As Kentucky coal power plants close, bill to create future-oriented energy commission advances [Video]

Kentucky lawmakers advanced a bill Wednesday to form a commission tasked with assessing electric generation capabilities and energy demands in a state long known as a coal-producing powerhouse.

The commission’s role would include reviewing plans by Kentucky utilities to retire power plants, and its findings and recommendations would be submitted to regulators at the state Public Service Commission. The shuttering of coal-fired power plants has been an agonizing issue in Kentucky’s coalfield regions, contributing to a deep decline in coal-related jobs.

Supporters of the bill said the overarching goal is to ensure that the Bluegrass State has ample supplies of reliable energy sources to fuel a growing economy. Business and conservation critics portrayed the bill as a potential barrier to the replacement of aging and inefficient coal-fired power plants.

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The measure, cosponsored by the Senate’s top leader, received its first hearing Wednesday when the bill cleared the Senate Natural Resources …