Environment
Biden administration details potential cuts in education, food aid and more under GOP plan
WASHINGTON — Federal departments and agencies say U.S. House Republicans’ plans to cut federal spending would result in reductions to key programs like food aid, education assistance and wildfire management. The series of letters from across the federal government released Monday detail exactly how plans to cut at least $130 billion in domestic spending during […]
Missouri, Kansas utilities back bills to reestablish monopoly on transmission projects
Missouri’s largest electric utility believes a bill aimed at reducing competition and giving monopoly providers an advantage in building transmission lines will avoid cost overruns and deliver better results for customers. In its home state, where it stands to benefit, Ameren Missouri has offered its full-throated support to legislation aimed at giving the company the […]
Kansas senator’s plea to speed conversion to new wind turbine lighting may threaten reform bill
Kansas Legislature is debating how to reduce the problem of irritating flashing lights on top of wind turbines, starting with a mandate on new construction.
As birds migrate across Kansas skies, we have the tools to keep them safe
It mystifies me that while I sleep, millions of birds are passing silently overhead on a migration flight that can — for some of them — amount to tens of thousands of miles. I’m fascinated by the instinct that drives them and the adaptation processes that prepare their seemingly fragile bodies to survive their arduous […]
States to receive $2.5B from feds for electric vehicle charging infrastructure
The federal government will send $2.5 billion over the next five years to states, local governments and tribes to build electric vehicle charging infrastructure, Biden administration officials said Wednesday. The new Charging and Fueling Infrastructure grant program, which was authorized by the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, will spend $2.5 billion over five years to build […]
Keystone executive gives Kansas legislators vague answers on oil spill cleanup
TOPEKA — Owners of the Keystone pipeline still don’t know why it ruptured in northern Kansas, spilling almost 13,000 barrels of oil into Mill Creek and onto surrounding farmland, an executive of the company said Tuesday. Gary Salsman, vice president of field operations for TC Energy, which owns the Keystone pipeline, testified before a joint […]
Kansas Legislature’s clumsy regulatory attempt would remove vital tool to fight climate crisis
I’ve been around the Kansas Legislature for a while now, and a topic that comes up regularly is legislative attempts to prevent policies to address the challenge of human-caused climate disruption. I remember some years ago when Agenda 21 was the thing — the United Nations was going to send black helicopters to take away […]
U.S. House votes to roll back Biden’s WOTUS rule
The U.S. House voted Thursday to undo a Biden administration definition of wetlands that allows for regulations on private lands. The chamber approved, 227-198, a resolution to roll back the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s broader definition of what qualifies as “waters of the United States,” or WOTUS, for the purposes of federal regulation under the […]
Kansas attorney general craves law making state-funded ‘ESG’ investment policies illegal
Kansas Attorney General Kobach, Treasurer Johnson interested in forbidding KPERS portfolio managers from basing investment decisions on ESG politics.
Wind and whales: ‘No evidence’ links projects to deaths
The U.S. offshore wind power industry is in its infancy, with just a handful of turbines installed along the Atlantic coast. But they’re already being blamed for the deaths of whales that have washed up on beaches in New Jersey, New York, Virginia and elsewhere. A Fox News story on Feb. 13 made strenuous attempts […]
Rebellion against McLouth cryptocurrency data center triggers one-year application moratorium
Jefferson County Commission responds to intense public backlash to proposed cryptocurrency data center near McLouth by banning such proposals for one year.
‘There’s still hope’: Kansas House advances bills to help save Ogallala Aquifer
TOPEKA — House members celebrated a “historic” effort to address the state’s looming water crisis by advancing a pair of bills that would earmark funding for water-related projects and hold Groundwater Management Districts accountable for conservation efforts. The chamber gave first-round approval to House Bill 2279, which deals with the GMDs, and House Bill 2302, […]