Consumers trapped in the middle of Big Coal’s fight for survival
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Chris Woolery seemed impatient when he cornered a lawmaker inside an elevator at the Kentucky Capitol. It was his first shot at bending an ear as legislators hustled to their morning meetings.
“I’ve helped folks with $1,400 electric bills, and we’ve cut their bills in half,” Woolery said, twisting his tall frame inside the packed shoebox to get closer to the state representative from Lexington.
Electricity rates are going up here, and the rising energy costs have grabbed the attention of grass-roots organizers like Woolery in a state where 93 percent of power generation comes from burning coal.
