Erica Peterson
Erica reports on environment and energy issues for WFPL, which run the gamut from stories about the region’s biodiversity to coal mine safety and pollution issues. In the name of journalism, she’s gone spelunking, tagged mussels and taste-tested bourbon. Erica moved to Louisville in June 2011 from Charleston, West Virginia, where she worked for the state’s public radio and television affiliate. Besides Kentucky and West Virginia, she’s lived in New Jersey, Minnesota and Illinois. She lives with her husband and son in Louisville.
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The state's coal industry is shrinking fast; more than 10,000 workers have lost their jobs since 2008. A small firm in eastern Kentucky is turning unemployed coal workers into software developers. -
Record low natural gas prices and a warm winter have the coal industry suffering through a tough year. But in India, there is a huge demand for coal. The governor of Kentucky has announced a $7 billion deal that ships coal from Kentucky and West Virginia to India for the next 25 years.
