We all know the horror stories of huge companies dumping toxic waste into our beautiful waterways. The green sludge, the dead fish, the rotten smell. The next question many would have is: who regulates this waste so our waterways stay beautiful? What laws are in place to protect our water? Luckily, there is a federal regulation regarding this issue in place. It is called the Clean Water Act.

The children’s classic Everyone Poops taught us everybody poops this of course includes animals. However, one thing this classic failed to mention is that animal waste can be hazardous to both humans, and the environment. The story of Gene and Austin Opheim is perfect example of the unexpected danger of animal waste.

Thoroughbred racing in Kentucky is a major industry.  In 2015 over 1,800 Thoroughbred races were conducted within the Commonwealth’s borders and those races accounted for over $100 million in purses.  Kentucky engages in the practice of “claiming races” as the majority of Thoroughbred races in the United States are claiming races.  In a claiming race, each horse is subject to claim, or sale, at a value stated prior to the race. The advantage of this type of sale is that new owners are able to race the claimed horse almost immediately.

A storm is brewing in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. In May of 2016, a suit was filed against the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) by a multitude of plaintiffs, including prominent environmental protection groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Counsel, Earthworks, and the Environmental Integrity Project. The suit alleges that the EPA has “failed to meet continuing nondiscretionary duties” under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”).

A triumph for beekeepers occurred in mid-May 2016, as a federal judge refused to dismiss a lawsuit claiming that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) illegally widened exemptions for pesticides responsible for killing bees. The pesticides at issue are neonicotinoids, which are systemic pesticides. Systemic pesticides, rather than remaining on the surface of the treated plant, are taken up by the plant and transported to all tissues, including the pollen and nectar. Dubbed “neonics”, they are the most widely used insecticide globally, marketed by Syngenta and Bayer, and  are readily mobile and persistent once placed into an ecosystem.

Most people take it for granted that when they turn on their faucet, a stream of water will flow forth, ready to be used for whatever purpose they deem necessary. It is likely that a majority of people never consider where that water comes from or the journey it takes from its source to their home. However, the people of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River basin, spanning parts of the states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, have recently been forced to consider the origin of their water.

In early March, the Kentucky Senate voted 28-6-1 to pass Senate Bill 89, which  proposed lifting the moratorium on nuclear power plants in Kentucky. Similar bills have passed in the Kentucky Senate in recent years, but have failed to pass in the House.

“December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” Although the United States resisted valiantly and heroically, the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor devastated the American people, with loses of 2,343 military personnel, 960 missing, and 1,272 wounded. Japanese forces brought destruction upon the United States Navy, crippling its air and naval forces stationed at the harbor. Most notably, the sinking of the U.S.S. Arizona—a 600-foot long, 31,400-ton battleship, which was the site of of over half of the total casualties from the attack. Today, the U.S.S. Arizona acts as a resting place ofthose trapped within its bulkheads. Despite the possibility of recovering the remains, the United States erected a memorial over the sunken ship in 1962 and declared it a national landmark in 1989. Proponents of the United States’ decision to not disturb the ship, or those within it, see the ship as a “fitting resting place for [those] who died on board.” After carefully considering all factors at play and the sensitive nature of this issue, I say raise the ship.

In April 2014, Flint switched its tap water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River, and its drinking water became contaminated with lead. Government officials made the switch even though there was evidence that the Flint River’s “corrosive nature” could cause old pipes to secrete lead into the city’s tap water. Government officials knew the water was lead-tainted, yet they assured Flint residents that their water was safe to drink. Currently, Flint water once again comes from Lake Huron, but the damage to the city’s water has already been done.