Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives are sponsoring 43 World War II, Korean and Vietnam war veterans who will travel from Lexington to Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Aug. 27, as part of this year’s Honor Flight—a one-day tour of war memorials erected in their honor in the nation’s capital.

This is the sixth year Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives are sponsoring an Honor Flight, but it is the first year of partnering with Winchester-based Honor Flight Kentucky, which was founded in December 2015.

Veterans on this year’s flight will include:

• David Settles, 92, of Versailles who served in the Army during World War II, Korea and Vietnam. On one day alone in World War II he was shot eight times and drove the lead vehicle during the Allied advance through the Ruhr Valley. He then boarded a ship toward Japan and was in the Pacific when the atomic bomb ended the war. He was awarded 16 medals and retired a full colonel.

• David Downey, 90, of Paris who served in the Navy during World War II, Korea and Vietnam. As an African American, he battled discrimination while serving in Pearl Harbor. After World War II, he rejoined the Navy in 1949, served in Korea and in Vietnam with later famous quarterback Roger Staubach. Staubach at that time was in charge of supplies at the Da Nang dock, and he signed the papers that sent Downey home two months early.

• Ken Powell, 96, of Lexington who served in the Army during World War II. He left Boston Harbor in February 1944 and eventually saw action after landing on Omaha Beach in Normandy. He earned five medals for heroic actions.

• Francis Nello, 92, of Garrett who served in the Pacific for the Navy during World War II and who saw the famous raising of the flag by the Marines atop Iwo Jima’s Mount Suribachi. He also fought at Okinawa and earned medals recognizing his military service.

The veterans will fly from Lexington’s Blue Grass Airport to Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., where they will board two buses for a full day of honors and sightseeing. They will visit the World War II and Korean War memorials on the National Mall. The group will also tour memorials dedicated to those who served in the Air Force and Marine Corps in Arlington, Va.

The day will culminate with viewing the changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. Honor Flight representatives will participate in a wreath-laying service at the tomb. Volunteers representing (Co-op) and the other co-ops will accompany the vets as guardians, to ease their travel and, if needed, push their wheelchairs.

To further honor this year’s Honor Flight participants, (Co-op) is helping to organize a special welcome for their return. Families, friends and supporters are invited to arrive at Blue Grass Airport by 9 p.m. on Aug. 27 to greet the veterans when their flight arrives from Washington. There will be additional parking available at the airport to accommodate the crowd.

The Honor Flight sponsored by Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives is part of a larger national network that has 127 chapters in 41 states. The inaugural Honor Flight took place in May 2005, when six small planes flew out of Springfield, Ohio, taking 12 veterans. Since the 2005 inception nearly 180,000 veterans have participated in the program.

Farmers RECC and East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC) joined the City of Glasgow on August 5, 2016 to celebrate the successful launch of the cooperative’s landfill-gas-to-electric (LFGTE) power plant.

The plant, located at the city’s Glasgow Regional Landfill, is fueled by methane gas from the landfill. Completed earlier this year, the plant can generate up to 1 megawatt of electricity, and Farmers RECC distributes the power to its members.

“This project is a shining example of how our organizations can work together to innovatively address our needs and benefit the entire community,” said Bill Prather, president and CEO of Farmers RECC. “We are proud to generate renewable energy for Farmers RECC members.”

Representatives from EKPC, Farmers RECC and the City of Glasgow gathered at the plant today for a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony. They were joined by Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Charles Snavely, along with other dignitaries from the local community and state and federal government.

The project began as a result of extensive discussions between Farmers RECC and the City of Glasgow.  Farmers RECC was interested in the production of energy from renewable sources and the city of Glasgow was interested in capturing the landfill’s methane gas.

EKPC, which is owned by Farmers RECC and 15 other electric cooperatives around the state, has years of experience in operating LFGTE plants at landfills around Kentucky. The plants are fueled by methane, a flammable gas produced as organic waste decays within landfills. Methane gas often is flared off as a waste product.

As a result of the discussions, EKPC agreed to construct and operate the plant, and will purchase methane gas from the City of Glasgow. The gas is piped to the plant, where it fuels the generator. Farmers RECC is purchasing all of the renewable energy produced by the facility to provide to its members. In addition, the plant serves as a source of backup electric power for the city’s nearby sewage treatment plant.

“EKPC is delighted to help Farmers RECC and the City of Glasgow put the landfill’s methane gas to work for the entire community as a fuel to generate electricity,” said Anthony “Tony” Campbell, EKPC’s president and CEO.

In May, Farmers RECC received the Silver Switch Award from the Rural Electricity Resource Council, which recognized the depth of cooperation required to complete the project, as well as the unique nature of the renewable electricity produced.

The Glasgow facility is EKPC’s sixth LFGTE plant. The others are located at landfills in Boone, Laurel, Greenup, Hardin and Pendleton counties. Together, the six plants have the capacity to generate up to 14.6 megawatts of electricity.

The Glasgow LFGTE plant is EKPC’s only facility that delivers its electric power to the local co-op.

Currently, the Glasgow LFGTE plant generates enough electricity to have any one of the following annual environmental impacts:

• Offset greenhouse gas emissions from more than 1 million miles driven by an average passenger vehicle; or
• Offset CO2 emissions from more than 50,000 gallons of gasoline consumed; or
• Offset CO2 emissions from more than 1,000 barrels of oil consumed.

Farmers RECC is a not-for-profit electric cooperative, serving more than 25,000 services across eight Kentucky counties, with a mission to provide reliable, competitively-priced energy that will enhance the quality of life for its member-owners and communities.

East Kentucky Power Cooperative is a not-for-profit , member-owned cooperative providing wholesale electricity to 16 owner-member distribution cooperatives that serve 530,000 Kentucky homes, farms, businesses and industries across 87 counties. EKPC provides power through coal-fueled plants located in Mason and Pulaski counties; natural gas-fueled pea king units in Clark and Oldham counties; renewable energy plants in Barren, Boone, Laurel, Greenup, Hardin and Pendleton counties; and more than 2,800 miles of transmission lines. Together, EKPC and its 16 owner-member cooperatives are known as Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives. Visit EKPC at www.ekpc.coop.

For more information, contact:
Nick Comer, External Affairs Manager
Office (general): (859) 744 – 4812, ext. 450
Office (direct): (859) 745 – 9450
Mobile: (859) 333 – 8735
nick.comer@ekpc.coop