Kansans might as well live in Washington, DC. A few reader comments which say it plain and simple.
Secondary coal bill seeks to change minds:
CJOnline - Secondary coal bill seeks to change minds
By James Carlson
The Capital-Journal
Published Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at 2:07 p.m. CDT
Supporters of a coal-fueled power plant have crafted a measure aimed at encouraging some House members opposed to the plant to switch their votes.
Current plans for the 1,400-megawatt project outside Holcomb call for 1,200 megawatts to flow to out-of-state customers, and 200 megawatts would stay in Kansas. The plant addition sought by Sunflower Electric Power Corp. has been blocked since October by the state’s top environmental regulator, and the Legislature has spent most of the session trying to pass through bills that would allow that expansion.
The new bill pushed out of a negotiating committee this morning would allow Kansas to keep an additional 200 megawatts of energy. It is specifically targeted for the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities in Wyandotte County.
Democratic House members from Wyandotte County have been targeted in the past as possible votes to switch.
“It looks to me like (this bill) could be for Wyandotte,” said Sen. Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg.
But others said the bill could be aimed to peel off others who have opposed the coal plant all along.
The House will take up the new bill when it returns at 2:30 p.m. today, and then would attempt to override Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' veto of legislation that would allow the power plant expansion.
The Senate today voted 32-7 to overturn the governor’s veto. The House in the past has been one vote short of the veto-proof majority.
If the House were to be successful in overriding, which would require past opponents to switch their votes, then senators would move ahead with the so-called trailer bill.
The new legislation would also implement a new two-cents-per-meter fee on utility customers to help pay for Sunflower to build a bioenergy center in conjunction with the Holcomb plant.
The new bill also addresses restrictions on the powers of the state’s top environmental regulator. The legislation to allow Sunflower to move forward with the project would strip the authority of the secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to regulate greenhouse gasses beyond the federal laws.
Under the new proposal, those restrictions on the KDHE secretary would be eliminated in January 2011, when a new governor — and by extension, a new KDHE secretary — would be in place.
James Carlson can be reached at (785) 233-7470 or
james.carlson@cjonline.com.
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Reader Comments
+ 1 Rating Posted by: TopekaIsBoring at Apr 30, 2008 at 03:20:42 PM
Veto this one too, Governor!
+ 1 Rating Posted by: T-TownTracker at Apr 30, 2008 at 03:24:57 PM
The legislation to allow Sunflower to move forward with the project also stripped the authority of the secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to regulate greenhouse gasses beyond the federal laws.
Under the new proposal, those restrictions on the KDHE secretary would be eliminated in January 2011, when a new governor — and by extension, a new KDHE secretary — would be in place.
OUTRAGEOUS!
+ 1 Rating Posted by: T-TownTracker at Apr 30, 2008 at 03:29:05 PM
It simply cannot be constitutional for the legislature to suspend the duties of one person because they don't like his position. This is why we have seperate branches of government, and he is part of the Executive branch. If this works, the US Congress should look into limiting Dick Cheneys actions.