Letter to the editor: Group looks toward UK’s energy future

Coal mined under Kentucky soil has undermined Kentucky progress.

Though coal is losing its grip on Kentucky, Kentuckians remain passive about energy progress.

Nowhere is this more evident than at the commonwealth’s flagship university, the University of Kentucky. Heavily influenced by the coal industry, UK derives much of its electricity from a company that uses coal-burning power plants, and UK even maintains two coal/natural gas steam plants on campus.

In effort to curb the university’s impact on global climate change, President Eli Capilouto instituted a Climate Action Plan committee designed to reduce the university’s use of nonrenewable energy resources and set goals to reach “climate neutrality” in the near future. Out of good intentions, the committee was formed at the start of the fall 2012 semester with a goal of creating a university climate plan by the end of the spring semester 2013. However, these plans went awry.

Only meeting twice in the fall semester, the committee has not met since November 2012. Evidently not committed to meeting the university’s energy goals, the committee has yet to boast an organized effort, much less a plan to commit the University of Kentucky to a more sustainable future.

Dissatisfied with the committee’s efforts, UK students plan to collect petition signatures from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Earth Day (Monday) at the Student Center, urging committee members to meet and create a plan for UK’s energy future. These students seek support from the student body to help our university achieve Kentucky progress.