Environment
Kansas legislators renew efforts to save Ogallala Aquifer
TOPEKA — Saving the Ogallala Aquifer could mean economic trade-offs in the short-term, the chairman of the Kansas House Water Committee said Tuesday. But the state can make progress and still maintain the farming economy of western Kansas, said Rep. Jim Minnix, R-Scott City. “If I were a banker … looking at the value of […]
Kansas Senate plans to take stand on federal protections for lesser prairie chicken
TOPEKA — The Kansas Senate will vote on whether or not to register disapproval of federal protections for the lesser prairie chicken this week as part of a ongoing battle to strip protections from the bird. Sen. Dan Kerschen, a Garden Plain Republican, said the bird’s protected status was a burden on Kansas farmers during […]
States that limit business with banks that boycott fossil fuels could pay high cost, study says
Republican state policymakers’ efforts to boost fossil fuels by prohibiting their governments from doing business with companies that take sustainability into consideration has the potential to cost states millions, according to a study released Thursday. Researchers looked specifically at the possible effects on Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and West Virginia if they passed Texas-like […]
Evergy blames renewable plans, inflation for $1 billion rise in infrastructure plans
Kansas’ largest electric utility says inflation and plans to add more renewable energy are to blame for the ever-rising estimated cost of its infrastructure investments. Evergy’s plan, which outlines investments in the grid and energy production, is more than $1 billion higher than the one it filed in 2021, which was $1 billion higher than […]
New order puts Keystone pipeline cleanup under EPA oversight
Owners of the Keystone oil pipeline must complete their cleanup of a massive spill in northern Kansas under oversight of the federal government, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday. The EPA and TC Energy, which operates the Keystone pipeline, signed a cleanup agreement last week, according to a news release from the EPA. It requires […]
As another winter storm strains the electric grid, it’s time to fix transmission, experts say
The deadly winter storm, christened Elliott by the Weather Channel, that tore through much of the United States over the Christmas weekend placed a huge strain on the American electric grid, pushing it past the breaking point in some places. Frigid temperatures, in some places setting records, drove a surge in electric demand while also […]
Crews will reroute Mill Creek after massive Keystone pipeline spill in Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Crews will reroute Mill Creek to avoid the site of the Keystone Pipeline’s largest-ever oil spill, the oil pipeline’s parent company announced Tuesday. The Keystone pipeline, which runs from Canada to Texas and Illinois, spilled 14,000 barrels of oil near the Kansas-Nebraska border in early December. The spill — the latest in […]
Kansas U.S. Rep. Estes blasts Biden administration’s revision of clean water rules
U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, a Kansas Republican, objected to President Joe Biden's revision of federal clean water rules diminished by President Donald Trump.
Environmental enforcement has fallen off under Biden, report says
Federal environmental enforcement, as measured by Environmental Protection Agency civil cases closed against polluters, hit a two-decade low in 2022, per a report released by a national environmental group that blames budget cuts, staff shortages and the U.S. Senate’s failure to confirm key leaders. The Environmental Integrity Project said the 72 civil enforcement cases closed […]
Kansas congressmen introduce latest attempt to overturn protected status of lesser prairie chicken
TOPEKA — Kansas congressmen are trying to use a federal tool to strike down the listing of the lesser prairie chicken as threatened or endangered, saying protecting the birds would have negative consequences for Kansas’ economy. Federal wildlife officials registered the lesser prairie chicken as threatened in Kansas and endangered in their habitat in the […]
Water debate will return to Kansas Legislature amid staggering drought
Legislators are almost certain to place the decline of the Ogallala Aquifer among their top priorities as the drought bearing down on Western Kansas hits the already depleted water supply. Every inch of Kansas is either abnormally dry or in a drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, with most of the western half of […]
After substation shooting, federal regulator orders review of security standards
Less than two weeks after gunfire damaged two Duke Energy substations in Moore County, N.C., knocking out power to about 45,000 people, federal regulators ordered a review of security standards at electric transmission facilities and control centers. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Dec. 15 ordered the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), which sets […]