WFPL's Erica Peterson has been reporting on pollution and energy in Louisville since 2011.
These issues are more important than ever as the city, state and region continue to grapple with the ramifications of fossil fuel use, rising temperatures and urban sprawl.
For the second time in two weeks, fish have been found dead in an eastern Kentucky creek, and state regulators aren’t sure what factors are to blame for the fish kill.
This time, hundreds of dead fish were found in Catrons Creek, in Harlan County. The dead fish range from more than a foot long to minnows.
But no one knows what caused the fish kill yet. People living near the creek reported seeing black water, and the culprit could be some kind of discharge of chemicals upstream from a coal mine or other industry.
It's only been a little more than a week since I was down at Mill Creek, watching several fluffy white peregrine falcon chicks being banded. But already, visible on the live webcam, you can see that those fluffy feathers are nearly gone and the chicks are getting ready to learn to fly.
Tax credits for renewable energy are set to expire, but a new study shows that current energy policies, if they're kept in place, would reduce carbon dioxide emissions over the next thirty years.
The Energy Information Administration is an arm of the federal government, but is policy neutral. This means they don’t advocate for certain policies; they just crunch the numbers.
About 24,000 gallons of untreated sewage was released this morning into the South Fork of Beargrass Creek.
The Metropolitan Sewer District reported a blockage in the sewer line around 11:00am. The waste would normally been diverted to the treatment plant, but the obstruction allowed the sewage to back up and rise over the dam around where Beargrass Creek crosses Lexington Road and Baxter Avenue.
The problem was fixed after about an hour and a half, but it’s recommended that the public avoid contact with the water for the next 48 hours.
Kentucky farmer and writer Wendell Berry interviewed food journalist Michael Pollan last night in Louisville. (Pollan stopped by the WFPL studios earlier in the day for an interview as well). Over the course of the evening, they discussed Pollan's new book "Cooked" and the bigger issues it raises. Here are five takeaways from the interview:
Food journalist Michael Pollan says we should cook. That's the thesis he outlines in his latest book--the appropriately titled Cooked. Pollan visited the WFPL studios earlier today for a news special.
New data from popular toy and children’s clothing manufacturers submitted to Washington State shows that more than 5,000 of them contain traces of at least one toxic chemical. These products are sold by national manufacturers that also operate in Kentucky.
Louisville Metro Government has issued a challenge to the owners of the city’s commercial buildings: get Energy Star certified. Mayor Greg Fischer says he wants at least 25 buildings to receive the designation by the end of the year.