Kentucky Resources Council

The 2023 General Assembly has kept the Kentucky Resources Council incredibly busy. A number of bills and resolutions introduced and considered during the session could adversely impact water and air quality, land use and contamination, affordability and reliability of utility services, and both environmental and community health. And we were “on it” every day of this year's session- testifying, informing, working against bills that would weaken environmental protections and working to advance environmental quality and justice. Listen now for a discussion of this year's session with KRC's Executive Director Ashley Wilmes and Lobbyist Tom "Fitz" FitzGerald.

KRC interviews Dick Shore, former board member of Kentucky Conservation Committee. Dick holds a doctorate in zoology from Duke and a MBA from Toledo, is a Certified Quality Engineer and Industrial Engineer, and performs as one of the nation's top John Muir interpreters.  Dick discusses the concept of Zero Growth Economics and explores ways communities can measure success beyond monetary measures. 

“Motion made, and motion seconded to adjourn sine die!”  With those words, on March 30, the 2021 Regular Session of the Kentucky General Assembly ended. Now, to wrap up, Director Tom FitzGerald covers the environmental and public health bills of this year's Assembly.

In this third episode of the Kentucky Environmental Leadership Institute, we continue our first season focus of providing information for those attorneys and soon-to-be-attorneys who want to practice environmental law. We interview Ben Carter, Senior Litigation & Advocacy Counsel at the Kentucky Equal Justice Center (KEJC) in Kentucky. Before coming to the KEJC, Ben worked in Legal Aid and private practice. With a wealth of experience in consumer law, Ben offers a unique perspective on what it is like to work with clients and help them pursue justice.  Listen now to learn more about how Ben came to find himself as an attorney in the nonprofit sector, how taking the time to pursue your interests can broaden your horizons, and how a pandemic doesn't have to stop us from pursuing a fair and just Kentucky. MuckRock Community.Lawyer Together Lawyers Can "So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love" by Cal Newport "A is for Activist" by Innosanto Nagara "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City" by Matthew Desmond "The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap" by Mehrsa Baradaran Kentucky Equal Justice Center Kentucky Resources Council

In this second episode of the Kentucky Environmental Leadership Institute, we continue our first season focus of providing information for those attorneys and soon-to-be-attorneys who want to practice environmental law.  We interview Arnita Gadson, Executive Director of the West Jefferson Community Task Force in Louisville, Kentucky. Arnita has been an important player in pushing Louisville towards environmental justice, specifically in advancing the city's air pollution regulations. Her experience working with community members and attorneys alike equips her with a unique ability of how to communicate between these two parties.  Listen now to learn more about Rubbertown, Louisville's Strategic Toxic Air Reduction Program, and how attorneys can work effectively when serving community groups.

In this first episode of the Kentucky Environmental Leadership Institute, we sit down with Liz Edmondson, Kentucky Resources Council Policy Coordinator, to learn about her professional trajectory, why she knew environmental law was the path for her, and her advice for those wanting to pursue an environmental career of their own.