Smokestack

Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship is back on the radar, but apparently not currently seeking any coal mining permits in Kentucky.

The International Energy Agency has released its outlook on the world’s energy usage.

Metro Parks is one step closer to finalizing the Floyds Fork segment of the Louisville Loop. There’s a public meeting tomorrow to get feedback from the community.

When it’s completed, the Louisville Loop will be a 100-mile bike path circling the city. Right now, there are 23 miles completed—from downtown and along the Ohio River into southwest Louisville—and the other sections of the trail are in various phases of planning.

Manalapan Mining Company--which operates in Harlan County--and two of the company's top officials are pleading guilty to charges they willfully violated mine safety rules.

Louisville Gas and Electric says it doesn’t expect customer bills to increase as much as the company predicted last year.

The New York Times has experts in several fields weighing in this morning on what they say should be President Obama's priorities for the next four years. Two of them spoke about energy and the environment, and both are worth a read in their entirety.

For the past four years, officials in Kentucky’s coal industry have fought President Obama’s steps to further regulate emissions from coal plants and pollution from coal mining. Now that the president has won re-election, they wonder if anything will change in a second term.

President Obama’s administration has put into motion numerous regulations that affect the coal industry. But many of these aren’t actually in effect yet…they’re still moving through the rule making process, or are tied up in court.

A coal company plans to restart production at two mines in eastern Kentucky.

Pike County Judge-Executive Wayne Rutherford says 150 coal miners in his county will soon go back to work, but he can’t say for which company.

Rutherford was told the miners had worked at two idled mines in the county, but the company is still working on permits and doesn’t want to make the news public yet. Even so, Rutherford hailed the news as a sign that more coal jobs will be returning to eastern Kentucky.

If you’ve already voted, you may have been confused by the lineup of men vying for the position of Supervisor in the Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District. You aren’t alone.

The National Journal has compiled responses from several environmentalists, businesspeople and politicians about what energy issues are at stake in today's election. Here are a few excerpts.

Former Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope: