Climate and energy

Since we posted on the Roan Plateau yesterday, I got curious and hopped on YouTube. Reminder: Roan Plateau is the fight against expanded oil and gas drilling in public lands in Colorado, a conflict where hunters and sportsmen and environmentalists have taken the same side.

I thought this video was neat for a couple of reasons - trust me, you hear a LOT of folks say that when prices rise, people won’t care about saving anything in the environment, or creation, or whatever you want to call it - instead, they’ll drill or mine anywhere, just to get the resources out, to keep their lights on or their cars running, etc.

So when people (like the ones in this video) are facing scarcity, and instead of grabbing it all they start to ask themselves tough questions about what really matters to their quality of life (versus their standard of living) - how cool is that?

Enjoy the video. Happy Friday!! If you have to go to lots of graduations this weekend, hang in there.

— Maril Hazlett, www.climateandenergy.org

Editorial on energy efficiency. This week in the Wichita Eagle, Randy Scholfield asked an excellent question - what is Kansas doing to maximize its energy efficiency resources?

In terms of concrete state policy, that answer is - as yet, not much. Other energy issues overshadowed the energy efficiency legislation, which crashed and burned in the last hours of the 2008 session. The KCC has yet to offer any findings on the energy efficiency (in effect, decoupling) docket currently before it.

As Randy observes:

Kansas has been locked in a bitter controversy about whether a proposed coal-plant expansion in western Kansas is needed. Largely overlooked in the debate is the untapped promise of energy efficiency and conservation to reduce our state’s energy needs.

All sides should agree that energy conservation is a goal worth pursuing.

Kansas has hardly begun realizing the potential — the state ranks near the bottom of the nation in energy efficiency programs. It’s one of just 10 states that in 2006 reported zero net savings from efficiency. Zip.

Coal prices rising. You know how gasoline prices rise during the summer months, when more people are driving? Something similar happens with coal - because of increased demand (mainly for air conditioning), electric generators have to start stockpiling coal in the spring to make sure they have enough for summer.

However, due to increasing exports of U.S. coal, domestic supplies are decreasing. Thus they are also rising in price (Reuters - story one and two.)

Greenhouse gases in atmosphere higher than any other time in past 800,000 years. In a study of Antarctic sea ice, researchers discovered that “‘today’s concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane are 28 and 124 percent higher respectively’” (Reuters). Quotable:

Before the Industrial Revolution, levels of greenhouse gases were guided mainly by long-term shifts in the earth’s orbit around the sun that have plunged the planet into ice ages and back again eight times in the past 800,000 years.

The U.N. Climate Panel last year blamed human activities, led by burning of fossil fuels that release heat-trapping gases, for modern global warming that may disrupt water and food supplies with ever more droughts, floods and heatwaves.

“The driving forces now are very much different from the driving forces in the past when there was only natural variation,” Stocker told Reuters of the study in the journal Nature by scientists in Switzerland, France and Germany.

Sierra Club has filed suit over eight coal plants in six different states. The legal claim is that the plants violate the Clean Air Act (Reuters). States involved are Arizona, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Texas and Wyoming. Sierra is considering suing additional plants in Kentucky, Louisiana, Texas, Wyoming, Iowa, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.

As of right now, Kansas is not on that list.

— Maril Hazlett, www.climateandenergy.org

Location/ Date: SRS building, Topeka KS, 05/12/08
Group: Kansas Energy Council (KEC) Committee on Electricity. The KEC is a 35 member group formed by a 2004 Executive Order from Gov. Sebelius (most recently updated this spring), and it is charged with making energy policy recommendations. Members of its Electricity Committee can be found here. (FYI, for those of you who have followed the legislative live blogging, legislators on this committee are Janis Lee, Carl Holmes, Mark Taddiken, and Tom Sloan.)
Objectives: In January, the Electricity Committee decided to pursue the following: (1) utility-by-utility understanding of KS baseload resources, (2) why past baseload decisions were made, (3) ID carbon dioxide emissions from existing units, and (4) planning for future demand, not limited to baseload.
Work plan: compile unit and emissions data for utilities, listen to utility presentations, try to gain access to peak load forecast data.
Summary: The Committee discussed their data aggregation and listened to presentations from Sunflower Electric and Kansas Municipal Energy Association (after being edited for proprietary info, those will also be posted on the KEC website).

Most interesting factoid: This was mentioned as an aside, not as part of the official presentations, but many of you might not know this - Kansas electricity prices are among some of the lowest in the nation right now, and over the past twenty years they have stayed relatively stable.

However, our usage has grown. Basically, we’re plugging more things in. Which is essentially one of the major reasons there has to be an Electricity Committee meeting in the first place.

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Background: The KEC is one of several groups currently examining Kansas energy policy. This past legislative session CEP followed both the House and Senate Energy and Utilities Committees, as well as the House Select Committee on Energy and Environment.

The Governor also just appointed members to the Kansas Energy and Environment Policy Advisory Group (KEEP), which will participate in a climate action plan facilitated by the Center for Climate Strategies, which has worked with 18 other states. Last year the KEC rejected a proposal to work with CCS.

Additionally, one of two new legislative groups will probably come into being after sine die on May 29. If the Governor does not veto the third coal plant bill, then a commission on science and technology will come into being.

If there is a veto, then a provision in the nuclear bill, SB 586, comes into effect (provided that the Governor signs that bill). It will create the Joint Committee on Energy and Environment.

Having sat in on at least a few of these groups, CEP has noted that Kansas energy policy groups often struggle with similar issues in how to approach electricity. (Probably these issues are not limited to KS policymakers, either.)

1 - Overwhelmingly, “electricity” is interpreted as “baseload generation” (and often, “reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs)” is interpreted as “regulating utilities” - GHGs in fact have many more sources than electrical generation).
2 - These groups also struggle with data collection categories that were originally developed to understand and assess electricity as generated from fossil fuels. However, the way data was tracked in the past doesn’t necessarily help to tell the world what it now wants to know - how to track carbon dioxide emissions, and promote renewable energy.
3 - Fuel prices, construction costs, policy initiatives, etc. - it’s all changing so fast that past data doesn’t necessarily help predict future performance. Decisions have to be made now, though. When you don’t always have solid information to stand on, then you have to make decisions based on other criteria. What are those criteria?

Read the rest of this entry »

New study traces how climate change has gradually changed the timing of the seasons. During spring in North America, 89 plant species have started flowering earlier in the spring, and bird breeding and migration patterns have moved earlier as well. With the seasonal change of food supplies and sea ice, polar bears have turned to cannibalism and their population has declined (Reuters). Quotable from the lead researcher:

The link between human-caused global warming — generated by industrial and vehicle emissions of carbon dioxide to produce a temperature-boosting greenhouse effect — and observed biological and physical changes is very strong, she said.

On a global scale, the correlation is more than 99 percent between the two factors; on a continental scale, she said, the correlation if very likely between 90 and 99 percent.

Building on IPCC research, this mega study combined 30,000 data sets from case studies of biological and physical changes around the world. It matched the results with a detailed database of global temperature change, dating from 1970-2004.

Department of Interior lists polar bear listed as threatened species. DOI made the decision based on the dramatic loss of polar bear habitat, the melting of Arctic sea ice, that has occurred over the past three decades. However, they warned that the decision should not be seen as related to global warming, and that above it all it shouldn’t change any economic development initiatives like building power plants (Wash. Post). Interesting quotable:

Interior spokeswoman Tina Kreisher said the ruling will still allow energy exploration in Alaska and will not affect power plants and other greenhouse gas emitters in the contiguous United States, but that the department would establish a management plan for polar bears and monitor their populations.

“There isn’t a power plant right next to these bears,” Kreisher said. “That’s the quandary here.”

CEP analysis: Climate change messes with how we traditionally analyze risk. Risk is much easier to understand on a small scale - when you can point to a substance or an action that leads to an easily quantifiable, immediate impact.

But when that risk involves many separate causes and it affects an entire atmosphere, an entire planet - it’s a lot harder to wrap your head and even your science around. And the risk may be even too big for puny human efforts to completely quantify.

Which leaves us… where?

Cool story about strange bedfellows. Sort of related to climate and energy. I’m mostly posting it because I love it when politics don’t line up like they’re supposed to. Increasingly, environmental issues make this happen a lot.

Such as in Colorado, where hunters and environmentalists are joining forces in the fight against expanded oil and gas drilling (CSMonitor). This particular fight is over the Roan Plateau. Quotable:

The coalition’s fight is part of a rising opposition of sportsmen to the effects of energy development – a force reshaping Colorado politics and altering environmental politics across the West.

“We started organizing and speaking out, loud and clear,” says David Peterson, co-chair of Colorado Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and state field director for Trout Unlimited’s public lands initiative. “It was really Bush’s arrogance that created today’s conservation movement among disgruntled sportsmen, mostly traditional-values Republicans – ‘Roosevelt Republicans,’ I call them.”

How is this happening? In part because the terms of the debate are changing. In this case, both sportsmen and environmentalists are in favor of moderation and limits when it comes to industrial development.

… Sportsmen involved in the dispute say they do not oppose drilling outright. They just want to see it done right.

“We have never encountered something like this on this scale – there is no precedent,” says Bob Elderkin, president of the Rifle chapter of the Colorado Mule Deer Association, recently retired from overseeing oil and gas leasing for the BLM. He says he understands the need for energy development, but adds: “I’ve been around the oil patch long enough to know that when this is played out, this entire area will look like an industrial zone.”

Keith Goddard of Rifle, an outfitter who leads hunting and fishing trips on the Roan, has been one of the most vocal opponents of drilling on the plateau. Early on in the fight, he joined with environmental groups. From behind his bushy cowboy mustache, Mr. Goddard says, “Years ago, I never thought I would sit at the same table as environmentalists. Now I am proud to have worked with these people.”

The feeling is mutual, as environmentalists, who have felt marginalized in public lands planning under the Bush administration, have found powerful new partners.

Kind of funny, isn’t it? Today’s bipartisan politics pretty much depends on keeping so-called gun-toting rednecks/ NASCAR types, and so-called anti-gun hippies, completely separate.

Hmm, what does happen to the politicians if these two groups get together?

— Maril Hazlett, www.climateandenergy.org

In terms of the legislative process, the coal controversy in Kansas is officially on hold. We’re hanging out waiting to see if (1) the governor vetoes the third coal bill, and if she does (2) whether there will be an override attempt at sine die on May 29.

In terms of media coverage and everyday conversations, the debate rages on. In a recent speech, House Speaker Melvin Neufeld offered his opinion that the session was actually a success in terms of economic development initiatives (Wichita Eagle). He was speaking to the Wichita Independent Business Association. Earlier this session, however, Neufeld voted against an economic development initiative for Cessna - a Wichita corporation - to punish members of the Wichita delegation for their votes against the coal plants.

Letters to the editor on energy issues. A recent series of letters in the KCStar discusses coal, Kansas, and the recent legislative session. I’ll reprint my favorite in full:

Many of our Johnson County legislators, including Rep. Pat Colloton and Sen. David Wysong, have been quoted in the media as saying that their constituents made the difference in why they voted against new coal plants in Kansas. This is the way it should be. Lobbyists and big business should not make all the laws just because they have the money and power.

Regardless of your beliefs on the need for clean energy solutions to curb climate change, we should all feel good that many of our lawmakers are doing exactly what we ask them to do: Listen to their constituents and stand up for what is right.

Everyday citizens can make a dramatic difference in their world when they educate themselves on issues and develop a dialogue with their elected leaders.

Government works for you when you work at it, too.

Kim Hanson
Leawood

Another letter in the TCJournal looks at a different side of the energy issues - renewable energy does have its own downside. The letter takes a different tone than the one above, but still raises some important points:

Preface any project or technology with the word “renewable,” and it is almost guaranteed to generate automatic public support and popularity… How renewable will bioethanol from corn be when our aquifers are exhausted, not just from growing corn where it shouldn’t be grown, but from distilling the ethanol to obtain a fraction of the energy expended in its production? How renewable will our farmland be when thousands of acres of prairie are fragmented by access roads, power lines and wind turbine foundations? How renewable will our precious rural ecology be when soil profiles are disrupted, native plant ecosystems damaged and wildlife driven off by the noise and intrusion of monstrous wind turbines?

To those of you who just stood up and hollered at your computer - “WHY DID SHE REPRINT THAT?” - well, now, deep breaths, here’s why:

CEP says it a lot, but I don’t think we can say it enough - All energy technologies have environmental impacts, and they all have benefits and burdens. And the balancing act can no longer happen offstage.

Whether you agree with all the facts as cited in the second letter, I think most of us would agree that too much of any one technology is probably not great. Not everything about renewables is great (although many of them are a lot better compared to their fossil fuel equivalents). Does that mean we throw out the baby with the bathwater?

There’s a lot of wonderful things about living in an industrialized world. There’s also a lot of it that really stinks. Your benefit today might turn out to be a burden on tomorrow.

I don’t think anyone - on any side of the various energy issues - finds that a very comfortable thought.

Back to the point that the first letter makes: Lucky us! We get to figure all this energy mess out through a representative DEMOCRACY.

Which brings me to Missouri. As a Kansan, it kind of pains me to type this next, but in the interests of fairness here it goes - nonprofit group Renew Missouri did an awesome job of getting the 170,000 signatures (from six Congressional districts) that they needed to put a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) on the ballot for voters to consider in November.

Sob! No, it’s great. Really. Missouri policymakers had repeatedly fumbled an RPS, so citizens got involved.

Which brings me to a funny story. Everywhere I go these days, people just want to talk about climate and energy. Which is cool. But they do this in very different ways. I had one gentleman sit me down, and he just wanted to know who to vote for.

Of course I can’t tell anyone that, we’re a 501(c)(3), and we’re nonpartisan. I was explaining this and he cut me off.

“Fine!” He waved his hands around. “I don’t care if they’re Democrat or Republican anyway! Just find out where they stand on net metering!”

— Maril Hazlett, www.climateandenergy.org

Saline County zoning to allow home wind energy systems. The county commission unanimously approved the proposal (Salina Journal). Quotable from a supporter of the measure:

“I’m getting older, and someday I might not be able to cut firewood,” Nelson told commissioners Craig Stephenson, Sherri Barragree and Randy Duncan. “Even though I won’t pay for this in my lifetime, (wind energy) is still something I can utilize to reduce my utility bills, and then pass it on to somebody else.”

McCain makes big climate speech. As widely reported, presidential candidate John McCain recently unveiled his climate policies (Reuters, also see Grist). Quotable:

“”Whether we call it ‘climate change’ or ‘global warming,’ in the end we’re all left with the same set of facts. The facts of global warming demand our urgent attention, especially in Washington. Good stewardship, prudence, and simple common sense demand that we act to meet the challenge, and act quickly. I will not shirk the mantle of leadership that the United States bears. I will not permit eight long years to pass without serious action on serious challenges.”

His policies would include working with China and India to cut worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, as well as a cap and trade system.

“Those who want clean coal technology, more wind and solar, nuclear power, biomass and bio-fuels will have their opportunity through a new market that rewards those and other innovations in clean energy,” he said.

Environmental groups had a range of responses to McCain’s proposals (were they all listening to the same speech…? One wonders) but the one I found most interesting came from Republicans for Environmental Protection.

“It’s really refreshing to have a Republican nominee that truly understands climate change and the need to act, and is really pressing for that,” said David Jenkins, government affairs director for the group. “We’ve been dealing with eight years of a president who has not felt the need to press on this issue.”

Jenkins said he was impressed by McCain’s emphasis on “building the infrastructure for a non-carbon energy future” — expanding development of wind, solar, plug-in hybrids, and biofuels. He also praised the speech as a sign that the Republican Party is coming up to speed on science and public opinion, while returning to traditional conservative values that place an importance on environmental preservation.

“I don’t think we’ve had a nominee since Teddy Roosevelt who truly understands that stewardship is supposed to be inherent to conservatism,” said Jenkins. “Hopefully it will help the rest of our party leaders get more in sync with where rank-and-file Republican voters are on this issue, and where Americans are in general.”

KCPLs rates to be forced up by increasing construction costs of new coal-fired plant. As we learned at great length in the recent Kansas coal controversy, construction costs of all energy sources are rising recently due to the current commodity bubble (especially for copper, steel, and cement). Coal plant costs across the nation have risen nearly 30% from their original estimates. (Wind turbine costs have risen as well, actually.)

The KCStar covers how this recent trend has affected KCPL. To add to the Star’s coverage, electricity rates across the nation are actually expected to double over the next few decades. (This projection was made by a Morgan Stanley presenter at a joint House and Senate Energy and Utilities committee meeting this spring.) Not only are regular construction and operations and maintenance costs increasing, but carbon regulation will affect rates as well.

— Maril Hazlett, www.climateandenergy.org

Nancy is at the Midwest Governors meeting in Milwaukee, Eileen is at the Interfaith Power and Light conference in D.C., and Maril is in lovely Topeka (her hometown!) attending Kansas Energy Council meetings of the Greenhouse Gas Committee, and the Electricity Committee.

All of this fascinating material will of course be written up for you later!

But the odds of a blog entry from CEP today are not high.

We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.

Location: Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) building, west Topeka, horribly windy day
Issue: Open KCC meeting on smart metering technologies, presentation by Elster Group
Participants: KCC commissioners (Chairman Thomas Wright, Commissioner Joe Harkins, Commissioner Michael Moffet), KCC staff, various utility representatives, and members of the public (which I think was represented mostly by the Citizens’ Utility Ratepayers Board (CURB) and CEP)

Summary: The KCC often invites outside presenters to discuss energy topics. Today Elster presented on their AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) technology, which the rest of us usually refer to as smart metering.

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Yep, we’re back. This CEP broadcast wasn’t “live” live, for two major reasons: (1) KCC meetings are usually fairly small, and me typing frantically on a keyboard is not really helpful for the ambiance, (2) I also forgot to get the guest wireless password for the KCC building ahead of time.

As some of you know, the KCC has a major energy efficiency docket coming up on its schedule this summer - they are considering implementing a form of decoupling.

Decoupling is when utilities are allowed to break the link between their profits and their customers’ consumption - in a world where we need to save energy, this rate structure just doesn’t work anymore. Instead, decoupling allows utilities to recover the costs of energy efficiency, conservation, etc. It sets up a rate structure where utilities can make money by helping consumers save energy.

Smart metering is one of many technologies that can help with energy saving programs. Thus your KCC commissioners wanted to learn more about it (So I imagine! I didn’t get a chance to ask.)

Basically, smart meters allow for two-way wireless communication between utilities and customers. This flow of information helps utilities to better manage load and customers to better manage consumption. The result is saving energy, which is good for the environment.

Smart meter technologies are just now starting to be deployed on a large scale in the U.S. One major pilot project now going in is Xcel Energy’s work in Boulder, CO.

Smart meters will someday be a key ingredient of smart grid technology - where energy production and consumption information flowing freely over the entire electric grid, not just within one utility’s service territory. One benefit of smart grids is that they are better able to handle the intermittent power of renewables energies such as wind and solar.

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In terms of engineering, the Elster presentation was way over CEP’s head. Instead, I focused on what consumers might find interesting about smart meters.

First, how do they work? A smart meter is basically a radio frequency based communications unit that is integrated with a normal “dumb” meter (if you will). It replaces the meter that is now on your house.

A smart meter tracks your power usage and sends the information to your utility, so the utility knows when and how to generate power. The smart meter also tracks your utility’s load and pricing information and sends it back to you, so you know when and how you can save money by using less power.

Right now, this sort of real time pricing is only available to large industrial customers. Smart meters help make this option possible for residential and small commercial customers as well.

Smart meters can transfer this information in hourly intervals, or even in close to real time. Some versions can also offer you complete breakdowns of your daily and monthly usage.

Like TVs, smart meters come from basic to fancy, with different options for upgrades. With some smart meters, customers would have the option to sign up for additional monitoring options - for example, you give the utility authority to raise or lower your thermostat by four degrees.

Read the rest of this entry »

It seems fitting to be writing this on a day when the wind gusts are hitting around 40 mph.

Today the Department of Energy released a report concluding that by 2030, wind power could provide up to 20% of the nation’s electrical needs. (For press release, click here)

For comparison, that’s about as much electricity as we get from nuclear power today. Increasing the nation’s wind capacity would also save carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generated from fossil fuels - by 2030, wind power could help avert 7.6 cumulative gigatons of CO2 emissions. In 2030 and every year thereafter, this wind capacity would save 825 million metric tons of CO2 emissions.

How can this ramp-up occur? DOE set some important requirements for meeting the 20% by 2030 goal - “enhanced transmission infrastructure, streamlined siting and permitting regimes, improved reliability and operability of wind systems, and increased U.S. wind manufacturing capacity.” Quotable:

1. Annual installations need to increase more than threefold. Achieving 20 percent wind will require the number of annual turbine installations to increase from approximately 2000 in 2006 to almost 7000 in 2017.
2. Costs of integrating intermittent wind power into the grid are modest. 20 percent wind can be reliably integrated into the grid for less than 0.5 cents per kWh.
3. No material constraints currently exist. Although demand for copper, fiberglass and other raw materials will increase, achieving 20 percent wind is not limited by the availability of raw materials.
4. Transmission challenges need to be addressed. Issues related to siting and cost allocation of new transmission lines to access the Nation’s best wind resources will need to be resolved in order to achieve 20 percent wind.

Now, will EPA next come out with a report on the environmental impacts of such a colossal increase? (That’s kind of a rhetorical question. My guess is that they probably won’t.)

The construction of both wind turbines and transmission lines do have impacts on habitat, wildlife, and even water quality as a result of run-off from turbine base construction. As CEP is so fond of saying, all technologies have environmental impacts, and the key is to weigh the benefits and burdens carefully.

However, if you download the actual report (all 248 pages), it does address this topic. Definitely not at length, especially compared to the rest of the material, but the inclusion is promising.

More or less, to sum it up - siting of wind farms really, really, really matters. Kansas communities so far are getting very good at communicating their availability (or not) for wind development - and these decisions so far also seem to involve a mix of environmental and economic factors.

20% by 2030. Holy cow. Hang on!

— Maril Hazlett, www.climateandenergy.org

Texas started it. We all know the drill. We want more renewable energy brought online. Can’t do that, though, without better transmission lines.

The solution in Texas - within ERCOT, the grid manager for 75% of the state - was to develop Competititive Renewable Energy Zones, or CREZs. The state legislature designated CREZs as priority areas for transmission development. Then wind developers felt they had the security to start planning wind farms.

Now Western Governors Association is borrowing the idea and calling them WREZs. (And no, I can’t guess how to pronounce that acronym). Big difference, though, this means thinking about transmission regionally, not just in terms of a state.

The Midwestern Governors Association Greenhouse Gas Accord has called for something similar

Westar rates could rise due to environmental improvements. Westar is applying to the Kansas Corporation Commission for approval to increase rates to cover the environmental improvements it is making at Jeffrey Energy Center, one of the dirtiest coal-fired units in the nation.

Other improvements will be to the La Cygne, Gordon Evans and Murray Gill plants. The average customer bill will increase from 91 cents to $1.82 per month (Wichita Eagle).

Brownback and the coal plant proposals. According to a staffer, former presidential candidate and Senator Sam Brownback has been working with Sunflower Electric to get the coal plants approved (Pratt Tribune).

Ohio passes a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). According to Pew Climate:

The law mandates that by 2025, at least 25 percent of all electricity sold in the state come from alternative energy resources.  At least half of the standard, or 12.5 percent of electricity sold, must be generated by renewable sources such as wind, solar (which must account for at least 0.5 percent of electricity use by 2025), hydropower, geothermal, or biomass.  At least half of this renewable energy must be generated in-state.

In addition to renewables, the additional 12.5 percent of the overall 25 percent standard can also be met through alternative energy resources like third-generation nuclear power plants, fuel cells, energy-efficiency programs, and clean coal technology that can control or prevent carbon dioxide emissions.

The bill also creates a renewable energy credit (REC) tracking system, which allows utilities to buy, sell, and trade credits to comply with the renewable energy and solar energy requirements.  Additionally, electric utilities will be required to achieve energy savings of 22.5 percent by the end of 2025 through energy efficiency programs. Utilities must also implement programs to reduce peak energy demand one percent beginning in 2009, and an additional .75 percent per year through 2018.

With the enactment of this new legislation, Ohio becomes the 27th state to establish a renewable electricity standard.

Will they remember in November…? Editorial pages across the state are much less than pleased with the Kansas legislature right now. In common, many of them are irked with how much air time the coal plants took up, compared to issues like immigration and health care. (See Manhattan Mercury for one example.)

Big oops! As reported by DeSmogBlog. Climate change denier Dennis Avery and Heartland Institute member had published a list titled “500 Scientists with Documented Doubts of Man-Made Global Warming.”

However, as Kevin Grandia reports, he “emailed 122 of the scientists yesterday afternoon, calling their attention to the list. So far - in less than 24 hours - three dozen of those scientists had responded in outrage, denying that their research supports Avery’s conclusions and demanding that their names be removed.”

— Maril Hazlett, www.climateandenergy.org

Cost increases announced for new KCPL coal-fired plant. As a result of the rising construction costs for Iatan 2, customer bills are expected to increase up to 27%. From CNN/ Money:

Kansas City Power & Light now expects its Iatan 2 power plant near Weston to cost almost $2 billion, a 15 percent increase from two years ago and 47 percent higher than the original $1.3 billion price tag.

The utility, owned by Great Plains Energy Inc., has since increased the size of the 850-megawatt plant, which has generated some of the surge in cost. It also said it’s having to deal with rapid inflation of material and labor costs affecting most of the construction industry

Re-caps of the legislative session. This KCStar headline could have described a typical recent Kansas City Royals season… but no, they were talking about the 2008 legislature - “Small victories, big failures.” (The same article plus a helpful sidebar summary is available at the Eagle as well.)

How did legislators and various other policymakers evaluate the session? Quotables:

“Major progress on a number of fronts,” said House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, an Ingalls Republican.

“Probably the most difficult session in my years as governor,” Sebelius said. “Because there was an attitude of ultimatum.”

“The governor stood in the way,” said Sen. Tim Huelskamp, a Fowler Republican.

“A downhill conversation,” said Marcia Nielsen, director of the state’s Health Policy Authority.

“Hijacked by coal,” said Rep. Pat Colloton, a Leawood Republican.

“A train wreck waiting to happen,” said Rep. Candy Ruff, a Leavenworth Democrat.

The article is a nice re-cap of the legislation that did and did not pass. I’d like to add to the list the anti-stalking bill (I think that passed), the Amanda Bixby bill (which strengthens drunk/ impaired driving laws), the strengthening of the conceal-carry legislation (which in my opinion was pretty strong already), and I am very interested in an addendum to the KS constitution - a right to hunt and fish.

The case law that grows out of that last one should be fascinating. I have high hopes.

Creation care leader Richard Cizik named among Time magazine’s top 100 influential people. In particular, evangelical minister Cizik was recognized for his ability to work with the scientific community (Christian Post). Quotable:

“Science without religion loses its ethical guide, and religion without science lacks the means and resources to understand the world. Science enables us to better understand what creation is telling us about itself and its Maker,” Cizik said in a statement Friday. “This is an approach to the environment that draws on our mutual strengths.”

Random funny thought(s). If we all could just get along a little better… could our politicians then get along better, work faster and more efficiently during legislative sessions, and thus save taxpayer dollars…? hey. it’s a theory.

— Maril Hazlett, www.climateandenergy.org

Yesterday Governor Sebelius announced the appointments to her new Kansas Energy and Environmental Policy (KEEP) group. (If you want to access her original executive order, please click here.) KEEP’s first meeting will be May 20 in Wichita.

The major focus of this group will be to prepare Kansas for upcoming carbon regulation on the federal level, be that a carbon tax, cap and trade system, etc. KEEP will work closely with the Center for Climate Strategies, which will help them develop a climate action plan for Kansas.

CCS has assisted 18 other states in developing climate action plans. According to their website, CCS is a nonprofit whose mission is “help states and the nation tackle the issue of climate change through the development of consensus based policies and plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Basically, a climate action plan helps a state get a baseline understanding of its carbon liabilities and assets and then develops strategies to reduce the liabilities and maximize the assets. (With no-till ag and other terrestrial carbon sequestration techniques, Kansas actually has potential assets.) Think of a climate action plan as essentially a business plan for greenhouse gas emissions management.

Why are states doing action plans? Compared to the bulk of the international community, the U.S. federal government has not developed significant strategies for managing the enormous potential risks of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels. Thus, states have stepped into the vaccuum.

(Dork alert: It’s a pretty interesting transition in the history of states rights and federalism, if you ask me. Those traditional relationships have changed with the advent of globalization.)

At any rate: As reported by Sarah Kessinger in the Salina Journal, many welcome KEEP’s entry into the energy policy debates in Kansas. Quotable:

“Coal’s already 75 percent of our energy production in Kansas. Let’s decrease it and decrease anything else that produces CO2,” said Tom Thompson, Sierra Club lobbyist, as the legislative session concluded earlier this week.

“People need to sit down at a table and look at ways to get energy to people in the cleanest, most affordable way,” he said. “We need energy efficiency, we need wind (energy), we need all kinds of things that don’t add more carbon. People need to sit down and figure out what’s the overall plan.

— Maril Hazlett, www.climateandenergy.org

As reprinted from the Governor’s office press release, members of the KEEP will include: (and note! this group includes CEP Executive Director, Nancy Jackson):

(Hit the “read the rest of this entry” button to read the full list below)

Read the rest of this entry »

(Reprinted from the Topeka Capital-Journal)

This year, the Kansas Legislature began a discussion of our long-term energy future.

Already there has been vigorous debate on how best to meet our power needs in a way that protects the health and environment of our citizens today, and for generations to come.

During these discussions, the Shawnee County legislative delegation has been a strong voice for you and your neighbors. Reps. Vaughn Flora, Annie Kuether, Harold Lane, Ann Mah and Annie Tietze, along with Sens. Anthony Hensley and Laura Kelly, have worked to keep your electric rates low, your air clear and our economy strong.

We face an unprecedented challenge in finding clean, affordable, and secure sources of energy. Coal-fired power is part of our current and future energy mix. Recognizing this, it is imperative that we balance our power needs with strategic decisions about their financial and environmental risks.

It is a challenge worth having, and we are ready.

I am committed to making sure that all Kansans have the electricity they need — at a price that makes sense — to continue attracting families, industries and prosperity into their communities.

These legislators have been good partners in this effort, and their work to reach across the aisle and get results has helped secure a clean energy future for Kansas.

Together, we believe Kansas can be a leader in renewable energy. We believe that the clean power and new jobs that wind farms and bio-fuel factories can bring to Kansas is something worth fighting for.

We’ll keep working hard, because we know that’s what you expect, and it’s what you deserve.

—- GOV. KATHLEEN SEBELIUS

Mark it down! Make plans to attend in person, or tune in online - Sine die, the ceremonial end of the 2008 legislative session, is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 29.

We’ll all watch the papers, but it is definitely possible that both chambers could attempt a veto override vote, should the third coal bill, HB 2412, be vetoed by the Governor.

What can you still do? I am getting a lot of these emails - I would say that now is a great, great time to start thanking legislators (see the votes and contact info below).

Thank them. Whatever your position on the issue. And wherever you are from. I know that there are a couple of crowd favorites out there (Rep. Kuether comes to mind. Long may her pig metaphors live on). If that person does not represent you, you can still write them a thank you note for their service.

If you like how they voted on the most recent coal plant legislation (there have been at least eight votes, I think), tell them so. If your opinion differs, mention it in a constructive and positive manner.

Give people the benefit of the doubt. One way or another, this vote was hard for every single legislator out there. These energy issues are incredibly complex, and they all did their best to wrap their heads - and their hearts - around it.

Have you been writing your legislator this whole time, yet you have never heard back? I know of at least two legislators (who shall not be named publicly, because I am nice) who have consistently not responded to their constituents on the issue of the coal plants.

My advice: Send a copy of your correspondence to your local paper, along with a 250-300 word letter to the editor. Mention that you have not heard back from said legislator.

Long road ahead. When it comes putting together an energy economy for the 21st century, Kansans have a long way to go together. TOGETHER. For some of you, the experience may feel a lot like running a three-legged race tied tight to someone you’re not that crazy about.

So it goes. Veto or no veto, issues will still remain. If there is not a veto override, Sunflower Electric will still pursue its air permit in the courts, as is their legal right. If there is an override, then other groups have expressed their willingness to sue to see that the plants do not go forward. Either way, western Kansas will still need a new source of reliable baseload power.

Kansas still needs a comprehensive energy plan. (CEP would like to see that plan involve renewable energy and energy efficiency.)

A lot of people are going to have lots of meetings between now and the 2009 legislative session. They will try to hash out the details, and there will inevitably be times that the discussions will go a whole lot better than others.

CEP will do its best to be there.

We thank you for reading.

— Maril Hazlett, www.climateandenergy.org

HOW THEY VOTED ON HB 2412, THE THIRD COAL BILL

To find your representative and their contact info, go to www.congress.org and enter your zip code. If you don’t see your rep on the following list, then they either passed or were not present for this most recent coal vote. Which shouldn’t stop you from writing

HOUSE VOTES:

NO VOTES on 2412 (the third coal bill): Ballard, Burroughs, Carlin, Colloton, Crow, Davis, Dillmoe, Faust-Goudeau, Flaharty, Flora, Frownfelter, Garcia, Goyle, Hawk, Henderson, Henry, Holland, Horst, Huntingdon, Kuether, Lane, Loganbill, Long, Mah, McCray-Millr, McLchalan, Menghinit, Metsker, Morrison J, Neighbor, Owens, Pottorff, Quigley Rardin, Roth, Ruiz, Sawyer, Spalding, Storm, Svaty, Swencson, Tetze, Treaster, Trimmer, Ward, Winn, Wolf K, Worley

YES VOTES on 2412: Aurand, Beamer, Bethell, Bowers, Brown, Brunk,Burgess, Carlson, Colyer, Craft, Crum, Dahl, Donohoe, Faber, Feuerborn, Fund, Gatewood, George, Goico, Gordon, Grange, Grant Hayzlett, Hill, Hodge, Holmes C, Holmes M, Huebert, Humerickhouse, JOhnson, Kelsey Kiegerl, King, Kinzer, Knox, Landwehr, Light, Lukert, Mast, masterson, McKInney, McLeland, Merrick, Morrison Jim, Moxley, Neuefld, O’Neal, Olson, Otto, Palmer, Patton, Pauls, Peck, Peterson, Phelps, Powell, Powers, Proehl, Rhoades, Ruff, Schroeder, Schwartz, Shutlz, Siegfried, Sloan, Swanson, Tafanelli, Vickrey, Watkins, Wetta, Whitham, Wilk, Williams, Wolf B, Yoder

SENATE VOTES:

NO VOTES ON 2412: Betts, Brungardt, Francisco, Haley, Hensley, Kelly, Schodorf, Vratil, Wysong, Reitz

YES VOTES ON 2412: Allen, Barnett, Barone, Brownlee, Donovan, Gilstrap, Goodwin, Lee, Lynn, Huelskamp, Jordan, Journey, Teichman, Umbarger, Schmidt, Schmidt, Wagle, Wilson, McGinn, Morris, Ostmeyer, Peterson, Pine, Pyle

They did it! They did it. I fell asleep at home while listening online, so I missed it - but according to Sierra Club lobbyist Tom Thompson, the KS legislature adjourned right before 10:00 p.m. last night.

From the climate and energy perspective, what next? Well - we are waiting to see how the Governor reacts when two bills reach her desk - (1) HB 2412, the third coal bill, which she is expected to veto, and (2) SB 586 the bill allowing utilities to begin early in recovering from ratepayers the costs of developing nuclear energy.

The timing could look like this - the Governor has ten days to veto a bill. That ten days starts counting from the moment that bill hits her desk.

Since this is the end of session, both chambers would have to attempt to override the veto at sine die, the official end of session on May 29.

Sampling of the news coverage: My favorite turn of phrase, this from the Wichita Eagle - the new coal bill is basically “veto bait.” The Eagle also tallied the vote switches:

Rep. Benjamin Hodge, R-Overland Park, who had opposed overriding the governor on coal, switched sides Wednesday and voted for HB 2412. But four representatives who had been “yes” votes switched to “no” — Tom Hawk, D-Manhattan; Tim Owens, R-Overland Park; and Deena Horst and Charles Roth, both R-Salina.

Owens, a lawyer who teaches college government classes, said he would have supported all the component parts of HB 2412 individually. But he said he thinks bundling them together violates the one-bill, one-subject rule in the state Constitution.

“Had my students been sitting here, they would have been ashamed of me if I voted any other way, because of what I teach,” said Owens, a former House Rules Committee chairman who carries a copy of the Constitution in his pocket.

Will there be a veto override attempt at sine die? Wait - will there be a veto? Speaker Neufeld thinks there might not be (LJWorld).

House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls, said he believes Sebelius will allow the measure to become law without her signature. Asked if he would attempt to override a Sebelius veto on the session’s ceremonial last day May 29, Neufeld said he wouldn’t speculate.

“I’m not going to speculate on an override because I don’t believe we need to go there,” Neufeld said.

This morning, Sebelius said that letting the measure become law without her signature was “off the table” (TCJournal). She also criticized legislative leadership’s handling of energy policy this session.

The governor also said the Legislature’s decision to merge a series of economic development initiatives with the latest coal bill appears to be unconstitutional, creating additional incentive to pick up a veto pen.

“At the end of the day, I think it’s one more bad choice that was made to sacrifice legitimate economic proposals,” she said. “The session had way too much ultimatum and not enough collaboration.”

Regardless of what happens, Kansans on both sides of the issue have a severe case of coal fatigue. Also quoted in the Eagle:

Wichita-area Democrats said it’s time for the House Republican leadership to stop holding vote after vote on coal.

“They’re beating down a dead horse,” said Rep. Delia Garcia, D-Wichita. “Hopefully they’ll get the message and stop acting like adolescents.”

The KCStar editorial board was overall unimpressed with the time (and taxpayer money) that legislators wasted this last week, at least part of it on the third (and last!) coal bill.

EDIT: And I just found another quotable, this from a different article by the TCJournal. (Parental Advisory: Rep. Lane says a bad word. Or what many people might consider an iffy word. But it’s very descriptive.)

Rep. Harold Lane, D-Topeka, said the bundling of bills was an effort to push opponents of the coal bill from Johnson County and Shawnee County to vote for the measure. Lane voted against the bill Wednesday.

“I’m not whoring my vote,” he said.

— Maril Hazlett, www.climateandenergy.org

Location: Kansas Capitol, Topeka KS, House Chambers
Time: House and Senate convene at 10:00 a.m.
Issue: Sunflower Electric’s proposed 1400 MW of coal-fired generation, and the role of the KDHE Secretary in protecting Kansans’ health and environment

Bills/ Legislative Action:

- Yesterday the Senate passed the third coal bill (for a summary and how they voted, click here.) The vote was 24-10. Three senators changed their votes on the plants due to what they felt was the unconstitutionality of how the provision is currently packaged.

- The House needs to vote on the budget and the third coal bill. The Senate is pretty much waiting on the House.

- If you have only recently come to this policy debate, check out CEP’s FAQ’s on the Kansas Coal Controversy.

- Please hit your refresh button during the day to check for updates. - 99.9% of this entry is hidden below the surface - be sure to hit the “read the rest of this entry” link (when it appears) to see the full, er, glory

Summary/ Action: 1:06 - the House has approved the third coal bill 76-48, not a veto-proof margin. A veto override in the House takes 84 votes. Opposition to the coal plants picked up at least two votes, but votes shuffled on both sides of the issue.

2:33 - House and Senate have both overwhelmingly passed SB 586, which would primarily allow utilities to recover costs of developing nuclear power.

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I was brushing my teeth this morning when it hit me - despite the fact that I’ve been covering this for days, this piece of information only then really sunk in -

We have a third coal bill.

See you at 10:00!

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One of the little joys of my day is the House chaplain’s prayer. Here was yesterday’s:

Dear Lord
We need your help!
Time is dragging, thoughts are lagging
People are nagging and attitudes are sagging
It really is time to wrap everything up
But issues remain that we cannot duck
Give us wisdom, give us strength
before our patience goes on the brink
Keep us kind, courteous, and polite
And please help us “GIT-R DONE” by tonight!
In Christ’s name I pray, Amen.

I don’t think Chaplain Brubaker can top herself with that today - but maybe!

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10:03 Prayed, pledged, gaveled in, not necessarily in that order. Taking attendance. Messages from Senate - they just added Senator Francisco to any conference committee on SB 586. Sounds like the Senate has recessed until 2:00.

10:05 Now the House is doing announcements, oh dear. (Usually a prequel to a recess.) Ah, they are all going into caucus to discuss/ choreograph their responses to the budget. The House is recessed until 11:00.

That was quick.

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Have I ever mentioned that they do not allow coffee (or any drinks at all) into the House Gallery?

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11:16 still waiting.

11:26 Gaveled in 2412 the third coal bill is up. woo hoo.

Rep. Wilk of taxation committee is introducing the report on the bill, the economic stimulus bill of 2008. Original 2412 held the IMPACT bill (job development), now also holds SB 693 the Gardner intermodal hub, the apportionment provision of income taxes (Hills, possibly other companies), the telecom sales tax rebate, and the vetoed 148 plus the trailer, 2802.

Remember on the vote - the third coal plant bill is expected to pass. The question is whether it will pass by a veto-proof margin (as the Governor is expected to veto it for the third time).

Read the rest of this entry »

Last night, the Senate voted to pass the new coal bill, packaged as an economic development package.

On this coal vote, though - one senator counted it as the eighth - the alignment of Senate votes has changed. 24 voted for it, compared to the 33 that have consistently voted for the coal plants in the past. 10 voted against it, compared to the 7 in earlier votes. Six did not vote.

The three senators who changed to vote AGAINST the coal plants - Hayley, Reitz and Vratil - did so on the same basis: They thought the bundling of the coal bill plus the economic development initiatives was unconstitutional under the KS constitution (check article 2, section 16).

Senate Minority Leader Hensley filed an official protest against the bill, also on those grounds. Senator Francisco joined him.

Senate votes for the new coal bill (unofficial tally, check the count later):

YES: Allen, Barnett, Barone, Brownlee, Donovan, Gilstrap, Goodwin, Lee, Lynn, Huelskamp, Jordan, Journey, Teichman, Umbarger, Schmidt, Schmidt, Wagle, Wilson, McGinn, Morris, Ostmeyer, Peterson, Pine, Pyle

NO: Betts, Brungardt, Francisco, Haley, Hensley, Kelly, Schodorf, Vratil, Wysong, Reitz

What happened in the House? As far as the new coal bill, nothing. What did happen was that the nuclear bill, SB 586, was apparently resurrected to the point of going into conference committee.

If you followed along with the live blogging yesterday, you may have noted that Senator Reitz (sponsor of the nuclear bill) switched his vote from pro-coal plant to anti. He also spoke strongly about how upset he was that there had been no action on his bill.

The nuclear bill, again, would allow utilities to pass on to ratepayers the reasonable and prudent costs of developing nuclear power (no one quite knows what those would be - nuclear is mega-expensive). However, it also had language on energy efficiency and decoupling in there (the KCPL bill). KCPL testified as neutral on the coal bill. Their language got dumped in committee.

Other language got added - I can’t remember if I have mentioned this before, but there has been talk of establishing an interim session (when legislators meet, during the off season) Joint Committee on Energy and Environment (joint, meaning members from both chambers).

That provision had passed the Senate, but had gotten held up in the House (SB 692, I think). Now this language seems to be in the nuclear bill, but with a caveat that if 2412, the third coal bill, goes through (recall, it has a giant commission on science and technology and energy in there) then the Joint Committee doesn’t go into effect.

If 2412 doesn’t pass, and the nuclear bill does, then we will evidently have a joint committee.

Whoa. Followers of Kansas energy politics are probably saying WHY DO WE NEED MORE COMMITTEES ON ENERGY POLICY? Aren’t there enough already…?

Possible answer - look at who those committees answer to. The Governor. They are all under the executive branch. However, the new Joint Committee (and/or the Commission) would be legislative.

I have no predictions for what will happen today.

— Maril Hazlett, www.climateandenergy.org

Location: Kansas Capitol, Topeka KS, House Chambers
Time: House convenes at 11:00 a.m. Senate goes on at 2:00, but doubtful how many senators are planning to show up.
Issue: Sunflower Electric’s proposed 1400 MW of coal-fired generation, and the role of the KDHE Secretary in protecting Kansans’ health and environment

Bills/ Legislative Action:

- Yesterday everyone went to their separate corners to contemplate next moves. Legislatively nothing happened, but there were words exchanged in the papers. For a summary, click here.

- Two things need to be resolved today - (1) the budget, and (2) HB 2412, a huge “economic development” bill that also contains the coal plants. (Same was true yesterday, but nothing happened.)

- Senate President Steve Morris is now on record as saying that the Senate will not vote on House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 5042 (.pdf) - which would have allowed the legislature to sue the Governor over the coal plants.

- If you have only recently come to this policy debate, check out CEP’s FAQ’s on the Kansas Coal Controversy.

- Please hit your refresh button during the day to check for updates. - 99.9% of this entry is hidden below the surface - be sure to hit the “read the rest of this entry” link (when it appears) to see the full, er, glory

Summary/ Action: The Senate passed the new coal bill. The House waited forever and didn’t move on it.

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Somehow today I don’t think any introductory babble is needed. Check in around 11:00, folks!

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11:02 gavel crack prayed and pledged here we go. Please please please. Funny thing - the House chaplain is getting punchy. She just delivered the prayer in rhyming couplets and ended with a plea to “GIT-R-DONE!” by tonight. A la Larry the Cable Guy. With just a touch of iambic pentameter. Yep. It’s Kansas.

BTW spectators in the House Gallery are joking and taking bets about how soon the first recess will be.

11:07 That would be now. We are recessed till 2:30 p.m. A shout of nays went up but they weren’t counted. I briefly saw that one pro-coal vote was excused, before they blanked the voting board (it all happened pretty quick).

FYI - It looks like the nuclear bill, SB 586, could be back. This is a provision that allows utilities to recover for the costs of developing nuclear power. This means those costs can get passed on to your electric bill. Ratepayers bear the costs, rather than the shareholders bear the risk - ie, of investigating nuclear yet not moving forward with the project.

Read the rest of this entry »

As those who suffered through the live blogging (or lack thereof) yesterday already know, the ongoing Kansas coal debate is stalled in terms of tangible legislative action.

Instead, yesterday opponents and proponents of Sunflower Electric’s two proposed 700 MW coal plants took it to the papers. That got a lot more interesting.

To recap - we have three issues on the table. (1) The legislature is stalled over the omnibus budget, (2) House Speaker Neufeld and Majority Leader Merrick had introduced a concurrent resolution (HCR 5042) for the legislature to sue the Governor and KDHE regarding separation of powers concerns (since it’s concurrent, BOTH chambers must approve), and (3) the third coal bill, which is now packaged as an economic development initiative.

Yesterday nothing happened - after Saturday night’s blow-up, the Senate had left the building and didn’t even have a quorum for Monday (they did gavel in and out), while the House kind of just waited around. Senate President Morris and Neufeld evidently privately discussed the budget impasse.

Who knows what’s going on with the budget. However, this morning the Wichita Eagle reported that Morris will not support the resolution to sue the Governor. “We’re not going to do it,” Morris said.

OK. Now, this is politics, where nothing ever dies and initiatives are reborn in often surprising ways - but that sounds fairly definitive, especially considering the source.

Also, Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt said the Senate did not plan to hold any votes today. This is also interesting in regards the new coal bill - which would require Senate approval. Hard for them to approve anything - a concurrent resolution, or the new coal bill - if they’re not here.

And conceivably - the Senate doesn’t really HAVE to do anything on the new coal bill, if I understand it correctly. All the bills that just got rolled into the new mega coal bill - those were pre-existing bills that the Senate had already considered, and approved (except for maybe the telecom part - if it is indeed in there), earlier this session.

Legislatively, the Senate has done what they had to do. Also, some senators who oppose the coal bill are raising questions about the constitutionality of the new coal bill, which bundles several large economic development proposals in with coal (the KS constitution is not keen on the bundling of appropriations bills). Quotable from the Eagle:

But some Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, said wrapping so many issues into one measure violated the state’s constitution.

Leadership is “sacrificing those proposals on the altar of coal,” Hensley said. If the measure went through, Democrats in both chambers would be filing protests about the bill’s constitutionality, he said.

So where does that leave the House? Rep. Annie Kuether was blunt. As quoted in the TCJournal, she said it (the energy debate) didn’t have to end this way. Instead, she summed it up as: “This is all about the speaker of the House being a bully.”

Speaker Neufeld told to TCJournal that “”The economic development package we have before us is absolutely critical for the state of Kansas. I wouldn’t expect the governor to veto this.”

TCJ also seemed to think Neufeld thought the coal issue could be resolved today.

What in the world does all this mean? Most tangibly, it could mean that the House will vote on the new coal bill today. If so, that bill is expected to pass (as usual).

Also if so, the Governor is expected to veto the measure - highly likely, since her stance is that the new coal bill is unconstitutional, with the bundling.

The suspense (also as usual) is whether the latest coal measure will get a veto-proof majority. If it did, then legislative leaders would probably attempt an override at sine die, the ceremonial end of the session scheduled for May 29. If there are protests filed against the constitutionality, what does that do to the validity of the veto override attempt? Dunno, will have to read up on that over a recess.

If the new coal bill doesn’t pass with a veto-proof margin, then are the other economic development initiatives now packaged with coal really dead? I wonder. If those were truly all separate bills already passed by the Senate, then perhaps the House could back up and take separate action on those bills (like they would have done in the normal course of things.)

Confused enough yet? No problem, I have someone who can sum it up for you. I can quote what a very dear friend of the family said to me this morning (once he retired from his fire job - he was my husband’s training chief, actually - he started working part-time for the state, so I see him around the Capitol quite a bit).

This morning, his comment was: “The legislature was doing okay, weren’t they? Then they just augured right in.”

Of course, to get that you have to know what an auger is - a boring tool. If you want to set fence posts, you need an auger to put holes into the ground. And you’d better have two people working it as a team, because if it gets away from you, good luck EVER hauling it back out.

OK, about half of you had that mental image already. Sorry! For some reason I always feel I have to explain rural metaphors for non-rural readers.

EDIT: ha! It may not be rural. It may be air force. Jim Mason has told me it means when a plane goes diving down, out of control (versus pancaking, which means the pilot had some form of control).

Oh well. Another day, another lesson learned.

— Maril Hazlett, www.climateandenergy.org

Location: Kansas Capitol, Topeka KS, House Chambers
Time: House convenes at 11:00 a.m.
Issue: Sunflower Electric’s proposed 1400 MW of coal-fired generation, and the role of the KDHE Secretary in protecting Kansans’ health and environment

Bills/ Legislative Action:

- Saturday night, the legislature melted down. Coal was involved. For a summary of what happened, click here. FYI, the Senate did decide to reconvene (or at least “gavel in” - I don’t know how many senators are actually here) at 11:00 a.m. as well, but they don’t have much to do until the House gets cracking.

- Two things need to be resolved today - (1) the budget, and (2) HB 2412, a huge “economic development” bill that also contains the coal plants.

- House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 5042 (.pdf) may also come up for consideration - it would allow the legislature to sue the Governor over the coal plants.

- Disclaimer: No matter what you think might happen, be prepared for something entirely different to occur.

- If you have only recently come to this policy debate, check out CEP’s FAQ’s on the Kansas Coal Controversy.

- Please hit your refresh button during the day to check for updates. - 99.9% of this entry is hidden below the surface - be sure to hit the “read the rest of this entry” link to see the full, er, glory

Summary/ Action: Yesterday, we watched mud dry. Today, we watched paint. Tomorrow, concrete…?

4:48 The House adjourns for the day, and will return at 11:00 tomorrow. For the third day in a row, they do not consider the House Concurrent Resolution for the legislature to sue the Governor over the coal plants. Nor do they act on the budget or the third coal bill. The limbo continues.

5:34 Several leading Democrats just finished a press conference on the House Concurrent Resolution and other issues, including the new coal bill. Keep an eye on your papers for the results.

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Here we are again…

I need to apologize again for not getting to my email. (Please keep sending messages, though, I love it.) I took most of Sunday off to enjoy sun, garden, family, friends, jeans and a t-shirt (no fancy stuff), and a nice long nap.

The strategy worked perfectly, because when I got on the interstate this morning I did indeed drive toward Topeka and the Kansas statehouse - instead of toward absolutely anywhere else on the planet.

But the strategy did fail to get my email answered. Very sorry!

We all know why we’re here today. CEP is here to keep an eye on energy issues, as usual, and the coal stuff is still threatening to boomerang around in the legislative arena.

However, I have a feeling that most of you are now reading this to see how the Kansas legislature will work itself out of the larger crack it has gotten itself stuck in.

I have faith that they will manage it. It might be easy to lose sight of when meltdowns occur, like that on Saturday night - but there are a lot of good people here who truly do want the best for their constituents, and also for Kansas as a whole. I’m going to be naive and idealistic - and stubborn - and put my money on them.

OK. Go enjoy some coffee. Tune back in around 11:00 a.m., when the statehouse drama grinds back into gear.

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11:00 a.m. We are gaveled in, House comes to order. Prayer and pledge said.

11:10 House is recessed till 4:00 p.m. Kid you not.

Does CEP know what is happening? No, not really. Here is what we do know: The Kansas legislature is at a stalemate.

The budget bill and the new coal bill are both at the level of conference committee. However, with the Senate gone (there are apparently only five senators on the floor right now in the other chamber; they were told not to return today until called) there can be no conference committees.

No conference committees, no agreements, no votes, no resolution, no issues addressed, no end of this in (immediate) sight.

Why are we in this position? In large part because the Senate leadership ended up furious at the House leadership last Saturday night, for adjourning early when the Senate expected them to work late.

The Senate appears to have made its final offer on the budget bill, and has no more to negotiate with the House. Why is the Senate not returning to work on the new coal bill? I have no idea.

What will happen at 4:00? Speaker Neufeld mentioned that there were a couple of conference committee reports to address.

How to keep up on this - the mike in the House has been left open during recess for announcements of conference committee meetings (should the stand-off status change). The House floor is actually full of reps. You can can listen in live here if you would like.

Other than that…? Unless I hear amazingly accurate and insightful and verifiable gossip, I mean information - see you back here at 4:00 p.m.

3:51 back sitting in the House Gallery. Floor is full of reps. The rotunda was full of reps. They’re here.

What we missed - a fire alarm in the Capitol. All is well. Apparently House Speaker Neufeld and Senate President Steve Morris met during the long recess to put together a new omnibus budget proposal. EDIT: I phrased that wrong, but it is so funny I will leave it… just to clarify, Neufeld and Morris in no way contributed to the fire alarm.

The last budget proposal flamed out disastrously - the House slammed back the conference committee report, due to their dislike of what they called earmarks. If Neufeld and Morris have a meeting of the minds, then the conference committee would consider their new proposal.

What does the budget have to do with the new coal bill? If the budget goes through, supporters of the coal plants could lose a major hammer with which to bonk opponents over the head.

Read the rest of this entry »