| ||||||||||
Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details 
 
Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
Visit ColumbiaMagazine's Directory of Churches Addresses, times, phone numbers and more for churches in Adair County Find Great Stuff in ColumbiaMagazine's Classified Ads Antiques, Help Wanted, Autos, Real Estate, Legal Notices, More... 
|
Hilda Legg: Why Kentucky should embrace solar By Hilda Legg In my former role as U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Administrator for the Rural Utilities Service (formerly the REA), our office established a new dedicated funding stream for electric coops to diversify their portfolios. All forms of alternative energy were approved for this program, so that rural communities could avoid the rolling brownouts and excessive electric rates that plague many of our nation's urban centers. Alternative sources of energy like solar are vital to balancing our ever-expanding power demand; and moving forward, our state's policymakers must ensure that Kentucky is never again so heavily dependent upon only one source of energy. A balanced approach that incorporates innovative sources like solar power has numerous benefits. By utilizing a portion of their land for solar production, farmers can enjoy a steady, reliable revenue stream to offset fluctuations in the volatile crop and livestock markets -- perhaps even providing stability enough to keep the farm in the family into the next generation. Farmland also has a chance to recover from cultivation during its usage for solar. After the lifetime of a project is complete (usually approximately 30 years) and responsible decommissioning takes place, the land is better than ever -- unlike residential subdivisions or commercial developments which forever alter the landscape. We can definitely strike a healthy balance between the need for farmland preservation and the importance of keeping the lights on across Kentucky at an affordable price. It is possible to be good stewards of all our natural resources (including farmland), while also ensuring that we make forward-thinking decisions that benefit all our citizens. Harnessing the vast, untapped power of the sun offers a valuable new tool that is an all-around win for the Bluegrass State -- helping family farmers to find economic stability, creating new tax revenue for local communities, and equipping energy providers to meet increasing electric generation needs. The sun shines bright, indeed, here in the Bluegrass State. Let's seize this opportunity that will not only enhance the future of electric generation -- but will improve the future for generations of Kentuckians. Hilda Legg served as U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Kentucky State Director under the Trump Administration. She has also previously served in leadership roles with the USDA Rural Utilities Service (RUS), the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), and the Center for Rural Development. She is a native of Adair County. This story was posted on 2026-03-24 13:43:41
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic News:
Storm Spotting class provides life-saving knowledge CPD issues Public Warning about text message scam Around 100lbs of expired medications turned in Jane Lampton Chapter NSDAR March meeting Summertime Adair resident is newest physician at UK Video: Robert Brock as Mark Twain Phillip Coffey - Slopping Hogs Tales From the UP: Driver's Ed, Part 2 Text message scam poses as state agency Bake Sale on April 3 to support Metcalfe Shoebox Mission View even more articles in topic News |
 
115 Jamestown St. Columbia, KY. 270-384-2496 
 
 
 
 
|
||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
|
Quick Links to Popular Features
Looking for a story or picture? Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com. | ||||||||||
|
Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728. Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.
| ||||||||||
