Ryan Van Velzer
Ryan Van Velzer is the Energy & Environment reporter at Louisville Public Media. He is dedicated to covering climate change and environmental issues across Kentucky.
Ryan graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and has more than a decade of experience in the industry. He has worked for The Arizona Republic, The Associated Press, The South Florida Sun Sentinel and as a travel reporter in Central America and Southeast Asia.
He has won numerous awards including regional Edward R. Murrow awards, Associated Press Broadcasters awards and Society of Professional Journalists Louisville Pro Chapter awards.
Email him at rvanvelzer@lpm.org.
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Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear thanked President Joe Biden for his leadership, and remained silent on the subject of a vice presidential nomination. -
Republican Attorney General Russell Coleman posted to the social media website X, formerly known as Twitter, that Kentucky stands with Texas. -
The Kentucky state Capitol building was evacuated early Wednesday. -
The conservation easement will provide permanent protection and public access to the forested mountain sides of the Appalachians as part of the Nature Conservancy’s Cumberland Forest Project -- which encompasses more than 250,000 acres in three states. -
Last week’s order from the Kentucky Public Service Commission was the first time in state history an electric utility was required to receive approval to retire fossil fuel generating units. That’s because Kentucky’s Republican-led Legislature and Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear recently approved a law making it harder for utilities to retire coal-fired power. -
The latest results from Fifth National Climate Assessment find Kentucky and the rest of the Southeast are particularly vulnerable to climate change, but that regional leaders are failing to make informed decisions that could help avoid the worst impacts. -
Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities can retire two coal-fired generating units in Jefferson County, and three older-natural gas units. They’ll be replaced with one new natural gas unit in Jefferson County as well as solar and battery storage. -
A Gallatin County resident snapped a photo of the odd-looking insect in early October and submitted it through the University of Kentucky’s invasive species hotline. -
Kentucky used $25 million in federal funds to clean up more than 600 abandoned oil and gas wells around the state over the last year. -
The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals denied another request to block Kentucky and Tennessee bans on gender-affirming care for minors while the court reviews a legal challenge to the laws. A final decision in the case is expected later this month.
