August 12, 2026 - Two executives with deep ties to the coal industry have been nominated to join a state commission that is gaining a larger role in determining Kentucky’s energy future.

Attorney General Russell Coleman announced Friday that he was appointing Tony Campbell, the former president and CEO of East Kentucky Power Cooperative, and Matt Ricketts, president and CEO of barge company Crounse Corp., to the executive committee of the Energy Planning and Inventory Commission or EPIC.

Ricketts is a former executive at Alliance Resource Partners, according to Coleman’s office. The company is led by Joe Craft, one of the country’s most prominent coal executives and Republican megadonors. Alliance describes Craft as its president, CEO and chairman, positions he has held for decades.

The Craft connection is notable as EPIC takes on a growing role in Kentucky’s energy policy. The native Kentuckian coal executive and major political donor has spent millions pushing back against federal limits on carbon emissions, opposing the Clean Power Plan and working to undo environmental restrictions on coal-burning power plants.

The Republican-controlled legislature created the commission in 2024 and tasked it with providing what lawmakers described as independent analysis of the state’s energy needs and policies.

The appointments give Coleman a chance to reshape a state panel that could have significant influence over Kentucky’s energy future, particularly as utilities weigh whether to retire aging coal plants and the state courts new, energy-intensive industries such as data centers.

The commission’s executive committee also has a gatekeeping role over the retirement of fossil fuel-fired power plants. Kentucky utilities must submit proposed retirements to EPIC for review before seeking approval from the Kentucky Public Service Commission.

“I am honored by Attorney General Coleman’s nomination to serve and look forward to working alongside other members of EPIC to help move Kentucky energy forward,” Ricketts said in a statement.

Both Campbell and Ricketts still must be confirmed by the Kentucky Senate before they can serve on the EPIC board. Their backgrounds align closely with Kentucky’s traditional energy economy.

Campbell, who previously led the state’s largest generation and transmission cooperative, has also been involved with the Trump administration’s reconstituted National Coal Council.

Ricketts’ connection through Craft is more direct. Before taking the helm of Crounse Corporation, he worked in a senior role at Alliance Resource Partners, the coal company Craft has led since 1999. Alliance remains a major coal producer in the eastern U.S. with at least three active mines in Kentucky.

Craft’s influence extends beyond Alliance. He serves on the boards of the National Mining Association and America’s Power and has long been a major political donor. Alliance’s own corporate filings identify Craft as the company’s controlling figure and say he beneficially owns roughly 14% of its common units.

The appointments come after Kentucky lawmakers significantly reshaped EPIC this year. Legislation stripped Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear of his ability to appoint members of the commission’s executive committee and instead gave those appointments to the attorney general.

Beshear’s administration characterized the change as politically motivated and unconstitutional.

EPIC was created amid a broader fight over the future of Kentucky’s aging coal-fired power plants. Investor-owned utilities and environmental groups warned when the commission was created that it could create additional bureaucratic hurdles for utilities seeking to retire outdated plants. Republicans argued the commission was needed to ensure coal plants were not retired prematurely and to protect the reliability of Kentucky’s electric grid.

The new appointments could give coal industry veterans a more prominent voice as the commission weighs those questions.

The appointments also underscore the increasingly important role EPIC could play as Kentucky tries to balance the preservation of its traditional coal industry with growing electricity demand from data centers, manufacturing and other energy-intensive industries.

For Coleman, the appointments represent an opportunity to shape that policy from a commission that lawmakers have increasingly positioned as a check on decisions that could accelerate the retirement of Kentucky’s fossil-fuel fleet.