Aug 2 Environment Marion, Scott County Magistrates Pass Resolutions on Bluegrass Pipeline Two more counties have registered reservations about a project that would build a natural gas liquids pipeline across Kentucky. Franklin County was the By Erica Peterson Aug 2 Environment Marion, Scott County Magistrates Pass Resolutions on Bluegrass Pipeline Erica Peterson
Jul 26 Environment Franklin County Magistrates Pass Resolution Opposing Bluegrass Pipeline Franklin County has become the first Kentucky county to pass a resolution opposing a proposed natural gas liquids pipeline. It's been less than two months By Erica Peterson Jul 26 Environment Franklin County Magistrates Pass Resolution Opposing Bluegrass Pipeline Erica Peterson
Mar 4 Environment Obama Nominates New Heads of EPA, Energy Department President Obama has nominated Gina McCarthy to succeed Lisa Jackson as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Ernest Moniz as his By Erica Peterson Mar 4 Environment Obama Nominates New Heads of EPA, Energy Department Erica Peterson
Feb 6 Environment REI Executive is Reportedly Obama’s Choice for Interior Secretary According to reports, President Obama will nominate Sally Jewell to replace outgoing Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. Jewell is the president and By Erica Peterson Feb 6 Environment REI Executive is Reportedly Obama’s Choice for Interior Secretary Erica Peterson
Jan 31 Environment This Week in Asian Coal News: China Burns More, India Needs More Two related stories about coal in Asia broke earlier this week: that India just doesn’t have enough coal to meet the country’s demands, and that China By Erica Peterson Jan 31 Environment This Week in Asian Coal News: China Burns More, India Needs More Erica Peterson
Dec 28 Environment Local Chapter Aims to Make Energy Economics Accessible for Everyone Louisville’s chapter of the U.S. Association for Energy Economics is planning for a full 2013.The Louisville chapter of the USAEE has been around for about five years, but chapter activities and lectures have been sporadic. The group aims to provide education and networking opportunities for everyone interested in energy—from professionals to the community as a whole.Eric Yussman is the chapter president, as well as a market policy analyst for Louisville Gas and Electric. He says the group will focus on holding events that explain the numbers behind energy topics in a way that’s accessible for everyone.“So it’s not at all just a dry recitation of numbers,” he said. “In fact we want to do just the opposite of that and have people get accurate information about energy, but not be bored to tears to the extent that they just don’t want to listen.”The chapter’s first event of 2013 is already scheduled: a speaker from the American Gas Association will talk about the extraction process called fracking. And in March, the assistant administrator for energy analysis at the U.S. Energy Information Administration will speak.Click here for information about the chapter's upcoming events. By Erica Peterson Dec 28 Environment Local Chapter Aims to Make Energy Economics Accessible for Everyone Erica Peterson
Sep 7 Environment Natural Gas Vehicles Ever More Feasible for Fleets Natural gas is becoming increasingly popular as a source of electricity, and in many places—including Louisville—it’s replacing coal. But natural gas is also becoming more prevalent as fuel for vehicles.In Waste Management’s facility off of Fern Valley Road, there’s a garbage truck parked after its daily route. On one side, so large it’s hard to miss, is a sign that says “Think Green, Think Clean”—a reference to the fact that this truck burns cleaner natural gas.Mike Fuller is the Senior District Manager for Waste Management. He’s showing off one of the 17 new natural-gas powered garbage trucks the company introduced in Louisville last month.“They burn much cleaner, not only from an air pollution, but also from a noise pollution standpoint,” he said. “They’re quiet. You still have the sound of the hydraulics, which you can’t minimize, but as far as the engine itself, it is night and day difference. It amazed me, the first time I heard it roll onto the lot, how quiet it was.”Waste Management has around ninety trucks on the road in Louisville every day. By the end of this year, nearly half of those will be powered by compressed natural gas, or CNG.And the trend in Kentucky isn’t limited to Waste Management, or even Louisville. CNG filling stations are planned across the state—in places like Somerset and Paducah. A company called Westport opened a facility to manufacture fuel systems for Ford trucks that can run on conventional gasoline, or natural gas.“The natural gas market across Kentucky is mirroring what’s happening across the nation,” said Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition director Melissa Howell.She says natural gas-powered vehicles were around in the 1990s, too. But a few things have changed since then: namely, the industry discovered the vast reserves of gas in the Marcellus Shale.Howell says back then, people and companies interested in natural gas powered vehicles generally couldn’t just get one off the line from an automaker.“Now that is the case. We have a lot to choose from with respect to vehicles. We have an abundant supply of natural gas. We have retailers that are very interested in natural gas. It’s about the economy. And it’s about what works on the bottom line.”Howell says the issue with so-called “alternative fuels”—natural gas included—is that if there’s nowhere to fill up, car manufacturers don’t make vehicles that can use the new fuel. And if car companies aren’t making vehicles, there’s no incentive to build filling stations. But she says it’s getting easier and easier to find a place to fill up a CNG vehicle. And that’s partly because of the price.“These advanced transportation technologies, whether it’s ethanol, biodiesel, electric, hybrid, there’s a niche for every one of these fuels and or technologies. And there is definitely a niche in the transportation sector for natural gas,” Howell said. “Specifically heavy duty fleets are ideal for natural gas. That business case can be made very quickly with respect to return on investment.”Waste Management built a public filling station on their property near the airport in Louisville. It’s open 24 hours, and looks pretty much like a regular gas pump. Except for the price: $2.39 for the equivalent of a gallon of gasoline. For companies that use big, gas-guzzling vehicles, those cost savings can add up.But for private citizens, the upfront costs of buying a CNG vehicle may not make it worthwhile. And the fuel does burn cleaner than diesel, but the use of natural gas in vehicles has been criticized due to the environmental damage caused by fracturing shale rock—or fracking—to extract the gas.Howell says Kentucky isn’t yet at a place where someone could buy a natural gas powered vehicle and easily find a place to fill up. But there are several projects in the works, and she expects interest to grow—especially among companies with large fleets. By Erica Peterson Sep 7 Environment Natural Gas Vehicles Ever More Feasible for Fleets Erica Peterson
Aug 2 Environment ORSANCO Board Elects Oil and Gas Attorney as Chairman The regional compact that oversees water quality in the Ohio River has a new chairman. Kenneth Komoroski is an attorney that often represents the oil and gas industry.The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission—or ORSANCO—is a regional body that oversees pollution in the Ohio River. It’s governed by a board made up of members from all eight member states, plus up to three federal commissioners appointed by the president. The board appoints its own chair.Of the 24 people currently on ORSANCO’s board, about half are state environmental regulators or other state officials. Several represent wastewater treatment plant operators, one is a professor, and three are lawyers for the extraction industry.Komoroski falls into the latter camp. His resume includes two decades representing oil and gas companies—the industries that are currently under fire for a practice called “fracking,” and which produce large amounts of wastewater. ORSANCO is, of course, the body responsible for regulating that discharge if it goes into the Ohio River and environmental groups are concerned as chair Komoroski will be more lenient on polluters. By Erica Peterson Aug 2 Environment ORSANCO Board Elects Oil and Gas Attorney as Chairman Erica Peterson
Jul 4 Environment Gas Planet: A Documentary About Natural Gas and Climate Change Coming up at 1:00 this afternoon, WFPL will air "Gas Planet: The Impact of the Natural Gas Boom on Climate Change." This hour-long documentary produced by The Allegheny Front examines the rise of natural gas, fueled by low prices, abundant resources and a lower carbon footprint than coal. By Erica Peterson Jul 4 Environment Gas Planet: A Documentary About Natural Gas and Climate Change Erica Peterson
Jun 25 Environment Study Finds Natural Gas Workers at Risk for Silicosis There's not a lot of natural gas drilling in Kentucky, but nearby West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania have become hotbeds as the Marcellus Shale is tapped. By Erica Peterson Jun 25 Environment Study Finds Natural Gas Workers at Risk for Silicosis Erica Peterson