The Rural Blog

A digest of events, trends, issues, ideas and journalism from and about rural America, by the Institute for Rural Journalism, based at the University of Kentucky. Links may expire, require subscription or go behind pay walls. Please send news and knowledge you think would be useful to benjy.hamm@uky.edu.

The Rural Blog

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Report: U.S. plants release a toxic herbicide into the air that more than 70 countries have banned

Iowa's water is polluted with farming nitrates and pesticides, but a potential solution challenges the 'status quo'

Researchers are modifying the DNA of corn seeds to reduce pollution and dependence on fertilizer .

Companies aren't the only ones that spread the use of 'forever chemicals;' the U.S. military is also responsible

Friday's quick hits: This bot cleans up; sculpture park honors enslaved people; trying weird veggies; camping trip plan

Geologic naming body rejects Anthropocene proposal

A year after the East Palestine derailment, some residents have not returned home, and others report health problems

Two years after passage of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, billions of dollars remain available for projects

Where will all the coal ash go? Billions of dollars are at stake as Alabama waits for the EPA to make its decision

Two companies aim to reduce emissions: One splits molecules and the other heads into the wind

Free webinar on 'Covering Contaminated Sites' from Society of Environmental Journalists 1-2 p.m. ET Wednesday

World's largest hard-rock lithium deposit lies unmined in Maine; geologists think New England may have many more

Little lake in Canada is the key marker of a proposed geological epoch: Anthropocene, named for human beings

Environmental groups sue EPA over seeds coated with neonicotinoids, which are highly toxic to many insects

As fertilizer industry enjoys 'eye-popping' profits, farmers pay more and make less; corporate consolidation blamed

International group of scientists says Earth is in danger zone for 7 of 8 ecological measures, almost there on air pollution

In landmark 5-4 ruling, Supreme Court says Environmental Protection Agency can't protect wetlands not tied to streams

Many Western wildfires can be traced to carbon emissions and attributed to energy companies, new study concludes

Farmers wonder about sequestering carbon. It will take time to measure the soil's capacity, and the results may vary.

What will it cost local water systems to remove 'forever chemicals'? It depends, and many haven't been tested yet