Environment
Evergy, regulators clash over costs of Kansas energy efficiency program
Evergy could soon receive approval for more than $96 million in energy efficiency programs in Kansas meant to lower carbon emissions — and customers’ bills. But the proposal is in a precarious position. “I want to be excited, but I also know there’s a big a piece missing still, and it could easily all fall apart,” […]
Cities in Kansas require freedom to ban single-use plastic bags, protect environment
Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Lori Lawrence is founder of Bag Free Wichita. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the useful life of a single-use plastic bag is 12 minutes. These […]
New incentives for clean energy aren’t enough. The Inflation Reduction Act was just a first step.
The new Inflation Reduction Act is stuffed with subsidies for everything from electric vehicles to heat pumps, and incentives for just about every form of clean energy. But pouring money into technology is just one step toward solving the climate change problem. Wind and solar farms won’t be built without enough power lines to connect their electricity […]
Biden signs into law Democrats’ wide-ranging climate change, health care and tax bill
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed his party’s signature climate, health care and tax package into law Tuesday, capping off more than a year of tumultuous negotiations that saw his original proposal to Congress slimmed down considerably. Flanked by a handful of Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn and […]
U.S. House Democrats send sweeping climate, health and tax legislation to Biden
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Friday cleared Democrats’ long-sought climate, health care and tax package, sending it to President Joe Biden for his signature. The roughly $750 billion measure is much smaller than the $2 trillion reconciliation package the House originally sent to the Senate in November. The final product left out dozens of […]
Kansas Congresswoman Sharice Davids touts federal funds for lead pipe replacement
OLATHE — The locations of lead service lines seem like the sort of thing someone would know, Congresswoman Sharice Davids said Thursday. But as cities and counties across the U.S. grew, water utilities didn’t keep track of them all. Now, they’re finally required to find them. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s updated lead and copper […]
Marshall, Moran vote against Democrats’ economic legislation after marathon debate
Kansas' U.S. senators, Republicans Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran, voted against Democrats' latest spending bill touching on climate change, health care and tax fairness.
Kansas, Nebraska researchers use plants to limit exposure to toxic lead in soil
In parts of the Midwest where lead mining and smelting lasted for over a century, communities are still dealing with toxic waste left behind by the industry. Lead, a dangerous neurotoxin, persists in the environment, including in water and soil, where it can pose a threat to the health of people living nearby. The risk […]
U.S. Interior Department calls for states to submit mine cleanup proposals
The Interior Department asked states Wednesday to apply for $725 million made available this year to clean up abandoned mine sites as part of the 2021 infrastructure bill. The department officially opened a notice of funding opportunity, which gives states the avenue to request federal grants to close mine shafts, prevent the release of methane […]
U.S. Senate Democrats dive into details of surprise 725-page reconciliation bill
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden took a preliminary victory lap Thursday to celebrate Democrats striking a surprise deal on a sweeping legislative package that renewed hopes of historic action on the party’s health care, tax and climate goals. But just down Pennsylvania Avenue, Senate Democrats said they needed to read through the bill text to […]
Moran implores U.S. Senate GOP colleagues to reverse course on burn pit bill
TOPEKA — U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall of Kansas split on a procedural motion leading to blockage of a bill expanding veterans’ eligibility for health care and benefits for medical conditions tied to burn pits and other toxins during military deployments. The Senate motion failed Wednesday when Marshall and more than two dozen […]
Manchin and U.S. Senate Democrats strike a deal on major health, climate, tax package
WASHINGTON — West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer struck an agreement Wednesday for a Democrats-only reconciliation package that would allow negotiations on some Medicare prescription drugs, end corporate tax loopholes and address climate change as well as invest in energy projects. President Joe Biden in a statement on […]