Kentucky co-ops center stage at White House
EKPC’s Tony Campbell is voice for electric reliability and affordability
IT WOULD BE PERFECTLY UNDERSTANDABLE if Tony Campbell had double checked the address when he made his way to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue on April 8.
The East Kentucky Power Cooperative president and CEO had mailed eight letters to the White House over the last four years, but only received confirmation that one had arrived.
Campbell implored previous President Joe Biden to reconsider energy policies that were deteriorating the reliability of America’s power grid and jacking up electric rates.
As Kentucky Living has reported, the U.S. has pushed a rushed transition away from the most reliable energy sources while incentivizing intermittent sources such as solar panels, which only produce power during the day and when the weather cooperates. The policies have increased energy costs and led to dire blackout warnings from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.
Seventy-nine days into the second presidency of Donald Trump, Campbell finally got an answer to his pleas. Calling Campbell “quite a gentleman and very respected in the industry,” Trump invited him to address the nation during an event at the White House.
“Affordable and reliable electricity is the cornerstone of our economy, especially American manufacturing,” Campbell said from an East Room lectern, Trump standing at his side. “However, too many government leaders have pushed policies that have made our electric grid significantly less reliable and our energy too expensive. That begins to change now.”
As Campbell punctuated his sentence, the assembled crowd stood and cheered. Trump nodded and applauded.
Flanked by coal miners in hard hats and members of the newly formed National Energy Dominance Council, led by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Trump signed executive orders aimed at harnessing coal power to meet growing demand.
“At a time when electricity demand is skyrocketing, we need to be adding more always-available energy to the grid,” said Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, “not shutting down power plants that have useful life left.”
Trump’s executive actions grant a reprieve to some coal plants on death row, direct federal agencies to assess how coal-generated power can meet electricity demand from data centers and resume coal leasing on public lands.
“Pound for pound, coal is the single most reliable, durable, secure and powerful form of energy,” Trump said. “It is cheap, incredibly efficient and high-density, making it almost indestructible.”
East Kentucky Power Cooperative President and CEO Tony Campbell speaks at the White House on April 8, with President Donald Trump to his side. Photo: The White House YouTube Channel
According to the Energy Information Administration, Kentucky is the sixth-largest coal-producing state in the nation, and coal is the source for about 68% of Kentucky’s utility-scale electricity, the third-largest share of any state after West Virginia and Wyoming.
Also at the White House event was Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers who suggested the president’s actions allow Kentucky to again tap all energy sources to provide for the state’s growing energy demands.
“Kentucky is uniquely positioned to rejuvenate and refurbish our existing coal-fired plants,” Stivers said, “and get them operational quickly for maximum output.”
In 2024, Stivers encouraged the General Assembly to create the Electric Reliability Defense Fund, allocating $3 million in the Attorney General’s Office to protect Kentuckians’ access to affordable and reliable power.
Attorney General Russell Coleman expressed gratitude to Trump as an ally for “reliable and affordable energy,” and credited Campbell for “sounding the alarm of the growing threats to our grid’s reliability.”
“His unwavering advocacy on behalf of Kentucky families helped make the president’s executive orders a reality,” Coleman said.
Chris Perry, president and CEO of Kentucky Electric Cooperatives, attended the White House event, describing it as “a long-awaited reality check and victory for common sense.”
“As member-owned and not-for-profit cooperatives, we are proud to advocate for Kentucky’s energy consumers,” Perry said. “We will work with anyone of any party who supports energy reliability and affordability.”
