Environment

A federal judge says the Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its powers by setting up water-quality criteria for coal mining operations in Appalachia.

U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton in Washington ruled Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by a coal mining industry coalition against the EPA and Administrator Lisa Jackson. Walton said the EPA infringed on the authority given to state regulators by federal clean water and surface mining acts.

The Metropolitan Sewer District board will consider its annual budget for the next fiscal year as well as a proposed 6.5 percent rate increase during a special session Monday.

Last week, Mayor Greg Fischer announced his support for an MSD, Louisville Water Company merger, which was recommended by a task force earlier this year. The possible savings from merger could be anywhere between $14 million to $24 million, according to an outside audit firm.

MSD director Greg Heitzman says a merger could eventually translate to cost-savings for customers and lower rate increases.

Louisville’s first Compressed Natural Gas, or CNG, station will be unveiled Wednesday near the city’s international airport and officials are encouraging both businesses and individuals to make the switch to the cleaner fuel alternative.

This will be the first CNG station in Louisville, and only the second in Kentucky. 

CNG burns cleaner than gasoline, but the vehicles that use it often cost more. That hasn’t stopped investment from companies like Waste Management, which plans to add 25 CNG vehicles to its Louisville fleet this year.

After reviewing task force recommendations for over two months, Mayor Greg Fischer says he supports the consolidation process between the Metropolitan Sewer District and the Louisville Water Company, but a full merger is not set in stone.