Louisville-based band to release single in protest of bill targeting Kentucky waterways

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (FOX 56) — A group of protestors gathered alongside a Kentucky riverbank in opposition to Senate Bill 89, an advancing bill that aims to change the definition of “waters of the Commonwealth.”

Several Kentucky artists were present at Tuesday’s protest, while others are speaking out on the bill through other avenues.

Bendigo Fletcher, a Louisville-based indie folk band, dedicated its new single “One Little Drink” in protest.

“Our new song, One Little Drink, is an anxious love letter to water everywhere,” Bendigo Fletcher announced. “Our relationship to water directly correlates with our quality of life, and it is heartbreaking to think about that relationship being undermined by industry-first legislature, like Senate Bill 89 here in Kentucky.”

SB 89 would narrow protections to only waters that are defined as “navigable” under the federal Clean Water Act, excluding all groundwater and upper reaches of stream and river systems in Kentucky. Meaning that pollutant protectants would no longer apply.

The narrative across Kentucky protesting the bill has been, “We all live downstream from something.”

“Water connects us in so many meaningful ways, and we wanted to sing (and maybe yell a bit) about it in hopes to feel more connected in our efforts to protect and preserve it,” Bendigo Fletcher wrote.

SB 89 was passed in the Senate on Feb. 14 and has been received in the House for a committee hearing.