Climate and energy

Here’s the press release from the Governor’s office (which should be available soon on the Governor’s website):

Governor vetoes bill with same elements of the last; remains committed to seeking common sense compromise

Veto message for House Substitute for Senate Bill 148 from Governor Kathleen Sebelius:

“Legislators who promote the expansion of coal-fired plants in Kansas made a strategic decision with SB 148. Rather than working toward a compromise solution or having any conversation about energy policy, this bill was drafted behind closed doors. It contains the same onerous elements of the previous bill that I vetoed; and again, these are elements I cannot accept and will not support.

“I am still hopeful we can have meaningful discussions about a true compromise; rather than being sent the same bill in disguise yet again.

“This maneuver has done nothing to address the issues at hand – developing comprehensive energy policy, providing base-load energy power for Western Kansas, implementing carbon mitigation strategies and capitalizing on our incredible assets for additional wind power. Furthermore, putting the regulatory permitting process into the hands of a Legislature whose membership changes every two years would set a dangerous precedent and result in real regulatory uncertainty.

“President Bush has announced a new goal for stopping the growth of greenhouse gas emissions, and recognized that the power sector must make significant efforts to achieve that goal. Since the most likely way to achieve this goal is through a cap and trade system, which would, in effect, tax carbon, it would be unfair to Kansans, for our utilities to build coal fired plants for other states until we can evaluate the costs of those plants for Kansas tax payers and rate payers.

“We must remember the decisions we make today have a huge impact on Kansans for generations to come. The challenges before us can and should be met through a common sense solution.

“Pursuant to Article 2, Section 14 of the Constitution of the State of Kansas, I veto House Substitute for Senate Bill 148.”

With this action, Sebelius has signed 91 bills this legislative session and vetoed two.

CEP: What does this all mean?

Now there are two major bills currently before the legislature, SB 327 and SB 148. Both have now been vetoed by Governor Sebelius. The veto on SB 327 has been overridden by the Senate, and now awaits an attempted override by the House. SB 148 will now go back to the legislature where override votes will be considered in both the Senate and the House.

The legislature is currently on break and returns on April 30th for the veto session.

Check back for more legislative updates as the situation unfolds! Also, if you need to know more, check out CEP’s FAQs on the Kansas Coal Controversy.

— Eileen Horn, www.climateandenergy.org