Special session: Richards wants to meet with Peabody, Williams demurs & Fletcher says OK.

It appears, according to Pat Crowley, House Speaker Jody Richards wants to meet with Peabody executives to get assurances before the House entertains coal to liquid fuels incentives. Below is Richard's letter urging the meeting:

Dear Governor Fletcher and President Williams:

I am pleased to report that representatives of Peabody Energy have informed my office that their CEO Gregory H. Boyce is willing to meet with the three of us together, and appropriate representatives from our offices, concerning a possible incentive package for the construction of a coal to gas facility in Kentucky.

Since time is short before your request that we return for an extraordinary session on this issue, I require a response by noon Monday concerning your willingness to participate in this meeting, as well as specific dates prior to July 30 when you will be available to travel to Peabody's offices in St. Louis.

I look forward to hearing from you very soon.

Sincerely,

Jody Richards
Speaker of the House

However, it also appears that Senate President David Williams is not too enthused about the idea and he has expressed as much in his reply:

Dear Speaker Richards,

I am in receipt of your July 12th letter suggesting a trip to St. Louis to meet with Peabody Energy CEO Gregory H. Boyce. In your letter you state the purpose of the meeting with us concerns a possible incentives package for the construction of a coal to natural gas facility in Kentucky.

We both know that Rick Bowen, with Peabody Energy, testified before the Senate's Ag &Natural Resources Committee that he will recommend to his investors that they build the proposed $3 billion dollar facility in Kentucky if we adopt the incentives as currently proposed in Senate Bill 1, which has passed the Senate with broad ipartisan support.

I presume Mr. Bowen told you the same in the private meeting with your leadership. We both know that time is of the essence since a decision will be made this summer.

I do not understand why you need to fly to St. Louis, unless you are trying to create cover for the House failing to act on this important measure when it unconstitutionally attempted to adjourn Sine Die and left town while the Senate remained and worked on this important incentive package.

Only your use of leadership to summon your members back to Frankfort to act on this bill, which has passed the Senate, will make you and the House relevant in accomplishing the important goal of developing Kentucky's coal assets and creating thousands of jobs.

Sincerely Yours,

David L. Williams
President of the Senate

Meanwhile Fletcher, though "suspecting subterfuge", would be glad to meet.

Could some kind of a compromise be in the offing? Only time will tell.