Environment

Jason Howard of the Kentucky Environmental Foundation had an Op-Ed in the New York Times yesterday on the ways in which coal--specifically, mountaintop removal coal mining--is dividing people and communities in Appalachia.

Howard chronicles coal industry advertising and the harassment of several coalfields environmental activists.

Despite scattered thunderstorms during the past week, parts of Indiana and Kentucky remain in a drought. That condition is hitting corn and soybean farmers particularly hard.

Half of Indiana’s and nearly half of Kentucky’s corn crop are in jeopardy, rated as “poor” or “very poor” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Purdue University agricultural economist Chris Hurt says once a crop is rated “very poor,” there’s not much that can be salvaged.

“Probably getting close to virtually gone. Very little yield potential left in that corn,” he said.

An investigation by NPR and several partners has found that black lung disease is far from being eradicated among coal miners. On the contrary: the reports outline a disease where diagnoses have doubled in the last decade in parts of Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia.

Black lung disease--also called coalworkers' pneumoconiosis--is a disease caused by breathing large amounts of coal dust.

Kentucky officials have declared a water shortage watch for 27 counties, mostly in central and western parts of the state.

Nearly all of the state outside of Jefferson and nearby counties is in some degree of drought. Many have been classified as abnormally dry, but central and northern Kentucky are in a level one drought, and the entire western part of the state is in a level two drought. That means in some places, water is becoming scarce.

The state issues water shortage watches when drought conditions could possibly threaten the availability of drinking water supplies.

People of all ages are invited to the annual butterfly count Saturday at the University of Louisville’s Horner Wildlife Sanctuary in Oldham County.

The count will be led by U of L biology professor emeritus Charles Covell, who speaks here with WFPL’s Rick Howlett about the purpose of the count and what you need to know to participate.