skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

U.S. gender wage gap grows for the first time in a decade; Trump has embraced NC's Mark Robinson, calling him 'Martin Luther King on steroids; Volunteers sought as early voting kicks off in MN; Women's political contributions in congressional races fall short of men's.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

KY Conservationists Pleased with New Pollution Rules; Governor is Not

play audio
Play

Tuesday, August 4, 2015   

FRANKFORT, Ky. – The Obama administration has finalized the first-ever federal limits on carbon pollution from power plants, setting a goal of cutting emissions by 32 percent by 2030.

Governor Steve Beshear is calling the EPA Clean Power Plan "disastrous" for Kentucky's economy, but conservation groups say it will be a boost for public health as well as clean energy.

Betsy Bennett, conservation chair with the Sierra Club Cumberland Chapter, says she hopes the plan will be the push Kentucky needs to diversify its energy supply.

"President Obama has taken a huge step in making good on his commitment to fighting climate disruption," she says. "But there's still too much of a coal concentration in this state."

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 92 percent of the electricity generated in Kentucky comes from coal. In a terse three-paragraph statement, Beshear said he is "extremely disappointed and frustrated" by the final plan, alleging the EPA did not listen to his state's concerns.

The Union of Concerned Scientists says Kentucky is ahead of the emission-rate trajectory set by the Clean Power Plan, but it's the result of recent decisions to retire "uneconomic" coal plants.

Bennett says that underscores the need to begin taking advantage of what the conservation community says have been missed opportunities.

"For solid economic development, getting into renewables and energy efficiency," she says.

Ed Perry with the National Wildlife Federation's Climate Change Campaign says the Clean Air Plan would improve public health, and is a win for nature too.

"This is a flexible, science-based rule that's going to represent real progress in protecting our country's natural resources," he says.

The governor and attorney general of Kentucky say they will continue to fight the new federal pollution-cutting rules in court.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Health Literacy Month, and a Denver-based group is working to help health professionals break a persistent pattern of discrimination …

Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …


Alabama releases roughly 220,279 men and 78,247 women from its prisons and jails each year. (Chad Robertson/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …

Health and Wellness

play sound

In North Carolina, the gap between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the actual cost of dental care has reached a crisis point, impacting both …

So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021