Environment
Report faults EPA for not enforcing limits on toxic benzene emissions at oil refineries
The federal Environmental Protection Agency must do a better job ensuring that oil refineries that exceed emissions limits for benzene, a toxic, carcinogenic pollutant, cut those concentrations, the agency’s inspector general found. “Thirteen of the 118 refineries we reviewed had benzene concentrations above the action level in 20 or more weeks after the initial exceedance,” […]
Coal-fired power failures during winter storm come to light months later
Last December a mass of arctic air, later unofficially named Winter Storm Elliott, swept through Kentucky plunging temperatures to as low as eight degrees below zero. The frigid weather led to a power supply crunch across the Southeast as households and businesses tried to stay warm.? Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities, the state’s […]
Biden administration cancels last leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
The Biden administration on Wednesday announced it is canceling the last remaining oil and gas leases in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Those seven leases, all held by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority and sold in a controversial auction held in the last days of former President Donald Trump’s […]
Marathon refinery fire in Louisiana leaves nearby residents wondering
Thick black smoke billowed and flames rose from two chemical storage tanks at the Marathon Petroleum refinery between Reserve and Garyville on Friday, Aug. 25. Geraldine Watkins saw the towers of smoke through the passenger seat window of a car that morning, while she was on her way to a court hearing about whether another […]
Q&A: From coal to prisons in Eastern Kentucky and the struggle for a ‘just transition’
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. It is republished with permission. Sign up for their newsletter here.? Every week, the expressions of love and support pour into Whitesburg, Kentucky’s Mountain Community Radio, WMMT, like messages in a bottle from friends and […]
Organizers out to help shape power generation in Kentucky for decades
On a recent August weekend, canvassers walked along a neighborhood street in West Louisville, cars and semi-trucks roaring down the nearby interstate just a few hundred feet away. Chase Smith with the progressive grassroots organization Kentuckians for the Commonwealth knocked on each door, asking people if they “have a couple of seconds to talk about […]
Fish and Wildlife releases new regulations for Kentucky hunting seasons
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources announced a slew of administrative regulation amendments Friday, which include changes to bear and wild turkey hunting seasons.? Some amendments have received the needed legislative approval and are now in effect, a department news release said. Changes include the harvest limit for wild turkeys during the fall […]
Kentucky the final state to enter into federal agreement collaborating on land management
Kentucky and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials are touting a new agreement they say will strengthen collaboration between agencies over the management of natural resources throughout the state.? A Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet release Thursday states Kentucky is the final state in the country to sign onto such a “shared stewardship” agreement with the […]
USDA’s climate grants for farms and forests run into Republican buzzsaw
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is spending more than $3 billion to cultivate more American farmers and forest landowners as partners to mitigate climate change — even while some Republicans on Capitol Hill try to stop the program entirely. The administration launched a new farm program, Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities, this year. It is […]
Incentives for Bitcoin mining operation run by Kentucky’s largest coal producer gets regulator’s OK
Kentucky’s utility regulator has approved more than $4 million in electricity cost discounts over several years for a Bitcoin mining operation being run by Kentucky’s largest coal producer. The Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) in its Monday order said the economic development incentives offered by Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities (LG&E and KU) […]
How ancient geology shapes modern life will be topic of free Lexington talk
The powerful role of geologic forces in shaping our environment, natural resources and daily lives will be the focus of an Aug. 9 talk in Lexington. State geologist Drew Andrews, acting director of the Kentucky Geological Survey, will discuss the ways geology affects lives more than most people realize. He will also give an overview […]
New federal funding to clean up Kentucky brownfields touted as transformative
LOUISVILLE — For federal and state environmental officials, Louisville’s downtown soccer stadium is an example of what’s possible.? The site of the 11,600-seat Lynn Family Stadium, the home of Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville FC, was a brownfield, one of thousands of properties across Kentucky that face challenges with redevelopment due to pollution or […]