Environmental Watchdog

Persistent precipitation continues to stymie Kentucky farmers’ efforts to plant their 2013 corn and soybean crops. As of Sunday, just 39 percent of the state’s corn crop had been planted, barely half the pace of the five-year average and far behind last year, when corn planting was nearly finished, according to the USDA’s Agricultural Statistics Service’s Louisville field office. Just 23 percent of corn plants have emerged so far; normally, half the corn is out of the ground by now. Read more...

A new report takes a comprehensive look at the numerous factors behind the decline in Central Appalachian coal production, and predicts that more production declines are in the future.  The report was released today byDownstream Strategies, a West Virginia-based environmental consulting company. Lead author Rory McIlmoil says over the past few years, the most commonly-cited reasons for problems in the coal industry have been regulatory challenges and declining coal reserves. And while those play a major role, there are other factors, too.  Read more...

New state-level data from the Energy Information Administration shows that carbon dioxide emissions fell in most states in the last decade. But Kentucky saw a slight increase in emissions. Thirteen years ago, Kentucky was emitting 144.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, generated during electricity generation. Ten years later, that number was up to about 150 million metric tons. That’s more than a four percent increase.

Keep your coats and hats handy. We could see temperatures in the 30s by next week, weather forecasters warn. WKYT-TV chief meteorologist Chris Bailey says it will get warmer gradually this week, possibly, reaching the 70s by Wednesday, with chances of showers or thunderstorms almost daily. But the bottom might fall out this weekend.

Tax credits for renewable energy are set to expire, but a new study shows that current energy policies, if they're kept in place, would reduce carbon dioxide emissions over the next thirty years. The Energy Information Administration is an arm of the federal government, but is policy neutral. This means they don’t advocate for certain policies; they just crunch the numbers.

Even locally-grown and organic produce impact the environment.  Researchers at the University of Kentucky are working up a method for measuring those impacts.  U-K Sustainable Agriculture Extension Specialist Lee Meyer says they want to fully understand farming’s impact on the quality of air, soil and water quality.

Heading to the Kentucky Derby on Saturday? Be prepared to be rained on. Louisville has a 90 percent chance of rain showers on Saturday—part of a system that may drop as much as two inches of precipitation on the city through the weekend, the National Weather Service said.

Two southern Indiana sites are on the latest list of the state’s Most Endangered Places, compiled by the preservation group Indiana Landmarks.  One of the places, the Old Clarksville Site, is a holdover from last year. The nearly 300 acre site along the Ohio River includes remnants of pre-historic settlements, and the spot where Lewis and Clark launched their expedition of the western U.S. in 1803.

Call it a battle of the researchers. Scientists who have both affirmed and denied connections between mountaintop removal coal mining and serious health problems have intensified their efforts to bring public attention to their work recently. Today, a commission of scientists released an analysis of some of the recent research, and concluded that there should be a moratorium on mountaintop removal.

A cold front will invade parts of Kentucky tonight and Wednesday - possibly producing thunderstorms. The biggest chance for thunderstorms will be in Central Kentucky late tonight and early Wednesday. Severe storms are not expected, according to the National Weather Service office in Louisville, but gusty winds are possible, particularly east of Interstate 65.

A partnership between LG&E and KU and a Kentucky company could help both the energy and agriculture sectors, Kentucky leaders announced Monday. Kentucky company Charah  is opening up a facility in Louisville that will take leftover gypsum from the Mill Creek Power Station and turn it into a sulfur product—such as fertilizers—for Kentucky farmers.

An appeals court has ruled in favor of environmental groups that argued the streamlined permit the government used to permit mountaintop removal mines wasn’t protective of the environment. The decision was issued today by the U.S. Court of Appeals in Pikeville. It finds that the U.S. Army Corps’ issuance of the streamlined “Nationwide 21” permit is in violation of the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.

A new nanotechnology to clean up contaminated water will soon be tested in Louisville. It will use two precious metals—gold and palladium—to remove chloroform from contaminated groundwater at the DuPont plant in Rubbertown. Nanotechnology is a term that refers to materials made in a lab that manipulate chemicals at an atomic level. They’re smaller than a red blood cell, hence “nano.”

Spring-cleaning season has arrived, and for many Kentuckians that means burning unwanted debris. The Kentucky Division for Air Quality reminds residents to learn before you burn. Illegal burning could result in fines of as much as $25,000 per day per violation. Many people may not realize that burning trash is illegal in Kentucky. State law prohibits the burning of many materials including plastic, tires, cans, coated wire, carpeting and food waste. In addition, the burning of trailers, buildings, and construction and demolition debris such as shingles, drywall and insulation is prohibited.

A new study estimates that 65 percent of current coal-fired power plants won’t be economical to run in the near future. It’s been a common refrain when reporting on the coal industry: the fuel isn’t as competitive as it used to be because of low natural gas prices and increased environmental regulations. But the new study by researchers at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment quantifies the effects of natural gas and government regulations on the coal industry.

As several fires continue to burn in wooded areas across Pike County on Thursday, forestry officials said the fires are now under control. According to Tad Norris, the district forester for the Kentucky Division of Forestry’s Eastern District, three woodland fires were burning in Pike County Thursday in areas near Grapevine, Dorton and Elkhorn City. Norris said the fires have been brought under control and have been contained.