HARRODSBURG, Ky. -- Critics say a plan developed by Kentucky Utilities to address groundwater pollution from an unlined coal-ash pond seeping into Herrington Lake is inadequate.

In 2017, the Sierra Club and Kentucky Waterways Alliance filed a lawsuit against Kentucky Utilities, which operates the power plant producing the coal ash, arguing that it violated federal regulations for storing toxic waste.

Lauren Piette, an associate attorney with Earthjustice, said the lawsuit is pending, but based on scientific evidence of groundwater pollution, the Kentucky Cabinet of Energy and the Environment required the utility to develop a corrective action plan.

"Unfortunately, from our perspective," she said, "the corrective action plan didn't really require Kentucky Utilities to do anything more than conduct a few years of studies on the pollution that we already knew was in the lake."

Piette said a 2016 study found nine out of 10 fish samples from Herrington Lake had high selenium levels that exceed Kentucky's water standards. Coal ash contains heavy metals and other pollutants known to harm fish, wildlife and human health.

A virtual public hearing on the plan will be held from noon to 3 p.m. EDT Thursday. People can register by sending an email to ewbrowncomments@ky.gov or can submit written comments through the Sierra Club's website.

Hank Graddy, a representative of the Sierra Club Kentucky Chapter, said the cleanup plan doesn't require the utility to take any specific measures to stop groundwater from seeping through its nearly 6 million cubic yards of buried coal ash.

"This does nothing to clean up the coal ash," he said. "The coal ash continues to sit there; groundwater continues to go through it."

Graddy said Herrington Lake is not only a popular destination for fishing and swimming, but also supplies drinking water to tens of thousands of people in the Harrodsburg area.

"Herrington Lake is a very popular lake. It's an important lake to Kentucky," he said. "A lot of friends of mine live on the lake, and KU owes it to their fellow Kentuckians to be more protective of this important resource."

He said it remains unclear how the polluted groundwater is entering the lake. Environmental groups want the utility to either seal the unlined pond or transport the coal ash to a secure location.

West Virginia lawmakers are pushing legislation forward to pave the way for state management of the transport, storage and disposal of potentially dangerous radioactive waste.

House Bill 208 would set up an agreement with federal regulators to allow the state Health Department to control low-level radioactive waste, commonly associated with fracking.

Morgan King, climate and energy program manager for the West Virginia Citizen Action Group, argued the state is already dealing with poorly managed fracking waste, such as the Fairmont Brine processing site, where residents discovered unsecured radioactive ponds.

"If we rush into an agreement that would allow more radioactive waste to be brought into our state from out of state, especially given that so much fracking is going on in Ohio and Pennsylvania, we could see the same thing happen again in other parts of our state," King contended.

The bill recently passed in the House of Delegates and is now being considered by the Senate during a special session.

King pointed out critics of the bill are concerned the state lacks the knowledge and infrastructure to keep residents safe, given the stakes for public health. Research shows radioactive waste from fracking can spread to groundwater, which supplies more than a quarter of the nation's drinking water.

"We want to make sure that if this is going to move forward, that the agency has enough resources and expertise for their responsibility," King emphasized. "We don't believe that, at the moment, the Department of Health has that expertise to manage it."

Exposure to radioactive fracking waste has been linked to leukemia, low birth weight and preterm births, asthma and early deaths.

Federal data show health care and technology-related jobs are still in high demand but a career in clean energy is now at the top of the list, too, and Wisconsin labor leaders said opportunities are unfolding in the region.

New findings from the Climate Jobs National Resource Center list 82 Wisconsin projects tied to the clean energy transition in the pipeline, which could qualify for tax incentives and key labor standards under the Inflation Reduction Act.

Emily Pritzkow, executive director of the Wisconsin Building Trades Council, said companies behind wind, solar and similar development need to attract workers while adhering to hiring benchmarks.

"Excellent pay, flexibility," Pritzkow pointed out. "And we are rising to meet that."

Labor standards for Inflation Reduction Act projects call for apprenticeships to be offered, so new hires can learn on the job. Pritzkow stressed Wisconsin unions play a big role in carrying out the learning aspect of the hiring boom. There are challenges though, with labor groups noting not enough people are aware of job possibilities and the need for things like affordable housing if a worker has to relocate for their new career.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists wind turbine technicians and solar installers as the fastest growing occupations in the U.S. In amplifying messaging, Pritzkow emphasized they have to overcome long-held beliefs only certain other industries, such as dentistry, routinely offer stable employment.

"I think there maybe are some old ideas about what working in the trades means," Pritzkow observed. "These are not temporary jobs. These are meant to be careers."

She added clean energy projects are helping to fuel record demand for apprenticeships. Earlier this year, four major utilities operating in Wisconsin pledged to hire union workers for development spurred by the Inflation Reduction Act. The Climate Jobs National Resource Center estimates the incentives will lead to more than 42,000 union-scale jobs in Wisconsin.

A volunteer program has caught the attention of West Virginia tourism officials.

The Dolly Sods Wilderness Stewards program has been recognized with a "Spirit of West Virginia Award." The program started as a collaboration in 2021 with West Virginia Highlands Conservancy and the Monongahela National Forest.

Dave Johnston, program coordinator, said volunteers are trained to educate visitors on 'leave no trace' principles, trail cleaning and more.

"Taking inventories of campsites and things like that," Johnston explained. "We're basically serving as eyes and ears for the Forest Service for what's going on in the backcountry."

More than 100 volunteers work to preserve and maintain the more than 17,000-acre area in the Allegheny Mountains. According to the International Journal of Wilderness, more states are turning to volunteer groups to maintain trails and collect data, as dollars for the management of federal lands have decreased.

Johnston added the work is important for sustaining protected lands for future generations, noting wilderness areas are specially designated by Congress to remain as pristine as possible.

"They're the most primitive form of public lands that are set aside for people to enjoy in this country," Johnston emphasized.

According to numbers by the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, an estimated 35,000 people hike and retreat to the Dolly Sods each year.


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