Tagged: smokestack

Every year, the federal government releases data about the toxic releases companies emit into the air or dispose of on land or in water. In the data from 2011 that was just released, the overall emissions for Kentucky continue a general downward trend. But in Jefferson County the most recent data shows that toxic pollution is still about as high as it was in 2004.

The Chemical Safety Board will be in Louisville next week to present the results of its investigation into the March 2011 explosion at the Carbide Industries plant in Rubbertown.

The explosion killed two workers and injured two others on March 21, 2011, when an electric arc furnace over pressured and emitted hot gases and debris.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration has released its preliminary fatality data for last year.

Thirty-six miners died on the job last year—19 of them in coal mines. The federal government has been keeping records for more than a century, and 2012 was the second-lowest year for fatalities on record. The only year that was lower was 2009, when 35 miners died.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer has released the long-awaited draft version of the city’s sustainability plan. It’s an ambitious list of ways the city wants to be greener, but some of the goals and initiatives will be difficult to measure.