A Kentucky lawmaker is hoping to limit the definition of “waters of the Commonwealth” protected under anti-pollution laws.

Kentucky lawmakers hope to follow Tennessee as the second state to ban what they call “geoengineering” — the theoretical concept to counter climate change that some baselessly claim is already happening as “chemtrails.”

Tennessee lawmakers will again consider removing legal protections for wetlands across the state this year.

For much of central Appalachia, 2024 was a year marked by drought conditions followed by intense, catastrophic rain. For many places it was also the hottest year on record. Scientists say extremes like these are likely symptoms of a changing climate.

Bat populations have been on the decline in the U.S. for decades due to climate change, habitat loss and a nasty fungal disease. But one species has been making a major comeback in Tennessee: the gray bat.

A giant salamander typically found in central Appalachia called the hellbender is on the way to being endangered. The bizarre-looking creature can only live in very clean water, which is getting harder to find.

An environmental group has filed suit against the town of Celina, claiming that local officials have illegally allowed overflows of sewage from its treatment plant to be discharged into Cordell Hull Lake and the Cumberland and Obey Rivers for more than three years.

Earlier this year, state lawmakers proposed a developer-backed bill to remove protections on more than half of Tennessee’s wetlands. That bill was defeated, but another version of the bill is expected by spring.

The National Weather Service says Kentucky may see heavy rain and high winds Thursday evening through Friday.

Lawmakers convene next week to consider changes in how the state protects wetlands — reviving an issue that sparked intense debate earlier this year when a bill was introduced to roll back environmental oversight over nearly half a million acres of the state’s fragile ecosystems.