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Thursday, March 28, 2024

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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

KY: Environmental Justice

At least two thirds of plastics plants examined in a new Environmental Integrity Project report (32 of 50) that have been built or expanded over the last decade have received tax breaks or subsidies from state and local governments worth a total of nearly $9 billion. (Adobe Stock)

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

KY plastics plant ranks in nation's top ten emitters of chlorine

A western Kentucky plastics plant is among the top 10 emitters of chlorine air pollution, according to a new report by the Environmental Integrity …

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The group Appalachian Voices has partnered with 16 community groups and two universities to deploy around 80 monitoring devices to track air quality in communities throughout Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. (Adobe Stock)
New EPA clean air rules to help strengthen air monitoring in KY

Groups working to improve air quality in Appalachia are applauding the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to strengthen ambient air quality st…

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In 2023, the USDA Forest Service and AmeriCorps signed a five-year agreement to establish the Forest Corps, which aims to create job opportunities to reduce wildfire risk, support reforestation and make national forests and grasslands healthier and more resilient. (Adobe Stock)
Climate Corps initiative could speed up reforestation of abandoned mine lands

A Biden administration program called the American Climate Corps aims to hire and train 20,000 people in conservation, climate and clean energy jobs…

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Natural-gas emissions from stationary sources led to more deaths than coal in at least 19 states, according to research from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (Adobe Stock)
Utility Proposes Building Two New $1.4B Natural-Gas Plants in Kentucky

Kentucky's major utilities, Louisville Gas & Electric and Kentucky Utilities, are asking the state's Public Service Commission to approve a plan to …

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The Congressional Budget Office puts the 2018-2023 Farm Bill price tag at around $428 billion. (Adobe Stock)
A KY Push for Regenerative Farming in Next Farm Bill

People's wallets continue to feel the impact of high food prices, and local environmental groups say sustainable food systems and regenerative …

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An attempt to build a $500 million federal prison in Letcher County was defeated in 2019 because of strong local opposition. (Adobe Stock)
Proposed East KY Federal Prison Would Have Devastating Environmental Impacts

After Republican Congressman Hal Rogers inserted language into the latest House appropriations bill which would bypass environmental regulatory proces…

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An aerial view of farmland on the Sisters of Loretto land in Kentucky (Loretto Community/Neil Tucker)<br /><br />
Sisters of Loretto Permanently Preserve 650 Acres of 'Holy Land' in Kentucky

By Brian Roewe for Earthbeat.Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan for Kentucky News Connection for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Service…

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Research from 2015 revealed a federal estimate of more than 48,000 abandoned coal mine sites across the nation, but exact numbers remain unclear. (Adobe Stock)<br />
Possible Link Between Flood Risk, Abandoned Mine Land Brings Urgency to Reclamation Efforts

The impact of abandoned mine land on flood risk is receiving new scrutiny after devastating floods in the eastern part of the state left 40 people dea…

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Kentucky has a backlog of more than 1,000 abandoned mine land sites that qualify for federal assistance for cleanup. (Adobe Stock)
Looming Uncertainty Over Future of Abandoned Mine Land Cleanup

WHITESBURG, Ky. -- Congress has allowed the Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) program to expire, and advocates said nationwide on both state and tribal …

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A 2015 Clean Air Act rule requires refineries to clean up benzene emissions when annual concentrations of this cancer-causing pollutant exceed the EPA's action level of 9 micrograms per year. (Adobe Stock) <br />
Oil Refineries' Benzene Pollution a Concern in Eastern KY

CATLETTSBURG, Ky. - A Marathon oil refinery in eastern Kentucky is emitting benzene into the air at levels higher than what the federal …

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The drinking-water supply for an estimated 200 million Americans is likely contaminated with forever chemicals known as PFAS, according to the Environmental Working Group. (Adobe Stock)
KY Advocates Say ‘Forever Chemicals' Pose Health Risk

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is slated to receive $75 million to jumpstart toxicity studies of industrial chemicals …

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It's estimated the United States is saddled with around $11.4 billion in costs to clean up abandoned coal mine sites nationwide. (Adobe Stock)
Pandemic Spurs Renewed Abandoned-Mine Cleanup Efforts

WHITESBURG, Ky. -- This week, state officials announced the start of several new grant-funded, abandoned-mine land projects in Eastern Kentucky…

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