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)
Led by Jack Pelton, president and chief executive officer of Cessna Aircraft Company, KEEP will work with the Center for Climate Strategies to develop a comprehensive climate plan for Kansas.
Sebelius said, “I am confident that the combined expertise of this group will lead to innovative solutions across all sectors of Kansas industry which helps every corner of our state.”
Appointed to the Kansas Energy and Environmental Policy Advisory Group are:
* Steven Baccus, Kansas Farm Bureau President
* Amy Blankenbiller, Kansas Chamber of Commerce President and CEO
* Jim Boone, NorthStar Comfort Systems Inc. President
* Dr. David Braaten, Kansas University Geography Department Professor
* Casey Cassius, Berkebile Nelson Immenschuh McDowell Architects Architect
* Yvonne Cather, Kansas Sierra Club Council Delegate
* Patty Clark, Kansas Leadership Center Director of Operations
* Dr. Johannes Feddema, Kansas University Geography Department Professor
* Ashok Gupta, Natural Resources Defense Council Director of Air and Energy Program
* Colin Hansen, Kansas Municipal Utilities Executive Director
* Nancy Jackson, Land Institute Climate and Energy Project (CEP) Project Director
* Mike Kelley, YRC Worldwide Vice-President
* Mark Knight, Owner of Knight Feedlots, Inc.
* Annie Kuether, State Representative of Kansas
* Stuart Lowry, Kansas Electric Cooperatives Inc. Executive Vice-President
* William Moore, Westar Energy President and CEO
* Emil Ramirez, United Steel Workers District 11 Assistant Director
* Dr. Charles Rice, Kansas State University Agronomy Department Professor
* Bruce Snead, Kansas State University Engineering Extension Program Specialist
* Dr. John Wong, Wichita State University Urban and Public Affairs Interim Director
In addition to the Governor’s appointments to the Advisory Group, several key state government officials will serve as ex-officio members:
* Rod Bremby, Secretary of the Department of Health and Environment
* Ken Frahm, Kansas Energy Council Co-Chair
* Mike Hayden, Secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Parks
* David Kerr, Secretary of the Department of Commerce
* Deb Miller, Secretary of the Department of Transportation
* Mark Parkinson, Lieutenant Governor of Kansas
* Adrian Polansky, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture
* Tracy Streeter, Kansas Water Office Executive Director
* Tom Wright, Kansas Corporation Commission Chairman
There will be several additional appointments made to this group once the Governor receives the other legislative recommendations.
