Environment
Toyota boosts investment in Georgetown EV plant to $1.3 billion
Toyota announced an additional expansion to its manufacturing plant in Georgetown, bringing planned new investment in the Kentucky facility to $1.3 billion, as the Japanese automaker steps up production of electric SUVs for U.S. customers. The automaker announced last year it was putting $591 million into the Scott County plant’s conversion and retaining 9,000 employees […]
Clean power advocates eye grid operator’s planning reforms warily
PJM, the nation’s biggest grid operator, is changing how it plans transmission upgrades needed to ensure reliable service for the 65 million people who live in its footprint. The effort comes after plenty of criticism of how the regional transmission organization, responsible for coordinating the flow of electricity in all or parts of 13 states […]
Chemical plant pollution has ‘elevated’ cancer risk in a West Kentucky city, study says
“Toxic air pollution,” largely from a single chemical manufacturer, is elevating the risk of cancer for the approximately 2,500 residents of Calvert City in West Kentucky, state and federal environmental officials are warning.? A study, conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with three air monitors put in place by the Kentucky Division of Air […]
Kentucky House passes bill limiting power of Louisville’s air pollution authority
Kentucky lawmakers in the House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday that would prevent Louisville’s air pollution authority from issuing fines against industries that self-disclose violations of federal pollution regulations.? Rep. Jared Bauman, R-Louisville, on the House floor reiterated his reasoning for House Bill 136 by saying it would bring industries in Jefferson County into […]
Utilities plan onsite gas storage to improve reliability; critics warn of costs, safety concerns
As the U.S. electric power system has become more reliant on natural gas plants, it’s also become more vulnerable to gas system failures. During Winter Storm Elliott in 2022, about 18% of the anticipated power supply in the portion of the grid that serves the entire eastern half of the United States, called the Eastern […]
Bill curbing fines for Louisville air pollution raises questions about sponsor’s self-interest
FRANKFORT — Louisville’s air pollution authority would lose the power to issue fines in some circumstances under a bill that has Democratic lawmakers asking if the Republican sponsor’s employer stands to benefit from the proposed change in the? law. House Bill 136, sponsored by Rep. Jared Bauman, R-Louisville, would bring the Louisville Air Pollution Control […]
Kentucky’s largest cities are seeking public input to develop climate plans
Kentucky’s largest cities are vying for millions of federal dollars aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and are turning to residents of surrounding communities for help. Louisville, Lexington and Bowling Green are developing climate plans as a part of the federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, something the cities undertook after the state government declined […]
Congressional office agrees to investigate ‘zombie’ coal mines in Kentucky
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With a federal investigation into technically active but non-producing “zombie” mines set to begin in March, a citizens law group in Kentucky has found production idled at nearly 40% of all active coal strip mines in the state, with some not mined in more than a decade. In all, these “functionally abandoned” […]
Hydrogen tax rules draw fire from industry
The October announcement that the U.S. Department of Energy had selected seven regional hub projects for billions in federal money to spur the production of clean hydrogen was met with considerable fanfare from the fledgling industry, seen as crucial to helping decarbonize the American economy. But when the Biden administration’s Treasury Department released proposed regulations […]
Eastern Kentucky city restoring water service amid ongoing water shortage
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says all customers of an Eastern Kentucky city’s water system should have water service restored as of Thursday as the city has faced an ongoing water shortage spurred by drought.? Beshear in a Thursday press conference said some customers in higher elevations of Fleming-Neon’s water utility in Letcher County could still […]
Kentucky’s largest utility testing wind’s energy potential with state’s first utility-scale turbine
Kentucky’s largest utility has built what it says is the state’s first utility-scale wind turbine in an effort to test the potential of wind energy.? The wind turbine, which Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities (LG&E and KU) constructed at the end of last year with its parent company PPL Corporation, stands at 165 […]
Recycle Christmas trees to make fish habitat Dec. 26-Jan. 15
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife will be collecting evergreen trees at 29 drop-off locations across the state from Dec. 26 through Jan. 15 as part of its annual effort known as? “Christmas for the Fishes” to recycle Christmas trees into fish habitat. “The spirit of giving doesn’t have to end after the holidays,” said Spencer Phillips, […]