Environmental andPublic Protection Cabinet

LaJuana S. Wilcher, Secretary

Department for EnvironmentalProtection

Lloyd R. Cress, Commissioner

Department for Natural ResourcesSusan Carole Bush, Commissioner

Department of Public ProtectionJames L. Adams, Commissioner

Department of LaborPhilip Anderson, Commissioner

Land, Air & Water is publishedquarterly by the Environmental and PublicProtection Cabinet with state and federalfunds. Subscription to this publication isfree. Write the Office of Communications

and Public Outreach, 534 Capital PlazaTower, Frankfort, KY 40601 or phone (502)

564-5525 to have your name added to themailing list. Address changes and deletionsalso should be sent to this office or faxed

to (502) 564-3354.

The Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet does not discriminate on the basis ofrace, color, national origin, sex, age, religion or disability and provides, on request, reasonableaccommodations including auxiliary aids and services necessary to afford an individual with adisability an equal opportunity to participate in all services, programs and activities. Torequest materials in an alternative format, contact the Office of Communications and PublicOutreach, 534 Capital Plaza Tower, Frankfort, KY 40601 or call (502) 564-5525. Hearing- andspeech-impaired persons can contact the agency by using the Kentucky Relay Service, a toll-free telecommunication device for the deaf (TDD). For voice to TDD, call (800) 648-6057.For TDD to voice, call (800) 648-6056.

Printed on recycled paper with state and federal funds

Agency CoordinatorsMartin Bess, Maleva Chamberlain,

Leslie Cole, Mary Jean Eddins,Gwen Holt, Lola Lyle, Elizabeth Robb,Lee Ruggles, Eva Smith-Carroll and

Rose Marie Wilmoth

Visit Land, Air & Water magazine on the World Wide Web atwww.environment.ky.gov/law/default.htm

Online

State of KentuckyErnie Fletcher, Governor

EditorDesign & Production

Cindy Schafer

Kentucky students in grades 1-8 arebeing asked to help raise public awarenessabout the three R’s of responsible solid wastemanagement—reduce, reuse, and recycle—by taking part in an environmentaleducation contest.

The 2005 Commonwealth Cleanup Week contest has been redesigned so that stu-dents in grades 1-2 participate in a poster contest and grades 3-5 and 6-8 classroomscreate a multimedia public awareness campaign as a class project.

Entries will be judged on a school level. Three school winners, one from eachgrade category, must be submitted to county extension offices by Feb. 4, 2005.

County winners will be eligible for the state competition. Environmental andPublic Protection Cabinet judges will choose up to three state winners from each ofthree different categories—grades 1-2, 3-5 and 6-8— for a total of nine winning entries.

Information about contest rules, prizes and entry forms is available online at theDivision of Waste Management Web site http://www.waste.ky.gov/ccw/

The 1998 Kentucky General Assembly designated the fourth week in March asCommonwealth Cleanup Week, an opportunity for citizens to come together and“spring clean” Kentucky. In addition to the environmental education contest, activi-ties for Commonwealth Cleanup Week—March 20-26, 2005—will include organizedcleanup events across the state and prize drawings for participating groups.

Teaching thethree R’s iscontest focusBy Eva Smith-CarrollDivision of Waste Management

what’s insideWinter 2005

Features

Teaching the three R’s is contest focus .......................Inside coverLouisville brownfield project wins national award ......................... 2Air toxics workgroup convenes .....................................................3Return of the majestic Great blue ................................................... 5New ethanol stations open in western Kentucky ..........................6State recycling program turns 25 ................................................... 7State foresters elect new chairman ................................................. 8Know it before you grow it ....................................................... 9-10Protecting the environment, prospering the economy ................. 11Funding uncertainty haunts AML program; reauthorization is only through June 30 .................................. 13Berea College’s Lincoln Hall is first LEED building in Kentucky ............................................................................. 14Three Kentucky communities receive Firewise grants ................. 15Annual report now available ........................................................ 16Coleman receives honorary degree .............................................. 16A Kentucky small business gets a helping hand from KBEAP .... 17Expo focuses on energy solutions ............................................... 18Awards page ........................................................................... 19-20Superfund Branch transitions to electronic submittals ................ 20Tiny Kentucky predator rediscovered ...........................Back cover

Volume 16 Number 1

Printed by Post PrintingLexington, Kentucky

Contents

Task force tours state 1Task force given charge to develop a statewideenergy policy.

30 years of safe drinking water 4December 16 marked the anniversary that establishedstandards for safe drinking water.

On the CoverAlthough beautiful to look at, this ice-encased leaf is

just a small reminder of the ice storm of February 2003.The storm brought with it ice-laden tree branches andpower lines that caused debris-filled streets throughoutthe Commonwealth. Photograph by Thomas G. Barnes,University of Kentucky, Department of Forestry.

Gadgets galoreHigh-tech solutions toenvironmental problemsshowcased during theGovernor’s Conference.

12

1

4

Land, Air & Water 1

Despite the fact that Kentucky isthe third-leading coal producingstate in the country the Common-

wealth has never had a formal, statewideenergy policy. That will no longer be thecase as Governor Ernie Fletcher lastNovember appointed the CommonwealthEnergy Policy Task Force and gave it acharge to finalize a comprehensive energypolicy for Kentucky. In a series of meetings across thestate the task force received testimony ona wide range of issues, from alternativefuels to training new coal miners.

“I have laid out three principles for thetask force—maintain Kentucky’s low costenergy, responsibly develop Kentucky’senergy resources and preserve Kentucky’scommitment to our environment,” statedGovernor Fletcher.

The task force was co-chaired byEnvironmental and Public ProtectionCabinet Secretary LaJuana S. Wilcher andCommerce Cabinet Secretary Jim Host.Other members were Gene Strong, Secre-tary of the Cabinet for Economic Develop-ment; Robbie Rudolph, Secretary of theFinance and Administration Cabinet;Virginia Fox, Secretary of the EducationCabinet; Sen. Robert Stivers, R-Manches-ter; and Rep. Tanya Pullin, D-South Shore.

The task force received input duringthree public meetings from a diverse

collection of industry, organizations andcitizens, including electric utilities, the coalindustry, the gas industry, the Sierra Club,the Kentucky Corn Growers Association,the Clean Fuels Coalition, state universi-ties and the Rocky Mountain ElkFoundation.

Representatives from the state’suniversities discussed the need for energyresearch and received a warm responsefrom the task force.

“There is tremendous potentialfor the quality researchers at ouruniversities and research facilities toincrease their federal researchfunding if the state partners withthem,” said Secretary Host. “Thisfunding will not only keep and attractbright people to Kentucky but will

position our researchers to providesolutions to Kentucky companies that areworking to become more efficient andenvironmentally friendly.”

The need for energy conservation anduse of alternative fuels also surfaced at thepublic meetings.

After hearing testimony at theHopkinsville Training College, the taskforce toured Commonwealth Agri-Energy, aleading ethanol producer in westernKentucky (see New ethanol stations openin western Kentucky on Page 6).

“Ethanol in fuels is truly a bright spotin Kentucky’s energy picture,” saidSecretary Wilcher. “Not only does ethanoluse improve the environment by reducingemissions, it also promotes the creation ofjobs in agri-businesses across the state.”

The task force also received informa-tion on a reforestation effort on formermine sites. The Kentucky ReforestationInitiative is an ongoing cooperative effortbetween the Department of Natural

Task force will createenergy policy for the stateBy Mark YorkOffice of Communications and Public Outreach

TOP: A male elk has made its home on the reclaimed surface mine property of Starfire inBreathitt County. ABOVE: Commonwealth Agri-Energy’s Mick Henderson (left) talks aboutthe ethanol production process to Energy Policy Task Force members Gene Strong, Jim Host(second and third from left) and LaJuana S. Wilcher. Photography by Creative Services

“Ethanol in fuels is truly a brightspot in Kentucky’s energy picture.”

Secretary LaJuana S. Wilcher

Continued on Page 15

Land, Air & Water2

Cattle and hogs were part of Louisville’s Butchertownneighborhood since the 1830s, when the vast Bourbon Stock-yards opened. Until its closure in 1999, the stockyards was a vitalpart of the neighborhood’s economy. Today, the site is a 20-acrevillage for abused, abandoned and neglected children.

The Home of the Innocents in Louisville, an environmentalremediation project that converted the Bourbon Stockyards into achildren’s campus, won the 2004 Phoenix Community ImpactAward last fall. The Phoenix Award is given for innovativeprojects that bring brownfields back to productive use.

Brownfields are properties that are abandoned orunderutilized due to real or perceived contamination. Brownfieldsare a problem for both large and small communities throughoutthe Commonwealth because they create health and environmentalproblems, reduce property values and tax revenues and add tourban blight.

Governor Ernie Fletcher has called the revitalization ofbrownfields an important issue in his administration. Last March,a regulation was adopted that encourages redevelopment byproviding standards for remediation and goals for cleanup.

This was the third national award for a brownfield projectoverseen by the Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet’sDivision of Waste Management. Two previous Louisville

projects—Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in 1999 and WaterfrontPark in 2002—also won Phoenix awards.

Staff with the division’s Brownfield Program in theSuperfund Branch worked with consultants from AMEC Earth &Environmental on the Home of the Innocents project to develop amanagement plan to make the site safe for a low cost andreviewed the resulting cleanup.

The site was previously contaminated by lead, arsenic andasbestos. To reclaim it, contaminated soil was taken away fromthe site of the children’s residential village and buried beneathcrushed concrete, geotextile fabric (permeable material used inbuilding foundations) and clean soil.

The Home of the Innocents, Kentucky’s largest nonprofitprovider of children’s services, bought the property in 1999 andwork began on converting the site into a campus. More than 900companies, organizations and individuals donated $25 million forthe project. Construction was completed in the spring of 2003.

The site has a long history. The Bourbon House, an inn builtin 1834, was the forerunner of the Bourbon Stockyards, built in1869. It was the oldest continually operating stockyard in theUnited States when it began phasing out in the 1970s.

For further information on the Brownfield Program, contactHerb Petitjean at (502) 564-6716 or Herb.Petitjean@ky.gov

Louisville brownfield projectwins national awardBy Eva Smith-CarrollDivision of Waste Management

Before and after: The Bourbon Stockyards property (below)was cleaned up and converted into a campus for the Home ofthe Innocents (left). The 2004 Phoenix Community ImpactAward was presented last fall in St. Louis, Mo. Photographscourtesy of the Home of the Innocents

Land, Air & Water 3

In response to the concerns of manyKentuckians regarding the effects oftoxic air pollutants to their health,

Environmental and Public ProtectionCabinet (EPPC) Secretary LaJuana S.Wilcher created a statewide air toxicsworkgroup to address elevated levels oftoxic air pollutants throughout the state’sindustrialized areas and populationcenters.

At the first workgroup meeting held inSeptember, Secretary Wilcher emphasizedthe importance of this group and theultimate responsibility of the cabinet toprotect public health and the environment.

“During the next several months, itwill be our responsibility to focus on thelegal aspects of an air toxics program,establish goals and targets for a stateprogram and respond to informationdeveloped through the workgroup,” saidSecretary Wilcher.

The workgroup’s members will workwith the Kentucky EPPC and its Divisionfor Air Quality to look at current regula-tions and how they protect public health.This workgroup includes individuals fromthroughout the state with backgrounds

ranging from toxicology to environmentalprotection to risk assessment.

“We have a very diverse group ofexperts who will work with us to reviewscience, the facts and the impacts associ-ated with air toxics in Kentucky,” saidSecretary Wilcher. “We know we havesome ‘hot spots.’ We need to delineatethose areas, determine whether more datais needed and where we have regulatorygaps. Then it’s the state’s job to fill thosegaps, doing the public’s business in apublic way.”

The Division for Air Quality monitorsand enforces regulations for six criteriapollutants: ozone, carbon monoxide (CO),sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide(NO2), and particulate matter (PM2.5 andPM10). According to the U.S. Environ-mental Protection Agency (EPA), themeasured levels of these six air pollutantson a national level dropped by 51 percentbetween 1970 and 2003. The Division forAir Quality has also seen a significantdecline in these pollutants.

Currently, Kentucky adopts regula-tions set by the EPA for toxic and hazard-ous air pollutants. EPA regulations based

Air toxics workgroup convenes

The workgroup is comprised ofthe following individuals:Lloyd Cress, chair—Department forEnvironmental Protection, EPPCScott Smith—Office of RegulatoryAffairs, EPPCCharles Bennett—MarathonAshland PetroleumSharon Dodson—Louisville Gas &ElectricDale Duhon—Atofina Inc.Carolyn Embry—American LungAssociationTom FitzGerald—KentuckyResources CouncilArnita Gadson—West JeffersonCounty Community Task ForceDr. Mark Klan—EnvironmentalToxicology and Risk Assessment LLCDon Neman—Rhom and HaasCorporationGautam Trivedi—URS ConsultingArt Williams—Louisville Metro AirPollution Control District

By Elizabeth RobbDivision for Air Quality

on Maximum Achievable Control Technol-ogy (MACT) have been promulgated.However, the EPA has run into significantdelays in releasing the residual risk portionof this program.

In the absence of federal rules, thenewly formed air toxics workgroup willembark on a path to develop a stateregulatory program to identify ambientlevels of toxic air pollutants that willprovide an adequate margin of safety forpublic health and establish implementationmeasures for this program.

For more information about air qualityin Kentucky, see the Division for AirQuality’s Web site at www.air.ky.gov. Formore information regarding air quality inthe Louisville Metropolitan area, visit theLouisville Metro Air Pollution ControlDistrict’s Web site at www.acpd.org.

Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet Secretary LaJuana S. Wilcher addresses the airtoxics workgroup at its first meeting in September. Division for Air Quality photo

Members of theair toxics workgroup

Land, Air & Water4

As far back as 4,000 years ago,aqueducts and plumbing systems wereconstructed to make water available to acommunity pump or fountain where peoplefilled containers to carry water to theirhomes.

The early Greeks developed hot andcold water systems. The Roman aque-ducts transported water from far awaysources. In 1804,Frankfort’s first systemdelivered water fromCove Spring toresidents via pipesmade of logs. Eventhough water was madeavailable, all thesesystems lacked anysort of treatment tomake it safe.

Around 400 B.C.,Hippocrates believedthere was a connection between waterquality and health. He recommendedboiling and straining water.

Much later, in 1854, Dr. John Snowdiscovered that victims of a choleraoutbreak in London had all used waterfrom the same contaminated well. In the1870s, Louis Pasteur and Robert Kochdeveloped the theory that germs spreaddisease.

In 1895, during the era of widespreadwaterborne illnesses, Louisville WaterCompany was one of the first facilities toprovide water treatment controls bycombining coagulation with rapid sandfiltration of Ohio River water. Thistreatment technique lowered turbidity andremoved 99 percent of the bacteria from

the water. Consequently,there was a noticeable drop inoutbreaks of waterborneillnesses in the Louisvillearea.

The objective of the 1974SDWA was to have theEnvironmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) establish

federal, enforceable health standards forcontaminants in drinking water. To reachthis goal, the EPA conducted a survey of70 cities throughout the nation for thepresence of six specific chemicals, so-called “volatile” organics, of primaryconcern to the EPA. Owensboro waschosen for one of the surveys. Cincinnatiwas also selected for comprehensivesampling and analysis because the OhioRiver was highly polluted with industrial,municipal and agricultural wastes. Thecomprehensive survey was an outgrowthof studies and research conducted inprevious years revealing the presence ofsmall concentrations of carcinogenicchemicals in drinking water supplies ofNew Orleans and Cincinnati.

The first 18 interim standards were setin 1975. The number of contaminants grewto 90 when amendments were added to theoriginal act in 1996. By 2010 that numbercould reach as high as 130. The EPA alsoset guidelines (called national secondarydrinking water standards) for contaminantsthat may cause cosmetic effects (such asskin or tooth discoloration) or aestheticeffects (such as taste, odor or color) indrinking water.

The EPA requires that each stateadopt and administer state rules that are atleast as stringent as federal requirements.The Kentucky Division of Water (DOW)has had full authority and responsibility,

Safe Drinking Water Actmarks 30 yearsBy Jeff GrubbsDivision of Water

Today we can turn on our faucets to get clean, safe waterthat we use for cooking, drinking and bathing. But nationalstandards to ensure the safety of drinking water occurred onlyrecently. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the SafeDrinking Water Act (SDWA), signed into law by PresidentGerald Ford on Dec. 16, 1974.

ABOVE: The stone water tower at CoveSpring Park in Frankfort is a remnant ofthe city’s first-known water system. Photo byCindy SchaferLEFT: Louisville’s Crescent Hill TreatmentPlant went into operation in 1908,featuring a unique filtration systempioneered by Louisville Water Co. engineerGeorge Warren Fuller. The “rapid sandfilters” removed sediment and bacteria fromthe water. Photo courtesy of the LouisvilleWater Co.

Continued on Page 8

Land, Air & Water 5

In this day of diminishing wildlifepopulations and natural habitats, it isheartening to reflect on some of the

success stories in conservation. Mostinvolve game species like the white-taileddeer and wild turkey that have been thefocal point of significant efforts to restoretheir numbers. However, there are also agrowing number of cases involvingspecies that have responded to thespecific and indirect effects of a combina-tion of generalized environmental regula-tion and habitat restoration efforts. Onesuch species is the Great blue heron.

This large wading bird was once acommon inhabitant of the swamps andsloughs of western Kentucky. The loss ofnatural wetlands and the devastatingeffects of the accumulation of residuesfrom organophosphate pesticides likeDDT, resulted in the nearly completedisappearance of this grand bird from thestate during the middle of the 20th century.

With the banning of DDT in the early1970s, the stage was set for the species toreturn from the brink of local extinction.Wetland protection and restorationmeasures subsequently put in place haveresulted in a dramatic increase in thestate’s nesting population.

In addition, this large fish-eater seemingly adapted to lifeon the state’s reservoirs duringthe 1980s, and since the turn ofthe 21st century it has movedonto rivers and streams acrossthe western three-quarters of thestate.

Presently, every yearproduces a number of newreports of nesting colonies, andthe state’s breeding populationis certainly more widespread,and likely more numerous, thanat any time in the past twocenturies.

In 2004, the Kentucky StateNature Preserves Commissionand the Kentucky Department ofFish and Wildlife Resources, incooperation with private citizenvolunteers, members of theKentucky Ornithological Society,and personnel from other stateand federal agencies, conducted a compre-hensive survey of the nesting colonies ofwading birds, primarily Great blue herons,across the state. This was the third suchcooperative effort in recent years; others

were undertaken in 1994 and 1999.The results of this year’s survey

continue to show a dramatic increase inGreat blue herons in Kentucky. As of themid-1950s, nearly 900 pairs of Great blueherons were known to nest at eight sites inthe western quarter of the state; it is likelythat some additional sites were present butunknown to ornithologists of the era. Frompublished accounts, it appears that forabout a decade from the late 1960s to thelate 1970s, the species disappeared fromKentucky as a breeder and was even morescarce at other times of the year. However,

Return of the majesticGreat blueBy Brainard Palmer-Ball Jr.Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission

Great blue heron nestingcolony locations 1950-2004

The Great blue heron population has beengrowing steadily throughout Kentucky. Itsnesting colonies and breeding population islikely more numerous than at any time in thepast two centuries. Photos provided by Walton,Ky., school teacher Lana Hays. Map provided byKSNPC

Continued on Page 17

Land, Air & Water6

Corn grown in western Kentuckywill now fuel thousands of carsand trucks, as well as reduce air

pollution.Max Arnold & Sons, LLC, a family-

owned supplier and operator of fuelingsites in western Kentucky, beganintroducing more than 1 million gallonsof ethanol into the western Kentuckypetroleum market last October.

Phillip Russo, vice president of thecompany, noted that the ethanol (E10)blend, which is 10 percent ethanol and90 percent standard gasoline, willbe supplied to more than 44unbranded retail locations and toall Max Fuel Express conve-nience store locations in 10counties, with no increase inprice at the pumps.

Christian County Judge-Executive Steve Tribble isextremely excited about themove.

“We are so proud to be thefirst to voluntarily introduceethanol in our gasoline inHopkinsville and the surround-ing region, not only to improve our airquality but our local farming economyand the ethanol production plantlocated here at home in Hopkinsville.”

In the first year of distribution, theE10 blend will utilize more than 1 milliongallons of ethanol from the HopkinsvilleCommonwealth Agri-Energy plant,which is owned by a farmer cooperativeand the Kentucky Corn GrowersAssociation. Russo said that 375,000bushels of Kentucky grown corn will beused to produce that amount.

E10 is currently only used in areasof Kentucky where the clean blend ismandated. Any vehicle can use ethanolin a 10 percent blend. E10 will beavailable at stores in Hopkinsville,Madisonville, Greenville, Princeton,Russellville, Mayfield and Paducah.

Last year, the EnvironmentalProtection Agency designated theHopkinsville and Clarksville, Tenn.,region as a “nonattainment” area due tosmog levels.

No government-mandated measuresare yet in place, but local officials arerequired to prepare a plan of action to

reduce air pollution. Ethanol will likelybe an important part of any action plansince it is biodegradable and reducescarbon monoxide, ozone, fine particulatematter and toxic emissions from tailpipes.

For more information about renew-able fuels, see the Division of Energy’sWeb site at www.energy.ky.gov

See also Task force will createenergy policy for the state on Page 1.

New ethanol stations openin western KentuckyBy Lola LyleDivision of Energy

TOP and BOTTOM: The CommonwealthAgri-Energy plant in Hopkinsville willprovide more than 1 million gallons ofethanol to be used in the E10 blend in its firstyear of distribution. Photo by Creative Services

LEFT: Maxfuel Express #20 in Hopkinsville.Photo courtesy of MaxFuel Express

Land, Air & Water 7

“Our little LUV truck wasoutfitted with plywood side-boards and a tarpaulin from theDepartment of Transportation totransport the paper to ourcontractor, Frankfort Scrap Metal.It wasn’t anything fancy as weresembled a ‘Sanford and Son’operation,” recalls Charles Peters,who supervised the program atthat time. Peters said during thefirst full year of operation, thefledgling one-man operationmanaged to collect 381 tons of paper.

In 1990 the program was ex-panded by executive order to apply toall state employees, including thoseat state universities.

Brian Bentley, who took over asresource recovery program coordina-tor in 2002, said the 1990 order wascrucial to the growth of the KentuckyRecycling Program since it mandatedrecycling by state agencies.

Today the program is a profitableoperation that shows continuedgrowth. There has been an 80 percentincrease in tonnage and a 60 percentincrease in revenue over a three-yearperiod, said Sara Evans, manager ofthe division’s Resource Conservationand Local Assistance Branch.

State government workers arefamiliar with the first part of theprocess. Resource recovery workerswho drive the trucks and a crew ofinmates and temporary workers makeregular visits to 130 state officelocations in Frankfort where they

empty out the paper recycling bins. Theycollect white ledger paper and otherpapers of lower quality like mixed paper, acategory including old mail, stapleddocuments and newsprint. Cardboardboxes and other corrugated paper arecollected at dock serviceable buildingswhere significant quantities are generated.The recycling program also picks upoutdated phone books and even acceptsold bound record books. Bentley, who hasbecome a connoisseur of paper during histenure with the program, points out thatthe thick record-book pages are of anespecially high grade of paper.

All told, the recycling programcollects approximately 1,680 tons of papera year.

The next step is the part that turnstrash into treasure. The collected paper istaken to the recycling center, located in awarehouse on the Buffalo Trace Distillerygrounds. The paper is sorted, shredded,compressed into huge bales, documentedand loaded into a trailer for pickup by acontractor who pays up to $195 per ton.

The value of the paper depends upon thegrade with white ledger being among the mostvaluable.

The contractor supplies the material topaper mills where it will be pulped and used tomanufacture new paper products.

Money from the sale of the paper covers allthe program costs with profit left over.

During fiscal year 2004 the program used$210,000 in profits to buy three 2005 GMC boxvans and new lockable carts that comply withconfidentiality requirements. The new carts willbe especially useful for the paper and microfichedestruction service the program offers toagencies that need to dispose of sensitivedocuments.

The Kentucky Recycling Program has comea long way since its Chevy LUV years. Bentleyis an enthusiastic promoter of the program andsees a potential for expansion. Plans are in theworks for a move to a new location with morespace and better facilities for the workers. Abigger facility will allow for stockpiling morematerials and possibly branching out to handleother recyclables.

For more information, contact Brian Bentleyat (502) 564-8070, Sara Evans at (502) 564-6716 ore-mail waste@ky.gov.

More information about the paper recyclingprocess is online at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/paper.htm

State recyclingprogram turns 25By Eva Smith-CarrollDivision of Waste Management

It all started with a Chevy LUV truck, a driver and oneworker.

The Division of Waste Management began operatingthe paper recycling program for Frankfort-based stateemployees on Dec. 1, 1980. The first training sessions forstate workers were held that month in the Cabinet forHuman Resources building.

ABOVE: Brian Bentley, resource recovery coordi-nator, stands in front of a compressed bale ofshredded paper collected from government office anduniversity buildings.LEFT: One of the 2005 GMC box vans that waspurchased with profits from the sale of the recycledpaper. Photos provided by Creative Services

Land, Air & Water8

Public health protection has been,and remains, the national drinking waterprogram’s most important focus. During2001-2002, a total of 31 outbreaks ofdisease (19 during 2001 and 12 during2002) associated with drinking water werereported by 19 states, compared with 39outbreaks during 1999-2000, according toa report by the Centers for DiseaseControl (CDC) in October.

This is a far cry from the waterborneillnesses that occurred before drinkingwater was treated.

We still have much to learn about thehealth effects of drinking water contami-nants, testing and treatment technolo-gies. As the EPA continues to developstandards for drinking water contami-nants, increased attention will focus onsource water protection and preventingcontaminants, such as pharmaceuticals,

Safe Drinking Water Act marks 30 years Continued from Page 4

Visit these Web sites for more informationabout drinking water and its history:

Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA): http://www.water.ky.gov/dw/techdoc/SDWA.htmThis site includes SDWA milestones, highlights from the 1996 amendments to the SDWAand additional Internet resources about drinking water.

Contaminants and their potential health effects: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/consumer/mcl.pdf

The CDC report: Surveillance for Waterborne—Disease Outbreaks Associated withDrinking Water—United States, 2001-2002 http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5308a4.htm

from getting into drinking water. Thesestandards will require a great deal ofresearch to determine if pharmaceuticalcontaminants constitute a threat totreated drinking water. One thing we canall do now to prevent pharmaceuticalsfrom getting into our drinking water is tostop flushing medicines down the toilet.

We forget that our drinking waterdoes not just come from a tap, but that

the original source is from rivers, lakesand underground aquifers.

Consumers’ actions affect thequality of source water and the level oftreatment that is required to providesafe drinking water. To keep drinkingwater safe and to keep treatment costsdown, we all need to be aware of whatwe do to the land that affects our—orothers’— drinking water sources.

Leah W. MacSwords has been electedchairman of the Southern Group of StateForesters. She began her term Oct. 1. TheSouthern Group of State Foresters is acoordinating body whose membersinclude state foresters from 13 southernstates, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico,and the USDA Forest Service.

The group discusses and facilitatesforest resource issues and governmentpolicies throughout the southeasternUnited States and provides an informationsource for landowners, outdoor enthusi-asts, forest industry, developers, commu-nities and numerous other parties.

MacSwords has been the director ofthe Kentucky Division of Forestry since2001. She holds a Bachelor of Science

with a biology major and chemistry minorfrom Murray State University. Shegraduated magna cum laude in 1975 andtaught middle-school life and earthsciences in Todd County. She began herstate government career in 1985 in theDepartment for Environmental Protectionbefore transferring to the Department forNatural Resources, where she served asdeputy commissioner from 1997-2003.MacSwords lives in Frankfort.

In addition to her duties as chairman,MacSwords will serve on the executivecommittee of the National Association ofState Foresters, a nonprofit organizationthat represents the directors of the forestryagencies from all 50 states, eight U.S.territories and the District of Columbia.

State foresters elect new chairmanBy Gwen HoltDivision of Forestry

Leah W. MacSwords

called “primacy,” for implementation of theSDWA since 1977. As a condition ofprimacy, the DOW develops regulationsfor applying any new or amended federalrules to Kentucky systems.

Land, Air & Water 9

An army of invasive plants haselbowed its way into Kentucky,slowly but inexorably crowding

out or overwhelming many native plants.Kentucky’s landscape is being subtlytransformed in the process.

To a layman, the change is virtuallyimperceptible. “An explosion in slowmotion,” says Joyce Bender of theKentucky State Nature Preserves Commis-sion.

“Invasives” are hardly confined toKentucky. Their spread has become aglobal issue.

Problems can erupt wherever plantsget transported beyond their nativeenvironment – and the natural conditionsand predators that held them in check. Innew surroundings, they can run amok.

Kudzu, a vine native to Asia, wasinnocently introduced in the United Statesin the 1870s as an ornamental. It later waspromoted for erosion control and livestockforage.

Freed of theinsects that fed on it inJapan and China, andfinding the southeast-ern climate ideal, kudzutook off. Now it is averitable symbol of theSouth, a green blanketthat covers millions ofacres and can growover everything in itspath.

Bender saidinvasive plants similarto kudzu lurk nearby.Tropical soda apple, aprickly plant native toSouth America, infestsan estimated 500,000 acres of pastures andpine lands in Florida. Capable of reaching 7feet in height, it is being transported norththrough the movement of cattle, hay andsod.

Tearthumb weed, a spiny vine alsocalled mile-a-minute weed, is heading

toward Kentucky fromMaryland, Pennsylvaniaand West Virginia. “It’sthe same situation askudzu,” Bender said. “Itwill just overwhelm thevegetation.”

Controllinginvasives is madeincreasingly difficult bythe ease of interstate andintercontinental traveland, in cases of patho-gens, the ability to sail—literally—on the winds.

In November, asoybean rust fungus thatravaged crops in South

America was found in Louisiana. Re-searchers speculated that its spores rodeinto the country on hurricane winds.

The news almost immediately sentsoybean futures prices higher. Spread ofthe fungus could have implications forsoybean-rich western Kentucky.

Rampaging invaders:Kentucky’s more damaging

invasive plants

We’re familiar with kudzu, theplant that ate the South. Here are someother invaders the Kentucky ExoticPest Plant Council has rated as posinga severe threat in the Commonwealth.All spread easily and displace nativevegetation:

Bush honeysuckleGarlic mustard

Oriental bittersweetChinese yam

Winter creeperSericea lespedeza

PrivetWhite sweet clover/yellow sweet

cloverJapanese grass

Chinese silver grass

Know it before you grow itBy Chuck WolfeOffice of Communicationsand Public Outreach

ABOVE: Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest publishes an annual “Least Wanted”poster featuring a pest plant.BELOW: Chinese Silver Grass (Miscanthus sinensis) is easily spread and poses a severe threatin the Commonwealth. Photo by the USDA Forest Service

Land, Air & Water10

Farther west, scientists are girding upagainst another killer—a fungus-likepathogen that causes sudden oak death.The disease kills oak trees by ringing themwith “bleeding cankers.” First reported in1995 in central California, sudden oakdeath had spread to southwestern Oregonby 2002 and to Washington state by 2003.

A number of bushes commonly sold innurseries play host to the fungus, prompt-ing Kentucky agriculture officials earlierthis year to attempt to ban Californianursery plants from entering the state. Thenursery industry in California went tocourt to block the attempted ban.

Kentucky officials had reason forconcern. Not only are the state’s forestsdominated by oaks. They also are plentiful

What you can do to guardagainst invasive plants

• If you don’t know it, don’t growit. Avoid buying or growing knowninvaders, such as purple loosestrife,English ivy and Oriental bittersweet.• Be wary when buying plantsand seeds by mail or over theInternet. Some companies—but notall—label high-risk species. Lists ofknown invaders can be obtainedfrom state and federal agencies andfrom nonprofit groups, such as TheNature Conservancy, state nativeplant societies and various exoticpest plant councils.• Avoid buying and plantingmixtures of seeds, especially thoselabeled “wildflowers.”• Landscape and garden withplants native to your area.• Be a good neighbor. Neverdispose of unwanted plants or lawnand garden clippings in parks ornatural areas.

in rhododendron and mountainlaurel – two of the host plantsthat carry and spread thepathogen, called an oomycete.The scenario evokes memories ofthe blight that wiped outAmerican chestnuts.

If sudden oak death reachesKentucky, “it could potentiallychange our landscape again, likethe chestnut blight did in the‘30s,” Bender said.

Closer to the ground, thosewho tend to Kentucky’s 47 statenature preserves are doing battlewith an array of pernicious

plants.At Floracliff State Nature Preserve in

Fayette County, Carey Ruff estimated shehas killed 120,000 bush honeysuckle infive years, “and that’s not even putting adent in the population,” she said.

Bush honeysuckle, introduced yearsago as a landscaping plant, crowds outnative underbrush and wildflowers thatnurture birds and small animals. Ruff saidit is nearly pervasive at Floracliff, whichcovers 300 acres along the KentuckyRiver, its palisades and a tributary, Elk

Lick Creek.“It will grow pretty much anywhere,”

Ruff said. “I’ve seen it grow in just askimming of soil on a rock.”

The plant’s small red berries areattractive to birds but offer little nutrition.As a result, birds have to work harder tokeep themselves fed. “I’ve told kids it’slike eating french fries,” Ruff said. “Theylook yummy, but they’re not going to giveyou what you need.”

Naturalists are trying to educate thepublic about invasive species. TheBernheim Arboretum and Research Forestin Bullitt County annually publishes a“least wanted” poster (see opposite page)featuring a pest plant and listing Kentuckynative plants as suggested alternatives.

The 2004 Least Wanted: burningbush, a hardy shrub whose bright red fallfoliage made it a favorite of landscapers. Itis easily dispersed by birds and canquickly dominate a natural area in which itbecomes established. Suggested alterna-tives: native strawberry bush, spicebushor winterberry holly.

Ruff said few people recognize thepitfalls of invasive plants, many of whichcan still be found for sale in nurseries. Inthe case of bush honeysuckle, Ruff said:“They’ve got beautiful red berries.They’regreen all year. They’re low maintenance.That’s what you bought them for.”

Visit these Web sites for additionalinformation about invasives:

California Oak Mortality Task Force—www.suddenoakdeath.org; SoutheastExotic Pest Plant Council—www.se-eppc.org; Union of Concerned Scien-tists— www.ucsusa.org; and BernheimResearch Forest and Arboretum—www.bernheim.org

LEFT: Purple loosestrife (Lythrumsalicaria) is a known invader thatproperty owners should avoidplanting. Photo by Pat HaraganBELOW: English ivy (Hederahelix), another invasive to avoid,can be purchased by mail order orat most garden centers. Photo by theUSDA Forest Service

Tips courtesy of theUnion of Concerned Scientists

Land, Air & Water 11

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Commerce Cabinet Secretary James Host and Environmental andPublic Protection Cabinet Secretary LaJuana S. Wilcher listen asGovernor Ernie Fletcher spoke during the Secretaries’ Receptionabout the importance of making Kentucky business friendly whileprotecting the environment. Photograph by Creative Services

The 28th Governor’s Conference on theEnvironment spotlighted the importanceof a clean environment to a healthy and

vibrant state economy. Governor Ernie Fletchersummed it up. “We say, welcome to Kentucky.We are open for business,” the governor toldthe conferees. “But let us also say our businessdepends on a clean environment.”

That point was emphasized by one of theconference’s featured speakers—Larry Selzer,president of The Conservation Fund, who saidAmericans want “smarter” approaches toenvironmental protection and economic develop-ment –“a new approach that balances economicand environmental objectives, that recognizes thecritical link between the state’s natural, culturaland historic resources and job creation.”

Selzer called the conference, held Oct. 27-28 inLexington, “a groundbreaking event, focusing on anew relationship between economic development andenvironmental protection.” That was evidenced bythe conference’s lineup of sponsors. The Environmen-tal and Public Protection Cabinet teamed up with thetwo agencies most identified with business and jobcreation—the Commerce Cabinet and the Cabinet forEconomic Development. The conference theme was“Protecting the Environment, Prospering theEconomy.”

LaJuana S. Wilcher, secretary of the Environmen-tal and Public Protection Cabinet, said the theme“keeps us on the path set by Governor Fletcher topromote Kentucky’s economic growth and develop-ment in an environmentally sensitive and sustainablefashion. A healthy environment fosters a healthyeconomy.”

Economic Development Secretary Gene Strong,whose agency takes the lead in recruiting businessesand industry, said corporate surveys show that crimerate and the environmental issues related to quality oflife are key factors for a company deciding where tolocate.

“It will be the cities and towns that have had theforesight to revitalize brownfields (see Louisvillebrownfield project wins national award on Page 2),modernize their sewer systems and reduce theparticulate matter amounts in their air quality that shall

have the competitive edge over their rivals whencompanies are looking for future site selection,” Strongsaid.

“One of my primary objectives is to boost oureconomy, to ensure that outside investors see Kentuckyas business friendly and to create a balance betweenpropelling the economy and protecting the environ-ment,” the governor said.

The conference drew a distinguished lineup ofspeakers and panelists. Holly Koeppel, executive vicepresident of AEP Utilities-East, gave the openingaddress. Benjamin H. Grumbles, the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency’s assistant administrator for water,took part in a forum with Tom FitzGerald of the Ken-tucky Resources Council, Natural Resources Commis-sioner Susan Bush, Environmental Protection Commis-sioner Lloyd Cress and Brian Patton, general manager ofoperations for International Coal Group Hazard.

Other speakers included Commerce Secretary JimHost; Don Bowles, president of Charolais Corp.;Melissa Howell, executive director of the KentuckyClean Fuels Coalition; Robert Gardes, president ofGardes Energy Services Inc.; Ken Humphries, director ofBatelle’s public energy sector, and Dr. Ari Geertsma,director of the Center for Applied Energy Research.

Issues included new fuel and clean coal technol-ogy, which means cleaner energy, cleaner air and a newmarket for coal because of a technology— fluidizedbed combustion—that utilizes waste coal.

In conjunction with this year’s conference, innova-tive exhibits from both industry and the governmentsector were displayed to show off new technologiesthat someday might create solutions to environmentalproblems (See Gadgets and gismos on facing page).

Land, Air & Water12

The 2004 Governor’s Conference onthe Environment saw exhibits of newtechnologies that promise to alter theworld in the next few years. “Green” tires,hybrid cars, clean fuels and forestryproducts share the common theme of“prospering our economy while protectingour environment.”

Two particularly intriguing exhibitswere the H2O 2000 gas generator machine,a revolutionary welding and cuttingdevice, and also a newly developedprocess of recycling polystyrene caughtthe eye of many conference attendees.

The generator is a little 160-poundgizmo on wheels that is powerful indeed.In the words of The Center for StrategicAlliance Inc., “we can now make fire fromwater.” The Center for Strategic AllianceInc. is a small consulting business withoffices in Hickman, Ky.

This technology, with more than fiveyears in research and development atHydrogen Technology Applications Inc.(HTA), illustrates that the solutions to ourenergy and environmental woes may be inthe common elements that surround us.The patented process safely generates amolecularly stable hybrid hydrogen/oxygen gas (Klein/HHO) on demand fromwater. The gas is extremely environmen-tally friendly in that it has no pollutingsubgases when burned and produces onlypure water in vapor form. It is currentlybeing used to cut, weld, solder and fusesuch materials as metal, plastics, ceramicsand glass in commercial as well as artisticapplications.

Unlike pure hydrogen gas, HHO gasremains highly stable, reducing the fear of

explosions that often accompany purehydrogen systems.

The generator is highly mobile andhas been used in coalfields to fuse criticalpipelines carrying coal slurry. Storage andtransport of highly combustible materials,such as propane, natural gas and acety-lene, can be eliminated.

HTA Inc. has donated several Klein/HHO gas generators to Kentucky universi-ties and technical training centers duringits introduction program. Its goal is topartner with Kentucky in the artistic andtechnical training necessary to takeadvantage of this technology. A manufac-turing facility in Kentucky is a highpriority. As fossil fuels become dimin-ished and increasingly costly, HHO gasoffers a viable alternative. Its potential tomove us forward in the realm of energyindependence and environmental healthmakes this an exciting innovation.

For more information visit The Centerfor Strategic Alliance Web site http://www.centerforstrategicalliance.com/

Gadgetsand

gizmosBy Linda Potter

Department for Natural Resources

RIGHT: (left to right) Brent Carman andMaurice Dunn of the Center for StrategicAlliance, demonstrate their product toSecretary LaJuana S. Wilcher and GovernorErnie Fletcher.

Densified Solutions is a Kentucky-based company in Elizabethtown that isvery near the production stage of recyclingexpanded polystyrene (EPS).

Company President Jack Rickettdeveloped a unique recycling process ofcombining food-grade acid and emulsifiersto “dissolve” polystyrene products, suchas styrofoam, and turn it into reusablepliable resin or polymer crystal “chips” thatcan be marketed for use in other products.Food-grade acid can be recycled up to ninetimes before it dissipates.

“With growing concerns about theimpact EPS has on our landfills by affectingcompaction rates and never decomposing,we can effectively change this dynamic bytaking millions of tons of EPS and putting itback into the economy in other usefulproducts,” said Rickett. “Our motto andphilosophy is saving the world one cup at atime, because tomorrow depends ontoday.”

Rickett’s process is patented, but hisproduct is not yet available. DensifiedSolutions is in the midst of opening its first

plant, and its production line ofrecycling industrial waste(styrofoam) should be up andrunning in about three months. For additional informationcall Jack Rickett at (502) 664-9595or e-mail jackrickett@msn.com

Jack Rickett (center) talks withGovernor Fletcher and SecretaryWilcher about recycling polysty-rene. Photo courtesy of Jeff Farmer,Canaan Development Group Inc.

Land, Air & Water 13

Funding uncertainty haunts AML program;reauthorization is only through June 30By Linda PotterDepartment for Natural Resources

BEFORE & AFTER: Spewing Camp Branch, once a coal mining wasteland, was reclaimed using AML funds from fees paid by coal operators.Photos by the Department for Natural Resources

Continued on Page 16

Twenty five years ago, coal mining in the mountains ofKentucky, West Virginia and other coal regions produced amultitude of health, safety and environmental problems,

such as landslides, stream pollution and dangerous highwalls.These problems now are being corrected, thanks to the Aban-doned Mine Lands Program (AML).

Since its inception, the Kentucky AML program has re-claimed more than 1,800 open mine portals, 2,000 acres of land-slides and 43 miles of polluted streams. It has reclaimed 33,000feet of unstable highwall and 300 acres of mine fires. All together,the program has completed more than 745 projects to correcthazards created by old mines. Over the same period, the federalOffice of Surface Mining (OSM) has conducted more than 1,200emergency reclamation projects totaling $130 million in Kentucky.

AML funding comes from fees paid by coal operators basedon production. Fee collection authority was granted 25 years agowith enactment of the Surface Mining Control and ReclamationAct (SMCRA). The authority was due to expire in September, but17 governors jointly appealed to Congress for a one-year exten-sion. Lawmakers ultimately settled on a new deadline of June 30,2005. Reauthorization was stymied by lack of agreement on acomprehensive overhaul of the national AML program. Therewere at least three versions of an AML reauthorization proposal inthe House and two in the Senate. All differed on how to extend feecollections, increase AML funding to states with histories of coalproblems and reduce the financial burden on western states.

The AML program is vital to those who live in Kentucky’scoalfields. It is the only program that offers relief from the health

and safety dangers created by past coal mining. OSM estimatesthat more than 400,000 Kentuckians live within a mile of anabandoned coal mine hazard.

Kentucky currently has more than $330 million in unfunded,high-priority reclamation problems listed in the National AMLInventory. That includes 32,000 feet of unreclaimed highwall, 1,500

acres of landslides, 1,500 open mine portals and 9,000 acressubject to flooding from streams choked with sediment and minerefuse. Even though the Kentucky AML program has eliminatedthousands of mine hazards, the list of unfunded problems growslonger each year.

The Kentucky Division of AML received 831 complaints in2003 from coalfield residents and elected officials about suspectedhazards from abandoned mines. Division Director Steve Hohmannsaid history would indicate that roughly half are actually attribut-able to abandoned mining. In the last fiscal year, the KentuckyAML program abated 161 hazards that posed a direct risk to 975people. Hazards included 19 landslides, two unstable highwalls,117 mine openings and shafts and 10 impoundments. In the sameperiod, Kentucky AML restored four miles of streams andcompleted seven water line projects that extended water service to1,262 households and businesses.

The AML water line program is a shining example of AMLsuccess in Kentucky. The Kentucky AML program spends 30percent of each annual grant—the legal maximum—to run waterlines into areas where past mining has rendered ground waterunfit for consumption.

Land, Air & Water14

Lincoln Hall, Berea College’s adminis-tration building, recently became the firstbuilding in Kentucky to be awarded theU.S. Green Building Council’s Leadershipin Energy and Environmental Design(LEED) certification.

LEED is a voluntary, consensus-basednational standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings, andwas created to promote integrated whole-building design practices. To date, thereare 151 LEED certified buildings in theUnited States.

Certification at one of four levels—certified, silver, gold or platinum—isawarded based on a point system thatevaluates projects on more than 70stringent criteria with some of the generalcategories being sustainable sites, waterefficiency, energy and atmosphere,materials and resources, and indoorenvironmental quality. Lincoln Hallreceived certification at the silver level.

Completed in 1887, Lincoln Hall is thesecond-oldest permanent structure onBerea’s campus and has been Berea’sadministration building since 1914.

The first interracial and coeducationalinstitution in the South, Berea College hasalways been one step ahead of its time.Berea’s original mission in the 18th centurywas to serve the poorest and leastprivileged members of its Kentucky

community: African–Americans freed bythe Civil War and the low-income residentsof central and southern Appalachia. Today,Berea has committed itself to anotherleading position—embracing sustainabilityin its construction and building practices.

According to Larry Shinn, presidentof Berea College, “Berea College’s missionincludes a long-standing commitment thatwe engage in good stewardship of ournatural, human and material resources. Tothat end, we are moving aggressively totransform our college into a sustainablecampus that meets its educational and

community goalswithout degrading theecological, social andeconomic systems onwhich our region andall of our futuresdepend.”

Berea College’s Lincoln Hall isfirst LEED building in KentuckyBy Lola LyleDivision of Energy

Reuse of 75 percent of thebuilding’s structure and shell in therenovation, including flooring andwoodwork;

Diversion of more than 50 percentof construction and demolition debrisfrom landfill disposal to recycled orsalvaged materials;

An expected 35 percent reductionin energy costs achieved throughautomatic mechanical system shut-down allowing occupants to bring“comfortable” outside temperature andhumidity conditions inside by openingwindows;

An interior lighting system thatuses sensors that automatically turnlights on when the room is occupiedand off when unoccupied;

Carbon dioxide sensors thatmechanically control the introductionof outside air into the room foroccupant comfort and well-being;

Reduction of indoor air contami-nants through the use of low volatileorganic compound paints and carpets;

Use of water reduction devicessuch as dual-flush control toilets thatallow a 30 percent reduction in potablewater consumption by occupant; and

Use of indigenous, droughttolerant landscaping to reduce theneed for watering.

Lincoln Hall underwent an 18-month,$5.5 million green renovation due to thecollapse of its central interior in May 2001.The building reopened in the fall of 2003.

While the building’s exterior remainsvirtually unchanged, the interior ofLincoln Hall incorporates elements from itspast with features consistent with theneeds of a modern work place, as well asBerea’s commitment to sustainability. Athree-story central atrium opens up theinterior and makes a dramatic architectural

Green building techniques andfeatures incorporated intoLincoln Hall’s renovationinclude:

Continued on Page 16

ABOVE: The three-storyatrium opens up theinterior, while bringingdaylight into the heart ofthe building.LEFT: Lincoln Hall’sexterior followingrenovation. Photosprovided by Julie Sowell,Berea College

Land, Air & Water 15

Each year, thousands of homes in Ken-tucky are threatened by wildfires. The Ken-tucky Firewise Communities Program helpspeople pay close attention to details in theirenvironment that might easily start or en-courage the spread of wildfire that coulddestroy their property. The program alsoprovides grant funding to help identify andreduce fire risks in areas where urban devel-opment meets wildlands.

The Division of Forestry recentlyawarded three such grants.

• The Knifley Area Volunteer FireDepartment (KAVFD) in Adair County wasawarded $44,500. It will use the funding todevelop a community emergency actionplan that includes hiring a consultant toconduct a community assessment andhiring a community Firewise educator. Itwill also be forming a community Firewiseboard. The KAVFD will send out aquestionnaire to all deed holders askingthem to identify their fire hazards.

• The Estill County Fiscal Court wasawarded $28,000 to complete a communitywildfire assessment that includes Geo-graphic Information Systems (GIS)mapping and the development of an

Three Kentucky communitiesreceive Firewise grantsBy Gwen HoltDivision of Forestry

emergency action plan. The plan willidentify at-risk communities, determinewhat major vulnerabilities exist anddetermine how best to plan and act withconsideration to the risks and vulnerabili-ties identified. The use of GIS and GlobalPositioning System (GPS) technology willhelp identify and map high-risk areas andassist with the identification of evacuationroutes and other planning needs. GIS willalso help locate defensible space that canbe used by firefighters, identify watersources (especially fire hydrants), naturalfuel breaks and sites where fuel breaksshould be installed.

• The Jackson County EmpowermentZone received a Firewise grant for $5,000to hire a consultant to complete a commu-nity wildfire hazard assessment. It plans tohave at least one firefighter from eachcounty’s volunteer fire departmentsreceive training or other technical assis-tance that will allow it to conduct wildfirehazard assessments in the area. It will alsoform a Firewise council to oversee thecompletion of the wildfire hazard assess-ment and develop a plan of action toaddress the findings of the assessment.

“These communities are commendedfor taking a proactive approach to maketheir communities safer and less vulnerableto wildfire damage and destruction,” saidLeah MacSwords, director of the Divisionof Forestry.

Additional grant opportunities will beavailable this year in January and May,and communities are encouraged to applyfor this funding. Division staff, along witha Firewise technical specialist provided bythe Kentucky Division of Conservation,are available to assist communities withthese grants and to provide informationabout the Kentucky Firewise CommunitiesProgram.

For information about the grants,contact Jennifer Turner at (502) 564-4496 orCindy Bennett at (502) 839-5667 or visit thedivision’s Firewise Web site atwww.firewise.ky.com.

Resources, the University of Kentucky’sCollege of Forestry and the miningindustry to promote reforestation oncoal-mined lands.

More than 1 million trees have beenplanted on more than 1,500 acresthroughout the Kentucky coalfields.The initiative is evaluating the ability ofmined lands to grow high-value commer-cial forests and the capacity of the sitesto sequester carbon through forestgrowth.

Task force will create energy policyfor the state

The task force toured the Starfiremine site in Breathitt County to viewexperimental planting plots. The plotsclearly demonstrated a healthy hard-wood forest can be grown on mine sitesmore cost effectively if the reclaimed areais not compacted.

While at Starfire the task force sawfirst-hand the successful reintroductionof elk into eastern Kentucky. Twodifferent herds of elk were seen grazingon the reclaimed areas.

Continued from Page 1

“The reintroduction of elk and thisreforestation research clearly demon-strates that there is a balance betweenthe responsible development of ourenergy resources and environmentalenhancement,” said Host. “I expect ourfinal report to the governor will reflectthis.”

Land, Air & Water16

statement. The atrium also brings daylightinto the heart of the building and, throughan increased use of glass in interior walls,ensures outdoor views to almost all areasof the building.

The Berea campus already includes agreen built residential facility that iscomplete with passive solar housing units,an environmental education center andpermaculture landscaping. The BereaCollege Ecovillage is an ecologically andsocially sustainable residential andlearning complex primarily for studentfamilies. The townhouse apartments aredesigned to use 75 percent less energyand water than conventional housing, anda greenhouse-based system provides on-site wastewater treatment.

For more information about LEEDcertification visit www.usgbc.org or visitwww.energy.ky.gov for resourcesconcerning energy efficiency.

Berea College’s LincolnHall is first LEEDbuilding in KentuckyContinued from Page 14

Funding uncertaintyhaunts AML program;reauthorization isonly through June 30Continued from Page 13

Ground water is the primary drinkingsource for 250,000 coalfield residents. Todate, Kentucky AML waterline projectsprovide clean, potable water to more than9,800 Kentucky households and busi-nesses.

People served by these water lines aregenerally in remote areas. Because localwater districts cannot afford to serve themthe AML water line program has been theironly hope. Kentucky currently has a $19million backlog of water line projects.

Over the life of the AML program,Kentucky coal operators have paid morethan $875 million into the AML TrustFund. Half that amount, $437.6 million, isassigned to Kentucky’s state share.

To date, Kentucky has received $317million from its state share through annualgrants, leaving a balance of more than$120 million. This unappropriated balanceis part of the larger AML Trust Fundbalance of $1.5 billion, which is meted outto coal mining states in varying amounts.

Return of the unappropriated stateshare balances has been one of the mostcontentious issues in the debate overAML reauthorization. Implicit in SMCRAis the promise that states would receive atleast 50 percent of reclamation feescollected from within their borders. Moresites in Kentucky could have beenreclaimed with a full return of state sharemoney.

The AML program has had manysuccesses in Kentucky and throughoutthe nation, but as OSM has stated, “Thejob is not yet finished.” In order to protectthe present and future safety of coalfieldresidents, Kentucky must pursue reautho-rization of the AML fee for at least 12years. That may require several temporaryextensions until the U.S. House andSenate can agree on the new reauthoriza-tion for the AML program.

The Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund Board recently published its ninthannual report for the period July 1, 2003, to June 30, 2004.

During this fiscal year, 13 projects in 14 counties were approved by the board. Sincethe first grant awards were made in October 1995, the board has approved 128 projects in60 counties.

Nearly 2,800 acres of natural areas and wildlife habitat were purchased or protectedwith Heritage Land funds during this fiscal year. Purchases were made on 10 projects,including more than 200 acres of the Upper Green River Biological Preserve in HartCounty and 393 acres of a site called Griffith Woods in Harrison County. The HartCounty acquisition by Western Kentucky University will help protect significantfreshwater mussel habitat. Griffith Woods is considered to be the best remainingremnant of the original savanna-woodland that characterized the presettlement vegeta-tion of the Inner Bluegrass Region of central Kentucky. Restoration of this land toapproximate its original condition will be a major effort of the new landowner, theUniversity of Kentucky.

Popularity of the viceroy butterfly nature license plate has also surpassed expecta-tions. Sales of all three nature license plates exceeded $1 million for the first time. Thenature plates remain the best selling specialty plates in Kentucky.

For more details about projects that were approved during the fiscal year andactivities of the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund Board, a copy of the reportcan be found at www.kyheritageland.org. Questions about the fund or nature licenseplates can be directed to Mary Jean Eddins at (502) 564-2184 or mary.eddins@ky.gov.

Annual report now availableBy Mary Jean EddinsDepartment for Natural Resources

The Environmental and PublicProtection Cabinet’s Conservation DirectorSteve Coleman received the HonoraryAmerican FFA degree during the NationalFFA Convention last fall.

The award is given to those whoadvance agricultural education and FFAactivities through outstanding personalcommitment. Coleman coordinatedvolunteers who helped by serving ascontest judges, setting up the competi-tions and grading tests during the two-dayNational FFA Environmental/NaturalResources Career Development Event.

FFA is a national youth organizationof 464,267 student members preparing forleadership and careers in the science,business and technology of agriculture.FFA strives to make a positive difference inthe lives of students by developing theirpotential for premier leadership, personalgrowth and career success throughagricultural education.

Visit www.ffa.org for more informationabout the organization.

Coleman receiveshonorary degree

Land, Air & Water 17

A Kentucky small business getsa helping hand from KBEAPBy Rose Marie WilmothDivision of Compliance Assistance

David and Greg Graff standin front of their business,

Graf Brothers Flooringlocated in South Shore, Ky.

The new business ownersreceived assistance with their

air quality permit applica-tions from the Kentucky

Business EnvironmentalAssistance Program. Photoby Millinda Rumble, KBEAP

the late 1970s saw the return of nesting Great blue herons, and the 1980s saw a pro-nounced expansion commence in the far western part of the state.

The cooperative inventory of heronries in 1994 documented the presence of about1,750 pairs at 24 sites. A similar survey in 1999 found at least 2,235 pairs present at 48sites.

This year’s survey continued to show a skyrocketing population, with more than5,150 pairs present at just over 70 sites now spread as far east as Bell and Menifeecounties. A part of this survey’s increase in numbers is the result of better surveys, butthe greater numbers are certainly explained only in part by that factor.

Along with increased numbers of Great blues has been a slower, more gradualincrease in the occurrence of other nesting herons and egrets. Great egrets, the smaller,white-colored cousin of the Great blue, also have returned from local extinction since theDDT era. Although their numbers have not attained pre-DDT era status, numbers docontinue to increase.

In fact, this year saw the reappearance of a large colony of Great egrets at the northend of Reelfoot Lake in southwestern Fulton County, where more than 100 pairs of thesemajestic birds were found nesting for the first time since the early 1950s.

These avian success stories are indeed heartening.

Return of the majestic Great blue

When brothers Greg and David Grafwanted to get into the wood flooringbusiness, they knew they needed morethan lumber. Like anyone else involved ina business startup, the Grafs had toconfront the challenges of financing,supplies, labor, insurance and physicalplant, to name but a few. In addition, awood products company can count onhaving to deal with a host of air-qualityissues.

So, the Grafs called KBEAP – theKentucky Business EnvironmentalAssistance Program. It provides technicalassistance to help small businessescomply with requirements of the federalClean Air Act. Its team of air qualitytechnical experts is located on the Univer-sity of Kentucky campus in Lexington.

Today, Graf Brothers Flooring is abustling business, located near the OhioRiver at South Shore in Greenup County.The company specializes in cutting rift-and quarter-sawn boards up to 20 feet widefor use in quality flooring.

Rift and quartering is a unique way ofsawing that maximizes the yield of lumberwith vertical grain – the preferred grain forflooring because of its excellent technicalproperties and the wood’s structuralintegrity. Lumber sawed by this methodexpands evenly and vertically.

The Grafs wanted to use the most up-to-date wood drying equipment on themarket. They knew from previous experi-ence that it would entail issues of airquality. Since the company had fewer than100 employees, a representative of theCabinet for Economic Developmentrecommended that the brothers callKBEAP, which is funded by the Divisionfor Air Quality in the Department forEnvironmental Protection.

Eric Byrd, a specialist in air qualityissues associated with wood products,began working with Graf Brothers Flooringabout 18 months ago. The company alsoreceived assistance from Rick Seelhorst inthe Division for Air Quality regional officeat Ashland.

As a startup business, thecompany faced a range ofenvironmental issues. Dry kilnshad to be properly vented. Boilerscreate emissions. There had to be anenergy system for recycling sawdust. Eventhe company’s haul road raised an air-quality issue—dust.

Graf Brothers Flooring was able to relyon KBEAP for appropriate permit applica-tions and options for compliance. Byrd’sexpertise proved to be invaluable. “I bragon Eric and all the help we received from

KBEAP whenever I have an opportu-nity,” Greg Graf said.

Similar air quality complianceassistance is available to Kentucky smallbusinesses by calling Greg Copley,KBEAP director, at (800) 562-2327.Information is available online at http://www.kbeap.org. If located in JeffersonCounty, call (502) 574-5164.

Continued from Page 5

Land, Air & Water18

The first Bluegrass Energy Expo washeld in October at the LexingtonConvention Center. With more

than 69 exhibitors, 15 different workshopsand numerous attractions, the two-dayevent offered something for everyone.

The goal of the expo was to bringtogether business, education, governmentand nonprofit sectors to educate Kentuck-ians about proven energy solutions andconnect consumers withmarketers of energy-savingproducts and services.

Lexington MayorTeresa Isaac opened theevent by underlining theneed for public knowl-edge of energy conserva-tion.

“Here in centralKentucky we have someof the lowest energy ratesin the country. However,there is still the need to beefficient and knowledgeable about theindustry we all depend on. This expo was atremendous opportunity for citizens,

businesses and local governments to learnof ways to conserve energy,

reduce the cost of energy,and keep the environment

safe.”There is no

better time than now tofocus on energyefficiency and renew-able energy. Energyprices are reaching all

time highs, and theUnited States is importing

more oil from foreign sourcesthan ever before.

According to the U.S. Department ofEnergy, the United States is importing 54percent of the nation’s oil and the agency

Expo focuses on energy solutionsBy Lola LyleDivision of Energy

A student feels the difference in the pedaling power it takes to fuel an energy-efficient light bulbversus an inefficient one. Photo by Lola Lyle

forecasts that by 2025 we will be import-ing more than 70 percent. Also, by 2025the agency predicts that Americans willconsume 40 percent more energy than in2002. While this trend is unlikely to end,it can be slowed through efficiency andrenewable energy.

According to Ben Perry, ASPIexecutive director and Bluegrass EnergyExpo coordinator, “We wanted to use theevent to connect with and educatepeople who would not generally beinterested in energy efficiency orrenewable energy. Namely, the ordinarycitizens that use most of the energy inour state, as well as the companies thatbuild and design their houses and sellthem their equipment and supplies.”

About 900 people attended theevent. Topics included proven energysolutions, energy-saving products andrenewable energy technologies, as wellas financing.

Participants attended workshops,exhibits and demonstrations and sawnew films related to energy use. Achildren’s energy expo included hands-on renewable energy explorations,workshops for building solar ovens andart activities involving recycled materials.

The Kentucky Division of Energyprovided initial funding for the BluegrassEnergy Expo, but major sponsors alsoincluded Lexmark, Sylvania and Insignia.The expo is planned as an annual event.

For more information about theBluegrass Energy Expo, contact theAppalachia-Science in the Public Interestat (606) 256-0677 or visit www.bluegrassenergyexpo.org

We wanted to use the event to connect with and educate people who wouldnot generally be interested in energy efficiency or renewable energy.Namely, the ordinary citizens that use most of the energy in our state, aswell as the companies that build and design their houses and sell them theirequipment and supplies. Ben Perry

ASPI Executive DirectorBluegrass Energy Expo coordinator

Land, Air & Water 19

Awards

The Kentucky State Nature Pre-serves Commission (KSNPC) haspresented its 2004 Biological DiversityProtection Award to Dr. Charles Covell.The award is given each year to recog-nize and encourage an individual whohas made a significant contribution tothe protection of Kentucky’s outstand-ing biological resources.

Covell came to Kentucky in 1964 toaccept a faculty position of entomolo-gist at the University of Louisville,where he immediately began to inven-tory the state’s butterfly and mothfauna. At the time, the university’sinsect collection contained 28,000specimens. During his tenure, he builtthe collection to approximately 250,000specimens, with Lepidoptera comprisingabout 50 percent.

His love and enthusiasm for mothswas contagious, and in 1974 he and asmall group of insect lovers in the stateformed The Society of Kentucky Lepidop-terists.

In 1984, years of work culminated withone of his crowning achievements—thepublication of a Peterson Field Guideentitled Eastern Moths. This book is stillthe standard used by everyone interestedin moths, both amateurs and profession-als.

After 35 years of inventory inKentucky, Covell published The Butter-flies and Moths of Kentucky: An Anno-tated Checklist, which documented nearly2,400 species from the state.

Yet Covell’s work has reached wellbeyond academia and scientific journals.His passion for winged creatures has

Covell receives biological diversity protection awardBy Ellis LaudermilkKentucky State Nature Preserves Commission

driven his tireless public outreach efforts,and he has encouraged many youngchildren and adults to become interestedin butterflies and moths.

His role as adviser to graduatestudents has resulted in a network ofprofessionals in the field.

Earlier this year, Covell retired fromthe faculty of the University of Louisvilleafter 40 years of service to become thecurator of macromoths at the new McGuireCenter for Lepidotera Research inGainesville, Fla.

The commission’s award was pre-sented to Covell in November when hewas in Lexington. The award is a framedreprint of a James Archambeault photo ofBad Branch Falls.

On Nov. 16, Environmental and Public Protection CabinetDeputy Secretary Erwin Roberts presented the 2004 SmallBusiness Air Quality Stewardship Award to Ag Spray Equipmentof Hopkinsville, Ky.

“We’re here today because the good people of Ag SprayEquipment made a conscious decision that their company wouldbe a good steward of something that is too often taken forgranted—the quality of the air we breathe,” Roberts said.

Ag Spray Equipment owner David Barbee recently installed apowder coating system to replace the company’s existing wetpainting operations. The system is expected to significantlyreduce air emissions, worker exposure to solvents and provide amore durable coating than the traditional wet finish.

The Air Quality Small Business Compliance Advisory Panelestablished the award in 1997 to recognize small businesses thathave gone beyond regulatory requirements to reduce theimpact of their operations on air quality.

(left to right) Deputy Secretary Erwin Roberts congratulates DavidBarbee, owner of Ag Spray Equipment. Christy Adams, environmentalmanager of Ag Spray Equipment, and Jon Trout, chair of the SmallBusiness Air Quality Compliance Advisory Panel, also took part in theceremony. Photo by Millinda Rumble, KBEAP

Hopkinsville companyreceives air quality awardBy Rose Marie WilmothDivision of Compliance Assistance

Land, Air & Water20

Awards

Greenup County resident Sonja Fields has been volunteering for the Kentucky StateNature Preserves Commission (KSNPC) at Jesse Stuart State Nature Preserve (SNP) inGreenup County since 1994. It all started when Fields asked if she could donate paintsupplies and her time to help fix up Op’s Cabin. The small ridgetop cottage is said to bewhere Jesse Stuart would go for inspiration to do his writing. The building was in badshape from weather and vandals and needed a facelift.

While working with Fields on this first project, KSNPC staff were impressed with hergenerosity and good cheer. She was then asked to become a preserve monitor.

During her tenure at Jesse Stuart SNP, Fields has done it all—trail inspection andmaintenance, signs and building maintenance, litter cleanup, boundary patrol andproviding information to preserve visitors. Preserve monitors are the right arms of thecommission’s stewardship staff, and Fields is one of the best. She has always been thereto let the commission know about storm damage blocking trails, illegal use of all-terrainvehicles, vandalism and dumping. However, she normally has the dump cleaned upbefore telling the commission about it.

Fields has saved staff many hours of work and driving time by assessing situationsand advising on the immediacy of need. The preserve is three hours from Frankfort, andher proximity enables the commission to evaluate the true level of urgency when an“emergency” call comes in.

Fields is an exceptional individual—her selflessness and generosity show in allaspects of her life. When asked what she hoped to gain from her volunteer experience,she said, “The good feeling ofknowing that I’m helpingpreserve something beautiful forfuture generations to enjoy.”

The world needs morepeople who are willing to helpout just for the good feelingsthat are engendered in doingsomething positive for the future.

Dr. Charles Covell accepts the BiologicalDiversity Protection Award from CommissionerGayle Horn. Photo by Ellis Laudermilk

Fields receives volunteersteward awardBy Joyce BenderKentucky State Nature Preserves Commission

The state Superfund Branch in theDivision of Waste Management is makinga transition from paper document submit-tals to electronic submittals.

This change will expedite the reviewprocess and reduce costs. Recently, anotice about the transition was sent toconsultants and others who submittechnical documents to the branch.

The Superfund Branch is responsiblefor ensuring that contaminated sites areevaluated and cleaned up to reduce risksto human health and the environment.

For more information visit http://www.waste.ky.gov/programs/sf/ or contactFazi Sherkat, the Superfund Branchmanager, at (502) 564-6716 or e-mailFazi.Sherkat@ky.gov

Superfund Branchtransitions toelectronic submittals

Sonja Fields holds a framed printof a James Archambeault photo of

Bad Branch Falls. Photo byKSNPC

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Environmental and Public Protection CabinetOffice of Communications and Public Outreach5th Floor, Rm. 534 Capital Plaza TowerFrankfort, KY 40601

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While most plants are rather docile, a few are actually quitepredatory. Sundews (Drosera spp.) are carnivorous plants thatsurvive by catching and digesting small insects that get stuck onsticky hairs that cover their leaf surfaces. They are small, annualplants and their seeds are dispersed by water. Sundews requirebare, wet ground, such as the edges of ponds and swamps. Theycan also be found in road ruts and along animal trails.

This past field season, the spoon-leaved sundew (Droseraintermedia) was rediscovered in Russell County. This specieshad not been seen in Kentucky for well over 100 years. It is oneof two species of sundew currently known from Kentucky. Theother is dwarf sundew (Drosera brevifolia). Unlike some tropicalcarnivorous plants that can reach a height of eight feet, thissundew, at its best, extends about two inches above ground,exhibiting tiny, pale flowers. Usually, its small, reddish greenleaves nearly touch the ground and blend in very nicely with itssurroundings, thus making it difficult to spot. Biologists haveintensely searched many acres of suitable habitat without findingsundews.

Continuous grazing, draining of wetlands and competitionfrom exotic plant species (see Know it before you grow it on

Pages 9-10) are probably the main factors affecting sundews.While not rare nationwide, both species of sundew in Kentuckyare each known from only one population, many miles from thenearest known population outside of the state. The one popula-tion of dwarf sundew, which grows in old tire ruts in PulaskiCounty, has been protected by The Nature Conservancy. Thanksto the enthusiastic cooperation of the owner of the newlydiscovered sundew population, this site also will be managedand protected.

Tiny Kentuckypredator rediscoveredBy Martina HinesKentucky State Nature Preserves Commission

The spoon-leaved sundew has been rediscovered in Russell County. Itsreddish green leaves almost touch the ground making it blend with itssurroundings. Photo provided by the Kentucky State Nature PreservesCommission