Ryan Van Velzer
Energy and Environment ReporterRyan 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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In the first virtual meeting with community members, U.S. Department of Justice attorneys provided an overview of their investigative findings into the Louisville Metro Police Department, but did not take community comments or questions. -
The Ky. Senate approved a bill that would make it harder for utilities to retire coal-fired power plants. The utility industry says it will raise costs for ratepayers.
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Jefferson County, Kentucky, had the country’s third highest number of premature deaths due to particulate pollution from coal-fired power plants, according to a new report from the Sierra Club.
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Louisville can expect heavy rain, strong winds and the possibility for tornadoes overnight Thursday and into Friday.
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One of the Republican frontrunners for governor in Kentucky has a track record of undermining policies to combat climate change. It’s a strategy researchers say could hurt the state’s long-term prosperity.
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Coyote sightings become more common around this time of the year as the coy canines roam in search of mates.
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Utilities pushed back against Kentucky lawmakers calling for additional hurdles to prevent the retirement of coal-fired power plants. A Senate committee nonetheless passed the bill Wednesday.
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Authorities overseeing the state’s retirement system investments would see their decision-making capacity curtailed under a house bill passed Thursday. The measure is designed to limit the influence of “environmental, social, governance” investment practices.
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A bill setting standards to clean up old solar installations when they’re retired passed out of the Kentucky House Appropriations and Revenue Committee on Tuesday. The rules and laws that govern these companies could help decide the future of solar generation in the state.
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Researchers at Bernheim Arboretum had been tracking a mated pair of golden eagles for the last few years. But in 2021, Harper, the male, went missing, leaving Athena alone to wander the wilderness… until now.
