Sep 22 Energy & Environment Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ polluted drinking water in this Ky. town. Residents say they didn’t know. Nearly three years ago, state officials found toxic “forever chemicals” polluting the drinking water in the city of South Shore at higher concentrations than anywhere else in Kentucky. The state’s Energy and Environment Cabinet warned South Shore Mayor Cheryl Moore and began regularly testing the city’s water and sending her the results. Life has otherwise […] By Ryan VanVelzer Sep 22 Energy & Environment Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ polluted drinking water in this Ky. town. Residents say they didn’t know. Ryan VanVelzer
Aug 26 Energy & Environment Heavy rain, steep slopes and climate change contributed to catastrophic eastern Ky. floods Gwen Christon had never seen the small creek behind her IGA grocery store in Isom, Ky. flood before. But during the historic flood that went on to kill 39 people and devastate eastern Kentucky, that little creek engulfed the narrow valley with six feet of water; swallowing up the highway, Christon’s grocery store, and practically […] By Ryan VanVelzer Aug 26 Energy & Environment Steep slopes, climate change and eastern Ky. floods Ryan VanVelzer
Jun 19 Energy & Environment Coal Ash Uncovered: Polluted Groundwater Found At 14 Kentucky Sites For decades, Kentucky’s own coal stoked the fires that generated most of its electricity. And while some of those power plants have shut down or switched to natural gas, their legacy remains today in the leftover coal ash that’s stored all over the commonwealth. Now, new data show the coal ash buried in landfills and […] By Ryan VanVelzer Jun 19 Energy & Environment Coal Ash Uncovered: Polluted Groundwater Found At 14 Kentucky Sites Ryan VanVelzer
Jun 18 Energy & Environment Coal Ash Uncovered: New Data Reveal Widespread Contamination At Ohio Valley Sites For generations, coal power has fueled American prosperity. But for each shovelful thrown into the furnaces, a pile of ash was left in its place. Today, as coal’s dominance in the power sector wanes, those piles of ash have grown into mountains as coal ash became one of the largest waste streams in the country, […] By Brittany Patterson and Ryan VanVelzer Jun 18 Energy & Environment Coal Ash Uncovered: New Data Reveal Widespread Contamination At Ohio Valley Sites Brittany Patterson and Ryan VanVelzer
Jun 15 Energy & Environment How We Made Sense Of Confusing Coal Ash Data The Environmental Protection Agency describes the 2015 coal ash rules as “self-implementing,” meaning utilities had to comply with the rules but the federal government would not oversee or enforce them. Instead, the EPA required utilities to publish the results of their groundwater testing on their websites. The rules were written that way so that citizens […] By Alexandra Kanik and Ryan VanVelzer Jun 15 Energy & Environment How We Made Sense Of Confusing Coal Ash Data Alexandra Kanik and Ryan VanVelzer