Transportation Cabinet payment to imperiled-bat conservation fund tied to Mountain Parkway project draws sharp exchanges but is approved
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Summary
Transportation officials told the committee a $5.3 million payment to the Imperiled Bat Conservation Fund is required to offset habitat disturbance from clearing about 1,000 acres for the Mountain Parkway project; the measure passed after lawmakers debated the conservation purpose and distribution of funds, with one legislator making an inflammatory remark about bats.
Transportation Cabinet officials told the contracts review committee the department must increase a conservation-related contract to cover a large mitigation payment tied to the Mountain Parkway project.
Danny Peek, director of the Division of Environmental Analysis, explained the $5.3 million increase was needed because the Mountain Parkway section disturbed roughly 1,000 acres of previously undisturbed land and the cabinet pays into the Imperiled Bat Conservation Fund (IBCF) administered by the Kentucky Natural Lands Trust. "That particular payment was for the Mountain Parkway project... we were cutting trees along 1000 acres," he said, and the fund supports habitat restoration, tree plantings and studies that the trust and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service help prioritize.
Members asked what the money would do. Peek said the funds help "establish new habitat, basically plant more trees or help fund research projects or other conservation efforts to help those imperiled bats." Representative Ward highlighted economic benefits researchers have attributed to bats' pest-control services, saying bats save U.S. agriculture billions annually.
The item drew pointed remarks during member explanations. In explaining his vote, Senator Richardson described prior personal experiences with bats in a law office and then said, "I want them all to die." The chair later cautioned members about hate speech before adjournment. Despite the exchange, the motion to approve the payment carried on a roll-call vote.
Transportation staff said payments to the IBCF are made periodically based on tree clearing and that, in this two-year contract cycle, the Mountain Parkway payment was larger than anticipated; they told the committee the cabinet did not expect the full $5 million payment to fall within a single two-year cycle when the contract was set up.
Committee members asked for continued reporting on how the trust and federal partners allocate funds and on conservation outcomes.