The winter 2014 issue is now available for download at http://eec.ky.gov/Pages/LandAirWater.aspx.
The cover features elk in Knott County on the former Starfire Mine. It was photographed by Dave Baker, who works at the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
Land, Air & Water readers should be familiar with Secretary Peters’ message that has appeared for the past two years on the inside cover of the magazine. Each quarter, the secretary writes about an important issue or topic, such as highlighting successes within our agencies that make Kentucky a safer and cleaner place to live, or discussing connections between energy policy, environmental regulations and our economy.
This issue is no different. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will propose greenhouse gas regulations in June affecting existing power plants. The potential impacts of the proposed rules could be significant. Be sure to read the interview on Page 1 with John Lyons, who has been appointed assistant secretary of climate policy. John discusses his views on how such policies could affect Kentucky’s economy and our electricity prices. Land, Air & Water will continue to keep you informed on topics that matter to us all.
This issue also highlights the following articles:
- Cleaning up trash “underground” – The Division of Waste Management worked with a team of cavers to extract more than 50 years of trash from the Gulf Pit Dump in Hart County. Read the painstaking process on Page 2 that took more than two years of preparation and 12 weeks to complete.
- Properties preserved – The Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund has been busy this past quarter purchasing more than 5,000 acres that will benefit Kentucky’s native wildlife and plants. Read about these property acquisitions on Page 5.
- Landslide just a bad memory – Residents of the Black Joe community in Harlan County lived with the constant danger of a landslide near their homes until the Division of Abandoned Mine Lands designed a plan to remove the landslide material that would make the neighborhood once again a safe place for families. Read about the reclamation process beginning on Page 9.
- Collecting seeds – Division of Forestry employees collected plums from trees planted seven years ago at Gallatin Steel. The plums were seeded and the seeds planted at Forestry’s Morgan County nursery in West Liberty. Read about the seed harvest on Page 17.
The winter issue also highlights the Kentucky Home Performance program and energy-efficient improvements on Page 3; the benefits of riparian buffers that reduce surface runoff of sediment, nutrients and pesticides into our waterways on Page 6; how waste tires (crumb rubber) were used in an asphalt paving project in Dayton, Ky., on Page 14 and meet Sylvia and Jon Bednarski, inaugural winners of the Kentucky Leopold Conservation Award on Page 18. Other stories and awards are also highlighted throughout this issue.
If you have comments or suggestions for future stories, contact Cindy Scaher by e-mail or by phone at 564-5525.
Naturally Connected 