Smokestack

A quarterly report shows that the number of jobs in Kentucky’s coal industry has dropped to the lowest level in at least 63 years.

Tom FitzGerald of the Kentucky Resources Council and Jim Waters of the Bluegrass Institute often disagree on some aspects of Kentucky coal production, federal regulations and the environment (as evidenced by this recent opinion piece written by Waters).

A decision on the fate of the northern section of a pipeline that would transport oil from Canada to the United States isn’t expected for months, but advocates and opponents of the project are still staging demonstrations. A new book by a local author ties in local efforts to raise awareness about climate change with the larger issues surrounding the development of Canadian tar sands and the Keystone XL pipeline.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer is encouraging commuters to think about making the trip by bicycle on Friday. It’s Bike to Work Day, and groups are meeting in six locations around Louisville and Southern Indiana to commute downtown together.

Louisville Zoo officials say the zoo's oldest polar bear passed away today from unknown causes.

A measure to stop the Army Corps of Engineers from restricting access to the Cumberland River near locks and dams is moving through Congress.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell added the amendment to a water resources bill that passed the Senate today.  In a news release, McConnell said restricting access to the water directly below dams would have a devastating effect on fishermen and the local economy.

The Louisville Air Pollution Control Board has approved a suite of regulation reforms, including fee increases for some air pollution permits.

New soil sampling at the Lees Lane Landfill shows there’s still some contamination at the site, but further testing is needed to determine whether the heavy metals and toxic chemicals found in the tests originated at the landfill. 

A new report takes a comprehensive look at the numerous factors behind the decline in Central Appalachian coal production, and predicts that more production declines are in the future.