December 23, 2025 - Recent temperature swings in the Bluegrass State underscore why Kentucky lawmakers are still clinging to coal, according to Senate Republicans who responded to new research by environmental groups calling for an end to the state’s alleged overreliance on fossil fuels.

Mid-December’s sub-freezing temperatures proved why Kentuckians need “dependable, around-the-clock power,” the GOP Senate leaders said in a statement over the weekend.

The statement follows the release of the report which found Kentuckians could save billions by embracing clean energy alternatives and repealing laws that put a thumb on the scale in favor of coal. The report was commissioned this year by the Kentucky Resources Council, Metropolitan Housing Coalition, Mountain Association and Earthjustice.

The study was produced by Current Energy Group LLC, a consulting firm GOP lawmakers accuse of being biased in favor of decarbonization.

The group, Senate Republicans said, “was produced by a consulting firm openly dedicated to advancing aggressive policies that actually diminish our ability to grow the economic base.”

Member’s of CEG’s energy transition team authored report, calling into question whether its conclusions are an independent assessment of the state’s energy needs, the lawmakers said.

CEG modeled Kentucky’s future energy needs and determined laws Republicans championed in 2023 and 2024 hinder utilities from transitioning to a more diverse, reliable and inexpensive set of power sources such as solar, wind and battery storage.

The policies set tougher standards for state regulators to phase out coal-fired units and established a commission to review fossil fuel-fired plant closures, including those that burn coal, oil or natural gas.

GOP lawmakers touted that commission in their statement Saturday, saying it ensures energy policy “is driven by facts, reliability, and long-term competitiveness.”

“The study is a fair, transparent, and unbiased assessment,” Kentucky Resources Council Executive Director Ashley Wilmes in a statement to the Herald-Leader. “Current Energy Group is a reputable consultant and its staff have executed expert studies on behalf of private- and public-sector entities.”

CEG did not immediately respond to a Herald-Leader request for comment Monday.

The work CEG did on behalf of KRC and other environmental groups is what should have been done by the legislature already, Wilmes said: testing assumptions to find the least cost, most reliable form of electrical generation for Kentuckians.

“Their resume speaks for itself,” she added of CEG’s past work. “There isn’t a major company in the energy or industrial field that doesn’t accept that there will be accounting for carbon emissions from the utility sector over the lifetime of the new plants being planned. “

The research state environmental groups are propping up comes just weeks before the Kentucky General Assembly is scheduled to gavel into session during a budget cycle where rising living expenses are expected to be a major topic of debate.

That has created a scenario where the state’s biggest energy lobbyists are pitting research and studies against each other for credibility. Dependable Power First Kentucky, a group that tends to promote the state’s coal-fired sector, applauded research by Energy Ventures Analysis late last week cautioning against “premature” coal plant retirements that could increase costs and weaken the region’s electrical grid.

“The study estimates that continuing to operate coal plants scheduled for retirement, rather than replacing them with new renewable generation, could save consumers billions every year nationwide,” Dependable Power First Kentucky Executive Director Katelyn Bunning said in a statement.

EVA’s website calls itself the “go-to coal consulting firm.”

In far Eastern Kentucky, where residential power rates are higher than anywhere else in the state, Kentucky Power is seeking the state’s permission to reinvest in an aging West Virginia coal-fired power plant alongside a request to boost rates by an additional 15%.

Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, Senate Majority Caucus Chair Robby Mills, R-Henderson, and Natural Resources and Energy Committee Chair Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, were joined by Sens. Steve West, R-Paris, Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville, and Danny Carroll, R-Paducah, in authoring the statement.

Kentucky, they said, has long been a national leader in affordable, reliable energy while also remaining committed to reducing emissions and investing in cleaner technologies.

“We have made meaningful progress over the decades, and that work continues today through ongoing modernization efforts and responsible planning for next-generation nuclear power,” the group of lawmakers said.

Kentucky does not have any active nuclear power plants, but Paducah’s 70-year-old enrichment site is being eyed by private-developers and the U.S. Department of Energy for future enrichment and artificial intelligence-related power generation.

In 2024, lawmakers passed legislation forming a Nuclear Energy Development Authority in Kentucky to explore nuclear energy projects.

“Kentucky is committed to continued energy progress and innovation, but we cannot risk affordability, reliability, or energy independence by rushing into policies that weaken our grid,” the GOP lawmakers said. “Our energy future must build on the strong foundation already in place, keeping Kentucky competitive, resilient, and powered reliably every day.”