Panel Ends Contract With D.C. Environmental Group

The Kentucky Climate Action Plan Council, convened by Governor Steve Beshear, is expected to produce a final report and recommendations later this year for addressing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions and tackling climate change.But without the assistance of a consulting firm it was counting on, it’s no longer clear whether the plan will be on time. A Kentucky legislative oversight committee voted not to renew the consulting firm’s $200,000 contract, criticizing the Washington D.C.-based Center for Climate Strategies’ influence. But Energy and Environment Cabinet spokesman Dick Brown says legislators need not be concerned.“We have tried to alleviate those fears and those concerns, particularly as they relate to what this group means to the Kentucky Climate Council, and the work of the Council, and what the intent is. The intent is not related to moving away from coal as an energy source,” he said.Brown says Finance and Administration Cabinet Secretary Jonathan Miller can still override the legislators’ decision and renew the consulting firm’s contract.