Environment

Louisville’s fourth annual Bluegrass Bioneers conference begins today.

Bioneers is a conference held annually in California, then streamed to groups around the country. It’s meant to present innovative, pioneering solutions to some of the world’s most serious environmental issues.

Regulators are still working to extinguish a fire at the site of the train derailment and chemical spill in southwest Jefferson County. But work has also begun to determine the environmental and health effects of the toxic chemicals that have already leaked.

Right now, workers on the scene of the train derailment in southwestern Jefferson County are worried about extinguishing the fire that’s been burning since yesterday, likely caused by residual butadiene. But once that’s under control, they’ll turn their attention to two train cars full of a chemical called hydrogen fluoride. And as they’re working to stabilize and drain those cars, it’s likely there will be another shelter-in-place in effect for the surrounding areas. Why?

Public health officials are warning that people in areas devastated by Superstorm Sandy face many risks in the aftermath and are urging people to protect themselves from health threats in the water, air and even their refrigerators.

As millions of people try to put their lives back together, the most obvious threat is the floodwaters themselves. In many places, the water could be a toxic stew.

Alpha Natural Resources will close one of its coal mines in Eastern Kentucky.

The company will close the Still House Branch Mine in Cumberland in Eastern Kentucky. Forty miners will lose their jobs, and another 40 will be reassigned to other coal mines. Alpha spokesman Rick Nida says there are several factors that went into the decision to close the mine.

Louisville Gas and Electric has been issued another citation for coal ash violations at its Cane Run Power Station in southwest Louisville.