environment
Kentucky researchers to examine neighborhood health
LOUISVILLE – Eighteen months from now, Kentucky researchers hope to know how to diagnose neighborhoods in much the same way doctors diagnose illnesses in the human body. A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant of $500,000 will fund a Louisville-based neighborhood study, featuring researchers from Simmons College of Kentucky and the University of Louisville, leaders from […]
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 […]
USDA to use outdoors recreation to boost economy around national forests, grasslands
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture began planning this month to develop outdoor recreation opportunities near national forests and grasslands, part of a broader Biden administration push to help communities reap economic rewards from the growing recreation sector. Three USDA agencies — the U.S. Forest Service, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and […]
Beshear, oil and gas leaders pitch using fossil fuels to make hydrogen fuel in Kentucky
LOUISVILLE — Gov. Andy Beshear joined the lobbying organization for Kentucky’s oil and gas industries Wednesday to pitch a new energy future for the commonwealth: creating hydrogen fuel for generating electricity, transportation and more through the use of natural gas. The Democratic governor speaking before the inaugural Kentucky Hydrogen Summit in downtown Louisville, organized by the Kentucky Oil […]
Conservation officers investigating death of bull elk in McCreary County, reward offered
Frankfort — The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is seeking information about the poaching of a bull elk in McCreary County. A news release from the agency last week said conservation officers began investigating after a department employee found the bull elk carcass on Jan. 13 near Middle Ridge Trail on Beaver Creek Wildlife […]
Gas-well cleanup opens 513 acres in Rockcastle River Wildlife Management Area to the public
Federal funding to plug abandoned oil and gas wells has opened 513 acres in Pulaski County to hunters, anglers, wildlife watchers and other nature lovers, according to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. The land, part of the Rockcastle River Wildlife Management Area (WMA), is newly accessible to the public thanks to an […]
Environmental enforcement hits two-decade low under Biden
Federal environmental enforcement, as measured by Environmental Protection Agency civil cases closed against polluters, hit a two-decade low in 2022, per a report released last week by a national environmental group that blames budget cuts, staff shortages and the U.S. Senate’s failure to confirm key leaders. The Environmental Integrity Project said the 72 civil enforcement […]
Criticism greets LG&E/KU plan to replace coal-fired power plants with natural gas, solar
Kentucky’s largest utility, providing power to more than 1.3 million customers, is proposing to build two natural gas plants along with new solar installations to help make up for an energy supply shortfall created by the retirement of coal-fired power plants. It’s a plan that advocates of both coal and renewable energy in Kentucky strongly […]
Kentucky plant top emitter of potent heat-trapping gases from aluminum production
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. It was published in partnership with NBC News and is republished with permission. Sign up for the Inside Climate News newsletter here. ROBARDS, Ky.—As Mary and Ed Cupp drove down a country lane toward the front gate […]
Lack of bidders increasing costs to plug abandoned oil and gas wells in Kentucky
Contractors have started plugging some of the thousands of oil and gas wells abandoned by the fossil fuel industry across Kentucky, using new federal funding. But a lack of companies able or willing to bid on the work is increasing costs, a Kentucky official said recently. Kentucky received an initial $25 million grant through the […]