Tagged: EPA

Representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency met with citizens, civic leaders and Murray State officials last night to discuss sustainable rural development strategies. Such strategies include how to increase green spaces, promote more biking and walking and adjust zoning for new and aging neighborhoods. EPA contractor Milton Herd said Murray is not alone in wanting to sustain its growth as well as its rural nature.

The Kentucky Environmental Foundation will conduct a health impact assessment on the retrofitting or retirement of the Tennessee Valley Authority's Shawnee Fossil Plant near Paducah.

The Kentucky Environmental Foundation is an environmental advocacy group based in Richmond, Ky. with a history of working on chemical weapons issues surrounding the Blue Grass Army Depot. Recently it has become more involved in clean energy and chemical safety. KEF Energy and Health Coordinator Deborah Payne says the assessment comes at a time of change for the Plant and the assessment will be taking that into account.

An annual report on Illinois landfills shows there is enough space for the expected refuse that will accumulate over the next 23 years. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency's 25th annual report on nonhazardous solid waste management indicates 45 landfills in the state had more than one billion cubic yards of space left. That's up less than one percent from the year before. Officials say it's important to remember space fluctuates from year to year as areas within landfills are filled and new ones open.

Kentucky politicians have been lining up to praise a judge’s decision earlier this week to overturn the new way the Environmental Protection Agency has been evaluating coal mining permits. The EPA was sued by the National Mining Association and several individual states, including Kentucky. But the ruling could have few practical implications for the coal industry.

Kentucky Coal Association President Bill Bissett is applauding a federal court ruling that found the EPA overstepped its authority in establishing water quality criteria for consideration of mining permits. He calls the decision Tuesday by U. S. District Judge Reggie Walton “a victory for all of Kentucky and West Virginia.”