Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (KFTC, Norman grantee 1993–2002) is a membership-based grassroots organization with deep roots in eastern Kentucky’s coal fields. Norman supported its predecessor organization, the Kentucky Fair Tax Coalition, in the early 1980s, which at the time focused on reforming the commonwealth’s tax laws to require coal and timber companies to pay their fair share of taxes. After changing its name and broadening its focus in 1987, KFTC fought to limit landfills, regulate oil and gas drilling, protect water resources, and challenge mountaintop removal mining that resulted in vast pools of toxic sludge waste that posed catastrophic risks to surrounding communities. A significant victory was achieved in 2001 when KFTC prevented a coal company from blasting within 100 feet of the Pine Mountain Settlement School, a beloved education center in Harlan County serving school children from across Kentucky for generations. KFTC mobilized its members and played a key role in advocating for the state Natural Resources Protection Department to declare the area unsuitable for mining, preserving the school and surrounding forest for future generations.

Media:

• Notes from the Pine Mountain Settlement School: Spring and Summer 2001 issue