Environment

Representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency will be in Louisville tomorrow to discuss a former toxic Superfund site.

New environmental issues have arisen at the Lees Lane Landfill in West Louisville.

The landfill was closed in 1975. After 400 drums of hazardous materials were found on the site near the Ohio River several years later, Lees Lane was classified as a toxic Superfund site, and cleanup began.

A new report from by the Sierra Club estimates how much sulfur dioxide is emitted from nine Kentucky power plants and it finds that all nine of them—including the Mill Creek and Cane Run power plants in Louisville—are violating the national air quality standards.

Sulfur dioxide has been linked to health issues like pulmonary inflammation, asthma, emphysema and other lung conditions.

Three new studies have added more scientific evidence to support ill health effects from mountaintop removal coal mining.

Over the past few years, several studies have presented evidence supporting links between health problems—like cancer and birth defects—that are more prevalent in communities with mountaintop removal mines. But these new studies attempt to pinpoint specific pollutants that could be causing those health problems.

Louisville Gas and Electric is asking the case against the company for its role in a residential gas explosion in December be dismissed. In documents filed with the Kentucky Public Service Commission yesterday, the company disagrees with many of the state's conclusions as to the cause of the explosion.

Representatives from power companies around the world are in Louisville today for HydroVision International's annual conference. The event draws people who are already invested in hydroelectric power, or are looking for ways to begin the process. Participants also had a chance to tour two local hydropower facilities: the new Cannelton Locks and Dam project (which is still a work in progress) and LG&E's Ohio Falls Generating Station.

The conference's keynote speakers are: