The Environmental Protection Agency has released the second year of data of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions, which it's congressionally-mandated to report.
Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, and are thought to be one of the primary drivers of climate change. The EPA has successfully argued that the gases are pollutants and pose a danger to human health.
During the presidential campaign this fall, there was a lot of talk about a "war on coal." Coal miners held rallies for Mitt Romney, and some coal companies announced layoffs that they blamed on President Obama's energy policies and regulations.
Louisville Gas and Electric could pay up to $250,000 to settle alleged safety violations that stemmed from a natural gas explosion in southern Jefferson County a year ago.
This graph shows data from the EPA's Toxic Release Inventory of the three largest industries that reported emissions in Jefferson County, plus the total on- and off-site emissions.
Every year, the federal government releases data about the toxic releases companies emit into the air or dispose of on land or in water. In the data from 2011 that was just released, the overall emissions for Kentucky continue a general downward trend. But in Jefferson County the most recent data shows that toxic pollution is still about as high as it was in 2004.
