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You probably heard clips from Governor Steve Beshear’s PSA with the PBS’s CG Sid the Science Kid in Tony McVeigh’s report. Here’s the video:
Former director of the state’s Division of Mine Permits Ron Mills–who was fired last month–was an opponent of the 33 1/3 rule. The unofficial rule lets coal companies obtain permits to mine underground in plots when they can only legally use 2/3 of the land.
Mills’ firing set off alarms for watchdogs and skeptics, and now the Herald-Leader has this:
Gov. Steve Beshear’s administration overruled its top mine permitting official last year to “accommodate the coal interests” and reinstate a policy the official said was illegal, according to state documents.
At issue: The Beshear administration’s use of the so-called “33 1/3 rule,” which allows coal companies to mine underground when they have shown the legal right to enter only two-thirds of the acreage included in their plans.
Some critics say the policy is illegal because federal and state law requires coal companies to show they have the right to enter all land included in their plans.
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State documents show that Mills fought and briefly rescinded the 33 1/3 rule until he was overturned by his superiors at the Energy and Environment Cabinet following a debate in October 2008.
“I have recommended to the secretary that we can accommodate the coal interests with reinstating the 2/3’s rule,” the cabinet’s deputy secretary, Hank List, wrote Oct. 8, 2008, to Natural Resources Commissioner Carl Campbell, who was Mills’ boss.
Three months later, on Jan. 9, List wrote to Campbell: “Carl, let all the permit applications that include the 33 1/3 provision out the door.”
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Mills said that before he was fired, Campbell told him Alliance Coal — specifically, a company executive named Raymond Ashcraft — and the governor’s office were pushing for his ouster because of his opposition to the 33 1/3 rule. One of Beshear’s staff assistants, Jeff Belcher, often called the Division of Mine Permits on behalf of coal companies to ask about their permit applications, Mills said.
Alliance Coal is a big political donor, having given several hundred thousand dollars to Kentucky politicians and parties on the state and federal level, including to Beshear and the Kentucky Democratic Party.
“I didn’t want to do anything that was illegal,” Mills said.
Belcher did not return a call seeking comment. The governor’s office has denied playing a role in Mills’ firing.
Mayor Jerry Abramson and Governor Steve Beshear have made their nominations to the Ohio River Bridges Authority. Against the Metro Council’s wishes, no council members are on the panel.
From the Mayor’s office:
Gov. Beshear’s appointments include:
- Joe Prather, former secretary, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC). Prather has a long record of public service, including 19 years in the General Assembly and an appointment as secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet under former Gov. Brereton Jones. Prather left KYTC on Sept. 30, 2009.
- Charles Buddeke, president, Buddeke Industries Inc. Buddeke has previously served as executive director of the Louisville and Jefferson County Office of Economic Development, president and CEO of the Louisville Area Chamber of Commerce and publisher of Louisville magazine. He currently serves on the boards of the Louisville Metro Parks Foundation, the Greater Louisville Inc. Advanced Manufacturing Network, The Bridges Coalition and the University of Louisville’s Logistics Distribution Institute.
- Jamie Fiepke, president and CEO, the Kentucky Motor Transport Association (KMTA). As president of KMTA, Fiepke has worked with a variety of industry groups and state and federal administrators on improving highway safety and continuing the trend of reducing highway fatalities involving commercial motor vehicles. He has more than 15 years experience in the retail and trucking industry.
Mayor Abramson’s appointments include:
- Sandra Frazier, founding and managing member, Tandem Public Relations. Frazier, a director of the Brown-Forman Co. and Commonwealth Bank and Trust Co., is an active community leader and philanthropist.
- Dr. Charles Moyer, dean, University of Louisville College of Business and Public Administration. Moyer, an expert on the cost of capital and related issues, has published more than 80 articles on issues including leasing, public utility regulation and finance, corporate governance, and cost of capital during nearly four decades in higher education.
- Joe Reagan, CEO, Greater Louisville Inc., the metro chamber of commerce. Reagan has been a leading force in the business community’s support for the Ohio River Bridges Project to continue the safety and free flow of traffic essential to the economic vitality of both Kentucky and Indiana.
- Benjamin Richmond, president and CEO, Louisville Urban League. Richmond has been an active participant in the research and planning of the Ohio River Bridges Project for the past decade, including serving on citizen panels during development of the Environmental Impact Statement for the project.
The governor’s appointments are subject to confirmation by the Kentucky State Senate. The mayor’s appointments are subject to approval by the Louisville Metro Council. The other members will represent Indiana.
We’ve talked about poor oral health in Kentucky. There are a few reasons for folks in the commonwealth to have bad teeth:
1. It’s hard to find a dentist in some places.
2. It’s hard for most people to afford a dentist.
3. It’s culturally acceptable in some areas to have bad teeth.
Governor Beshear is using $2.2 million (much of it federal grants) to fight reason #1 for kids.
From the Herald-Leader:
The program’s initial focus, Beshear said, will be on creating a training curriculum to teach Kentucky dentists effective techniques in working with young children.
Most dentists not specializing in pediatric dentistry currently receive limited training in working with patients younger than age 6, who pose special treatment challenges, Beshear said.
Helping spread pediatric dentistry is a good step. I’ve spoken with a few dentists who say it’s just not financially inciting to set up shop in many parts of Kentucky, and it’s even harder to get by if you focus on treating kids. Some dentists have huge student loan debt and need to work where they can make enough to pay off their education.
Governor Steve Beshear has already started his re-election campaign, even though Election Day is in 2011 and he doesn’t have a clear opponent yet.
Issues like casinos, budgets and education will certainly sway a few votes in 2011, but could Beshear’s waistline give him a boost in the polls?
Nate Silver has a post about overweight governors following the name-calling in New Jersey.
Still, it’s clear that overweight governors are considerably underrepresented as a percentage of the U.S. population. As an electoral handicap, it probably doesn’t rival being atheist or (avowedly!) gay, but I’d probably bet on the skinny woman before the fat man, all else being equal.
It’s anyone’s guess whether candidates’ appearances trigger psychological aversions in voters, but Silver does have an interesting point about weight and governors.
I remember a PBS segment from the early 90s that analyzed presidential candidates and height. Apparently the taller candidate seems to win more often, but it’s not guaranteed. When was the last President with facial hair? Who was the last bald President? (Taft and Ford, respectively)
Mysterious YouTube user SenRace2010 has released his (or her) second compilation of apparently secret recordings of Lt. Governor Daniel Mongiardo. Mongiardo seems to be bashing Governor Steve Beshear again.
Beshear will be on State of Affairs today. Will he dismiss the recordings as more “pranksterism?” We’ll know at 1:00.
I imagine someone at Jack Conway headquarters is already putting together a TV ad with these clips.
Last week, Mayor Jerry Abramson reiterated his support for Conway’s Senate bid. Abramson’s 2011 running mate Beshear has endorsed Mongiardo.
Here’s what we reported on today:
- In Depth – MSD Considering Buyouts To Prevent Floods
- Another Drug Toss Set For Thursday Through Saturday
- Conway Applauds Gouging Law Ruling
- Indiana Launches Flu Shot Campaign
- Blanton Leaving Governor’s Office
- Arts Groups Offer Discounted Tickets Again This Season
- City, Firefighters Approaching Deal
- In Depth: Governor’s Arts Awards Handed Out In Frankfort
Governor Steve Beshear’s spokesperson Jay Blanton is leaving to work for Keenland. A member of Mayor Jerry Abramson’s staff, Kerri Richardson, will now work for Beshear. Blanton and Richardson are both great to work with. I wonder, though, if Richardson’s move is in anticipation of a Beshear/Abramson victory in 2011, or if she’s simply accepting the opportunity to move up to a larger communications office.
Here are WFPL stories featuring Richardson and Blanton.
What should we call the Mongiardo recordings? Audiogate? Mongiardo Tapes?
Whatever you call the leaked recordings, The Hill is talking about them.
Sources close to both men say the frustrations expressed in the tapes are real, and that Mongiardo has frequently been critical of Beshear’s decision to hand policy portfolios to different Cabinet departments. Both camps have downplayed the tapes, with Mongiardo’s campaign calling them doctored and Beshear telling Kentucky Public Radio that they were no more than “political prankstership.”
But Beshear’s office is livid that the remarks have come to light, though it has decided to play nice. Talk at the Tuesday fundraiser was dominated by Mongiardo’s comments, with some Beshear loyalists even saying the lieutenant governor should be asked to resign.
Here’s what we reported on today:
