Coal companies are required to adhere to numerous regulations and requirements that make producing coal exceedingly expensive. For example, these companies are required under federal law to restore/reclaim mined land to an equal or better condition, including restoring the landscape and rivers to its original contours, as well as establishing permanent vegetative cover.  Additionally, detailed reclamation plans must be approved by government officials before mining can even begin. Reclamation is strictly monitored by a wide variety of agencies including: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Environmental Quality, the Office of Surface Mining, Game and Fish, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

As a kid, I grew up trailing the Appalachian Mountains. My family’s roots, as many others do, run deep in the eastern Kentucky town of Phelps. But today, the mountains of Phelps are being trotted by a different set of… hooves. Dozens of wild horses now roam the mountains I once walked and sometimes these horses even find their way into residential neighborhoods. Little has been done to tame the horses or to guide them away from residential areas. Although majestic creatures, wild horses present some significant risks when they go completely unchecked and begin roaming the yards where children play, or sprinting across the highway traveled by those on their work commute. Perhaps examining another town in America, with a different, yet similar, situation, may give some ideas to policymakers, and comfort to my friends and family back home.

A tax break which once benefited small land owners may be coming to an end.  The tax break in question began in 1969.  The purpose of the break was to provide assistance to farmers wishing to protect their farmlands from the danger of urban development.  The initiative was backed by the Kentucky Farm Bureau, urging voters to “help preserve our open spaces and natural resources.” Initially, farmers had to provide proof that their lands housed crops or animals.  Furthermore, if the farm owner later decided to develop their land, they faced tax penalties for receding the agreement. Yet, those requirements loosened in 1992 when the Kentucky General Assembly, again following the urging of the Kentucky Farm Bureau, passed HB 585.

According to a Feeding America study, seventeen percent of residents—734,310 people, including 222,380 children—are food insecure in Kentucky. The United States Department of Agriculture defines an individual’s status as “food insecure” as lacking a sufficient amount of food to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. In a new initiative, Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles has started a first-of-its-kind program that will seek to battle food insecurity by compiling a task force of diverse parties to study both the causes and possible solutions to the issue. 

The marijuana industry is continuously growing in the US, and more than twenty states and the District of Columbia have legalized growing, processing, transporting, selling and/or using marijuana for medical purposes. Colorado and Washington have gone even further and legalized marijuana for recreational and personal use. As the demand continues to grow for legal services associated with the burgeoning marijuana industry, attorneys find themselves facing ethical dilemmas concerning their representation of the industry.

Holy Lute, a gray thoroughbred trained by James Cassidy and owned by Class Racing Stable, has found himself in the middle of a heated contest. Only this contest is not taking place on the track, but rather in the courtroom.Class Racing Stable has filed a lawsuit against Breeders’ Cup Limited alleging negligence, negligent misrepresentation, and promissory estoppel stemming from a mistaken pre-race entry in the 2015 Breeders’ Cup races, which ran at Keeneland.

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.