from the 2024 Legislative Session
House Bill 180
What was is in the bill?
This would create standards prohibiting the disconnection of service by retail electric and gas utilities at certain times, for example, during extreme-weather like heat and cold. The bill was not passed in the 2024 legislative session, however, we hope to see it return in 2025. In the meantime, we ask everyone to push this bill to their councilmembers!
How does this work?
This bill is fundamental in preventing Kentuckians, especially Kentucky’s most vulnerable communities, from experiencing energy disconnection when they need energy most. Not only will this bill protect the health, safety, and stability of affected families, it will also protect properties from damage.
House Bill 388
What was in the bill?
Includes a provision in Section 13 for a one-year moratorium on land development code (LDC) changes through April 2025 and requires further study and recommendations from the mayor. This would effectively pause at the very least and effectively kill LDC Reform efforts in Louisville. The bill was passed in the 2024 legislative session.
How does this work?
Louisville Metro Council passed a resolution to conduct a equitable review in 2020, the Office of Planning and Design (now the Office of Planning) studied and produced recommendations, and we have worked for four years to get where we are through a broad coalition of folks to educate and engage with the public on the LDC Reform process (two years of public engagement). MHC and our partners have done the studies, identified the need, produced recommendations, engaged the public, and the coalition is creating positive changes to the LDC that will create roofs over people’s heads in the Louisville community–throughout the entire community
Senate Bill 349
What was in the bill?
This would prohibit the Public Service Commission from approving the retirement of a fossil fuel-fired electric generating unit unless the commission finds that the utility has no undepreciated investment in the unit and that the costs to operate the unit are greater than the revenue that it generates. The bill was passed in the 2024 legislative session.
How does this work?
It would require ratepayers to pay significant money through higher electricity rates in order to pay for operation and maintenance of regulated electric generating units beyond their useful life
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Generous supporters like you are making this work possible. Here are some important ways you can get involved today.
FOLLOW THE JOURNEY TOWARD AFFORDABLE ENERGY AND HOUSING
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