[Wildcatk23]

An environmental group is planning a rally on Wednesday to ask UK Athletics to cut its ties to the coal industry, but some say the group is being unfair.

Beyond Coal is part of a larger national movement started by the Sierra Club to move the country away from fossil fuels and towards cleaner sources of energy.

The local group has been mostly focused on asking UK to stop using its coal-fired power plant on campus.

But now, they are asking the school's athletic department to reject sponsorships from coal companies.

Those in the industry say those ad dollars are an invaluable revenue stream for the university.

"If it's not going to be funded through corporate attempts, corporate sponsorships -- as pretty much every competitor of UK does -- that's going to come off the backs of student tuition or our tax dollars," said Kentucky Coal Association President Bill Bissett.

Bissett says Kentucky needs coal because the state can not adequately power itself using windmills or solar panels alone.