Environmental Ethics Issues in Kentucky

Water Pollution From Teflon Recycler

Henderson, 2018-2021

A company called Shamrock Technologies owns and operates three facilities in Henderson. These facilities recycle a chemical commonly known as Teflon, and the emissions from their processes were found to be linked to PFAS pollution in several of the areas' soil and waterways.

PFAS are compounds that are known to have very strong bonds and be resistant to extreme conditions. It takes lengthy amounts of time for the chemicals to break down, thus they are known as ‘forever chemicals’ for their ability to exist for a long time in the human body or nature.

Not all of the PFAS health affects are known, but they have the potential to cause cancer and bowel issues when in drinking water. Current research suggests that inhaling PFAS could create lung issues.

Shamrock Technologies first discovered the pollution in 2018. They tested soil and water in a wide radius and found forever chemicals in nearly every sample they took.

According to Louisville Public Media, “Approximately 10,000 people live within one mile of Shamrock’s facilities, according to an EPA demographic database. Around 60% of the residents are low income, and they’re about two to three times as likely to be people of color than in the surrounding county.” Furthermore, much of the pollution was found to be near important parts of the community, such as schools, farms, churches, and neighborhoods.

The pollution issues came to the forefront in 2020 when an aquaculture food company, known in the community as "Project Scale" was looking for a site to invest in. They stated that clean groundwater was essential for the project and subsequentially pulled out of the area after discovering the pollution levels. This caused Henderson to miss out on millions of dollars of economic stimulation as well as several jobs the project would have created.

City officials repeatedly downplayed or failed to acknowledge the extent and severity of damage from the pollution, and residents of the area reported that officials did not tell them about the pollution. City officials also stated that forever chemicals slightly started to affect the area’s drinking water.

A toxicologist from East Carolina University suggested the best things residents of the area can do are use water filters, clean their homes, and vote. They are also encouraged to write to their representatives to do more about these chemicals.

This incident brings up several questions of environmental ethics. What is the moral responsibility of the company to prevent pollution and care for the nearby environment. What is the responsibility of the government to make citizens aware of pollution in their area? What is the value and importance of having unpolluted water and soil? Obviously, the answers to these are subjective, but they are important to consider in circumstances like these.

Pollution Disputes in Kentucky Legislation

Frankfort, 2024

Jared Bauman is a Republican who represents southwest Jefferson county in the 28th district. He has recently come under fire for introducing House Bill 136, which would make it so Louisville companies would not be penalized for pollution if they voluntarily reported it and tried to correct it.

Rep. Bauman works as the "operational excellence manager" for a chemical company called Lubrizol. Because of the potential conflict of interest, he asked the ethics commission about the bill's connection to his employer.

Because the bill would affect other companies with those issues, the ethics commission director said there would be no conflict of interest. Bauman officially introduced the bill that same day.

While it may be permitted, this situation still brings up some potential ethics concerns pertaining to the true motives and benefits of the bill and the value of lawmaker transparency.

This type of decision can lead to public distrust of the government and an overall perception that politicians are mainly focused on helping out those in their personal life. While the bill is not illegal, this situation could cause loss of public trust and institutional integrity.

A Lubrizol spokesperson stated that Bauman’s decision is his alone and Lubrizol did not give any input on the legislation.

According to Louisville Public Media, Lubrizol's corporate spokesperson "did not respond to questions from KyCIR including whether the company requested or directed Bauman to file HB 136, or whether Lubrizol compensated Bauman, financially or otherwise, for his support of the legislation."

Many political advisors found Bauman’s behavior questionable or ill advised for public opinion. “Introducing a piece of legislation that would directly benefit his employer, no matter who else it would benefit, is not something that fits within my bounds of ethics,” said Norman Ornstein, of the American Enterprise Institute as quoted by Louisville Public Media.

Lubrizol is located in an area of Louisville known for high pollution levels, lower life expectancies, and higher cancer rates. Lubrizol has reported several incidents, including chemical leakage. Bauman’s Bill was passed by the House of Representatives and is currently still pending in the senate.

Mountaintop Removal and Deadly Flooding

Eastern Kentucky, 2022

In late July of 2022, much of Eastern Kentucky was affected by lots of rainfall followed by severe flooding. The floods were highly concerning, causing 39 known deaths in total and 13 counties to be designated by FEMA for individual assistance. This is was found to be one of the most severe flooding events in the past several decades.

At its height in 1990, the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field produced nearly 131 short coal tons and provided jobs to about 25,000 people. These levels have now significantly decreased.

The flooding in this area may have a connection to the long history of coal mining in the region, particularly Mountaintop Removal with Valley Filling. This technique involves plants, soil, and stone being removed from the surface of mountains and being dumped in the nearby valleys.

This mining method could continue exacerbating disasters like flooding in the future. Due to the damage to forests and environmental degradation caused by mountaintop removal, it has been found that those mining practices can increase levels of stormwater runoff.

In the two maps above, the first shows areas of Mountaintop removal mining. The rectangular detail area is shown in the next map, which marks the locations of fatalities from the flood.

According to the study by Christian, May, and Levy, “Certainly, the map in Figure 2 suggests that residence near MTRVF sites could increase risk of flood-related injury or death. There are several data sources and analytic options for future research focused on this question.”

Christian, May, and Levy also calculated that 47.2% of the studied fatalities were roughly 300 feet from a stream or river near mountaintop removal sites, and 69.4% were within a half mile.

This study raises a few ethical questions about intended and unintended affects of resource extraction. Issues such as these are subjective and complex, but there are certainly ethical concerns with Mountaintop Removal mining based on the environmental damage it causes and the subsequential harm to humans that is demonstrated in this study.

Harlan Coal Mining Conflict

Harlan County, 1931-Present

In February 1931, the Black Mountain Coal Corporation announced to their employees a ten percent pay cut in order to reduce cost to the company during the Depression. Miners often had few other job options due to lack of education and relied heavily on their mining jobs. The workers did not accept the wage change and walked out. They talked unionizing and made their displeasure with the situation known. 

The United Mine Workers soon started to reach out and encourage the disgruntled miners to join the union. The miners flocked to the Union, and before long the coal companies were firing the major union aggressors and supporters, along with evicting them if their homes were owned by the company. The evicted miners started protesting in a town called Evarts and creating boundaries against the mine. 

Violent events started to take place. Dynamite was ignited on the Bergen Coal Company mine, and several shops were burgled. Before long, shots were fired at the company deputies as they brought in new miners, and sixteen company facilities were burned in the nearby town.  As plans were being made for a grand jury to assess the state of agitation, a large group of unionized miners arranged a revolt. 

The next morning, an estimated 100-200 men with a variety of firearms hid along the highway. The exact events that took place are uncertain, but it is known that as three cars of deputies were driving into Evarts, the large group of rioters fired at them. Reportedly, one of the deputies fired back with a machine gun before being violently killed by shotgun fire. According to Tony Bubka, “Thousands of shots were exchanged, and when the fury of the skirmish subsided four persons lay dead.”

Even with all the chaos, the mine companies’ leaders were still completely opposed to allowing unionization for their workers. With the Unionized Mine Workers at a bit of a standstill, more radical communist and anti-capitalist groups entered the scene. This event was not the end of the violence as shootings and beatings had become common occurrences. There were constant attempts to arrest and evict the unionized miners. Even reporters were being attacked.

The grand jury set up hundreds of court cases. Although the communist groups were not involved in the Battle of Evarts, the trials were highly concerned with the potential influence of the radicals. Throughout the next several months there were fifteen trials, resulting in seven life sentences, three acquittals, and five hangings. However, all of the life sentences were able to get an early release.

This incident was very complex and had many more aspects that were too lengthy to include in this storymap. The intricate mix of poor working conditions, lack of industry organization, agitated rioters, and several communist organizations attempting to recruit new members amidst the chaos led to Harlan County miners going many years without being unionized.

This event is just one of countless examples of conflict and ethical issues surrounding coal mining in Kentucky. According to Michael Sainato, “In 1973, Harlan’s coalminers went on strike for 13 months when contract negotiations with Duke Power Company broke down after miners voted to form a union.”

Currently there are no more unionized mines operating in Kentucky. The coal miners’ struggles persist, as in 2019, a group in Harlan county protested by blocking trains transporting large amounts of coal after the Blackjewel Coal Company laid off hundreds of workers and did not finish paying the wages they were owed. 

The coal industry includes plenty of examples of unethical treatments to humans and the environment. Because of this, it is a highly debated issue among Kentuckians whether the climate impacts and damage to the physical environment are worthwhile, especially when workers are being mistreated.

Algal Blooms on the Ohio River

Northern Border of Kentucky, 2015

In September of 2015, an advisory was issued by the Kentucky State Government for a Harmful Algal Bloom on the Ohio River. The map above shows the affected area, which roughly stretches from the West Virginia border to the middle of Indiana’s Southern border. 

Specifically, the concern was regarding Blue-Green Algae, called Cyanobacteria. These types of algal blooms can sometimes create toxins that can damage the liver or nervous system for anyone who is in contact with the affected waters. 

These types of blooms are typically caused by a combination of warm sunny conditions and high amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen, which can be caused by agricultural runoff or other pollution. A person can experience the negative health effects by consuming the water, swimming in or touching it, inhaling mist from a recreational activity in the water, or inhaling it when it is used to water gardens or lawns. 

Skin contact with the algae can cause a variety of types of irritation. Inhalation of the water droplets can create eye, nose, and throat irritation or breathing issues. If the water is swallowed, symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, kidney and liver problems, numbness, weakness, dizziness, and even death can occur.

Algal Blooms are a unique ethical concern because human influence can often cause or worsen them. Nitrogen and phosphorus often enter waterways from agriculture, septic systems, or lawns. This advisory described the risks to humans from contacting the river water, but there could also be issues for the animals who rely on this water as well. This event calls into question the need for humans to protect waterways not only for themselves, but for the overall ecosystem. 

Louisville Air Pollution

Louisville, 1940s-Present

By the end of World War II, the U.S. had an air pollution problem to address. Louisville was no exception to this, as coal fueling and heavy industry led to high levels of smoke in the air. The first step taken was a smoke ordinance enacted in 1945.

In 1952, the city's air pollution regulation was improved and was able to expand beyond city limits. This included establishing the Louisville Air Pollution Control Board, which took many actions to quantify the pollution levels and address them. By 1956, the Board began making recommendations for several types of pollution reduction and improved awareness.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the City of Louisville continued to make improvements, boosted by new state and federal air pollution regulation, including the Kentucky Air Pollution Control Commission and the Clean Air Act. In 1984, the city began regulating smoking vehicles in order to meet requirements for the 1977 Clean Air Act Amendments.

Vehicle and gasoline pollution was further regulated in the 1990s in accordance with more amendments to the Clean Air Act.

In 2005, the Strategic Toxic Air Reduction Program was initiated. According to Louisvilleky.gov, this program "remains one of the nation's most protective programs designed to regulate toxic air emissions from industrial sources." They also reported that the industry toxic pollution levels have since dropped by approximately 80%.

Most recently, in 2023 a new EPA-funded project has begun development that is focused on improving the inequitable air pollution in West Louisville and the Rubbertown industrial area. Air pollution monitoring will take place in order to acquire data for policy, land use, and healthcare improvements relating to air pollution issues.

Climate Action in Lexington

Lexington, 2023

In recent years, people have been sharing their concerns and demands relating to climate change, often in the form of protesting, throughout Kentucky, the United States, and the World. A great example of this movement is in Lexington, which is home to the Lexington Climate Action Network.

In March of 2023, members of this group gathered in front of a Bank of America location to demonstrate against the company's contributions toward corporations involved in deforestation and the fossil fuel industry. They also sent emails to the branch manager explaining their complaints, and a few people even cut up their bank cards as a part of the protest.

A former citizen of Lexington started the movement that this protest was a part of, called TH!RD ACT. According to their website, TH!RD ACT is "a community of Americans over sixty determined to change the world for the better. Third Act harnesses an unparalleled generational power to safeguard our climate and democracy."

This protest included many older community members, including some over 90 years old! Several of them were affiliated with Brookhaven Residents' Climate Change Committee, and they marched to another Bank of America branch location. They were said to be motivated in the march, "reminiscent of the anti-war marches during the Vietnam War," according to Sallye Bleiberg as quoted by Julie McCay Turner of the Lexington Observer.

This story is a great example of people making their voices be heard when it comes to ethical environmental issues. Fossil fuels, deforestation, and climate change all have heavy relations to environmental ethics, and these citizens took the time to share their standpoint on the issues they can cause.

Mammoth Cave Ecosystem

Mammoth Cave National Park, 2024

Mammoth Cave National Park is identified as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and its ecology has been observed for centuries.

It includes the longest explored cave network in the world, which has unique plant and animal life due to the lack of sunlight in the caves. In fact, the only photosynthetic organisms in the caves have resulted from human interference.

Instead of from the sun, cave creatures can get their energy and nutrients from water that has flowed from the surface and collected dissolved organic matter. Other creatures may travel to the surface for food or consume other organisms from the cave.

Cave crickets are one of the keystone species for the habitat, as they travel to the surface to get food, but they primarily reside in the caves where other animals may feed on them, their eggs, or their waste. They are essential to the ecosystem.

Other important creatures in the caves include cave beetles, crayfish, blind cavefish, salamanders, spiders, cave crickets, woodrats, and bats.

Within the Mammoth Cave system, there are 39 species with concern for their conservation. They are often impacted by many environmental concerns, but particularly by water pollution. Because of the region's karst nature, agricultural runoff, sewage, wastewater from I-65, and Green River Flooding can all carry pollutants into the caves that these creatures rely on.

The care for the survival of these species is important for environmental ethics in our region. The human impacts are causing damage to the unique and diverse biosphere, so from the standpoint of biocentrism, these cave creatures should be cared for.

Photos courtesy of  Kendall Wheeler; photographer Rick Olson/NPS 

Soap Suds in Lost River Cave

Bowling Green, 2022

For several months, Lost River Cave had been amassing large quantities of soap suds in its waters causing major interruptions to the normal operations and tours.

After a lengthy investigation, it was found that the detergent company Henkel Corporations was responsible for the suds. In their Bowling Green manufacturing location, alkylbenzene sulfonates were leaking into their well intended for stormwater, and it was reaching the local groundwater.

The city determined that they had violated several water polices, and the companies was required to amend any possible leaks and refrain from releasing any water other than stormwater from the facility.

The company was also asked to compensate for all of the city's expenses from the investigation, and they were reportedly cooperative throughout the ordeal.

This event calls into question the ethical responsibility of companies to protect the natural environment and the biosphere.

Thank you for reading!

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