Environment
First case of chronic wasting disease confirmed in Kentucky
Kentucky wildlife management officials say a deer in West Kentucky has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD) — a fatal neurological disease that impacts elk, deer and other species in the deer family — marking the first such case in the state. A Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources release Thursday states two […]
A few streams are freed from low head dams but many more remain in Kentucky
In the early years of this nation and state, settlers built small dams on rivers and streams to capture waterpower for mills, enable navigation and assure a water supply. In the middle part of the last century even more were built as government agencies tried to bring waterways under control. Today, thousands of those dams […]
New life for old coal: Minelands and power plants are hot renewable development spots
PETERSBURG, Ind. — AES Indiana’s Petersburg Generating Station, which towers over the White River here in southwest Indiana, has been burning coal to generate electricity since the late 1960s. That era, though, will come to an end soon. Two of the power plant’s four coal-burning units have already retired and the last is planning to […]
Kentucky could win ‘massive’ solar investment in federal competition. Here’s what’s possible.
An unlikely collaboration between a Kentucky coalfield county and Kentucky’s largest city began when a former high school English teacher, Megan Downey, walked into the Lawrence County courthouse in Louisa in August. Inspired by a personal desire to find ways to tackle the impacts of climate change, Downey had launched a nonprofit called The Solar […]
Reliability v. sustainability: Inside the debate over the EPA’s proposed carbon rules
Electric reliability has been a hot topic lately — from congressional hearings to regulatory agencies and at the regional transmission organizations that run the electric grid in much of the country. The American electric grid is undergoing a major change, prodded by state and federal decarbonization policies, market forces pushing cheaper and cleaner forms of […]
Lawsuit alleges federal agencies failing to protect ‘imperiled’ crayfish, darter from coal mining impacts
Two environmental advocacy groups are suing federal agencies for allegedly failing to implement conservation protections for hundreds of coal mines, including those in Eastern Kentucky, whose discharges into waterways could harm endangered and threatened aquatic life. Appalachian Voices and the Center for Biological Diversity, in a lawsuit filed in federal district court Wednesday, alleged hundreds […]
Beshear declares state of emergency to help combat Eastern Kentucky wildfires
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency Thursday in an effort to provide more resources for combating wildfires across the state, particularly in Eastern Kentucky. A Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet release Thursday afternoon said that state Division of Forestry officials are responding to dozens of wildfires across the state and are working […]
Kentucky’s largest utility will retire some coal-fired power, boost renewable energy
Kentucky’s utility regulator has given a green light to plans by the state’s largest utility to retire some of its coal-fired generation, build a natural gas-fired plant in Jefferson County and add renewable energy to its power generation portfolio. Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities (LG&E and KU) had asked the Kentucky Public Service […]
Two words rarely heard on Kentucky’s campaign trail: Climate change
PROVIDENCE — Walking through a bathhouse at what until a few years ago was Webster County’s last operating coal mine is not just a moment for Tony Felker to revisit memories. It is also a window into a way of life that he recognizes is disappearing. Felker is quick to rattle through the nearly four […]
Energy tech testbed to develop projects on 65K acres in Virginia’s Wise County
A public-private initiative that aims to test out emerging energy technologies on Southwest Virginia lands formerly mined for coal has signed an agreement to develop its projects on 65,000 acres primarily located in Wise County that are owned by a major natural gas and pipeline company. The deal, announced by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office […]
Lawmakers want answers on damage and costs linked to idled ‘zombie’ coal mines
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. Lawmakers, including Kentucky’s lone Democrat in Congress, are asking for a federal investigation into the full extent of environmental damage caused by what are […]
More than 600 ‘orphan’ oil and gas wells plugged in Kentucky with federal funds
The director of the Kentucky Division of Oil and Gas told state lawmakers Thursday that 627 so-called “orphan” oil and gas wells have been plugged thanks to recent federal funding, though thousands of such abandoned wells remain across the state. Dennis Hatfield, the Kentucky Division of Oil and Gas director, said the state officials estimate […]