Environment
Federal regulators approve new rules to ease power connection backlogs?
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday finalized long-awaited new rules intended to reform how power generation projects get connected to the electric grid, seen as a major step in smoothing the path for thousands of mostly renewable power projects currently waiting to plug in. “This rule will ensure that our country’s vast generation resources […]
Kentucky’s largest utility wants to invest billions in new power plants. Here’s how to weigh in.
When Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities (LG&E and KU) filed an application in December to make significant changes to how it generates its electricity, the utility acknowledged the “unprecedented change” taking place with how the United States makes its power.? “Although there is room for disagreement concerning the precise timing and mechanisms by […]
$1 billion solar project planned on former Starfire coal mine in Eastern Kentucky
KNOTT COUNTY — It was a little over five years ago when Philip Marsh looked over the thousands of acres of reclaimed strip mine land he owned near the Knott County line and wouldn’t have a clue what would come of it. The Eastern Kentucky mountaintops that Marsh owned, now pastures after decades of coal […]
‘Forever chemicals’ contaminating Kentucky waters detailed for lawmakers
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS or “forever chemicals,” are in Kentucky’s rivers and lakes. The chemicals are in municipal water treatment plants. They’re accumulating inside Kentucky’s fish.? That is what the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection has found the past few years? as it has investigated how widespread PFAS is in Kentucky’s […]
Heavy rainfall inundates West Kentucky, spurring flood ’emergencies’ and water rescues
Several counties in West Kentucky are under flash flood emergencies after at least four to eight inches of rain — some areas seeing higher amounts — have fallen in the region in the past 24 hours.? The National Weather Service in Paducah said Wednesday morning water rescues were taking place in some areas due to […]
EPA proposal could bring more scrutiny to toxic coal ash ponds, landfills in Kentucky
More ponds, landfills and impoundments in Kentucky containing the toxic byproducts of burning coal for electricity could come under federal oversight for water monitoring and cleanup under a proposal by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.? The EPA is seeking comment on the proposal from stakeholders and the public in an online hearing Wednesday and is […]
Methane from underground coal mines upends rural West Virginians’ lives, livelihoods
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. THORNTON, WEST VIRGINIA.—Month-old kittens scamper around, tumbling into one another on the grass. A black-and-white border collie, Maggie, nestles against the side of a […]
‘Unhealthy’ air from Canadian wildfires blankets Kentucky
Kentucky is under an air quality alert from the Energy and Environment Cabinet as Canadian wildfires left the commonwealth’s skies hazy with smoke.? The Air Quality Index shows much of Kentucky is in the “red” — basically, unhealthy.? The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet says people who have heart or lung disease, older adults and […]
Drought hits the Midwest, threatening crops and the world’s food supply
City leaders in Storm Lake, a rural community of 11,000 in Northwest Iowa, are asking residents not to wash their cars or water their yards and gardens during the hottest part of the day. The city also has cut back on watering public recreational spaces, such as ballfields and golf courses. These are highly unusual […]
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife gives safety tips about black bear sightings
As the summer season begins, wildlife officials are advising Kentuckians about possible black bear sightings.? The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife says that sightings of black bears are common across the state. Encounters with the animals are possible, too, especially in early summer.? Recent sightings have been reported in eastern, southeastern and southcentral Kentucky, […]
How Kentucky generates electricity — and emits tons of greenhouse gasses
A recent state analysis found that, unlike a number of states that have pivoted to other fuel sources, Kentucky utilities still burn coal to generate the large majority of electricity in the state. The latest Kentucky Energy Profile report published this week by the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet provides a snapshot of how major […]
Log and burn? Or let it be? The fight over the future of Hoosier National Forest
PAOLI, Indiana—When Jesse Laws rides her seven-year-old palomino, Roscoe, in Hoosier National Forest, she often steers him toward the tall pines. Needles carpet the trails, muting the clop of his shoes and shifting the feel of the air. “The ground stays moist there, so it’s cooler and so quiet,” says Laws, whose great grandparents founded […]