According to a new release from the Heritage Foundation, Kentucky has even more reason to defend its energy sector from the Environmental Protection Agency than thought previously.

Over the time period 2005 to the present, which includes the 2008 financial crisis, the states that have been most resistant to the economic collapse have been the energy-producing states. North Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming, some of the most significant energy-producers in the U.S., are all in the top five for increases in median household income.

Kentucky ranks a respectable 15th in the nation with a .6% increase in median household income since 2005. Compare this to neighboring Tennessee, a state without the natural resources of Kentucky or West Virginia. Tennessee ranks third to last in the nation with a net change in median household income of -12.1%.

The battle for state sovereignty over Kentucky's energy sector is not just about protecting coal miner jobs and the Kentucky coal industry. Its about securing the economic vitality of the commonwealth.