A bill in the Legislature to support the Holcomb coal plant expansion hit a roadblock Friday when House Utilities Committee Chairman Carl Holmes, R-Liberal, unexpectedly pulled the bill. “I’ve been ordered not to work this bill,†Holmes said. “I will make no comment. We are adjourned.â€
The “order†apparently came from House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls, who echoed Gov. Kathleen Sebelius in commenting, “With an issue of this statewide importance, we must take our time, do this right and not rush it.â€
Clearly, though, it wasn’t the arguments of Sebelius or scientists or environmental groups that moved Neufeld but rather the criticism of conservative anti-tax activists such as Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform, who demanded Thursday that a meager carbon tax be stripped from the bill.
Sen. Laura Kelly, D-Topeka, said Norquist’s testimony appeared decisive. “It seems more than coincidence that he is here one day and they pulled the bill the next,†she told the Topeka Capital-Journal.
It’s an ironic twist that conservatives pulled the plug on this Holcomb relief bill.
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Put as simply as possible, the two proposed Holcomb power plants will further erode the Kansas underground Ogallala water reservoir bringing nearer the time when Kansans including Wichita will resort to drinking recycled sewage effluent from our surface rivers and streams.
Of course, the Governor doesn’t look ahead because she expects to be enscounced in some plush government office in Washington D.C.
Dead on Wink.
It’s called “running out the clock”.
Remember, it’s 8 glasses of recycled sewage effluent per day.
If this plant were to be built in a more populated area the emisson levels would be lower because they are in part based on “parts per person” (thats not the exact phase) but it is the idea. Many older coal burning plants need to be replaced with the new plants if people are really interested in cutting emissoms. But if you scream nonsense loud enough sooner or later people will begin to believe it is the truth.
I doubt this issue is as dead as it should be. Besides the taxes, fully 85% of the power generated would go out of state, but we would be left with 100% of the emissions. If Colorado wants power bad enough, let them build it in their back yard.
The whole thing smells of politicians pandering to big business again. But at least one republican had the huevos to stop it . . . for now.
Was it the exposure of the 3600 Million Dollar price tag???? Herbert West III, west.herb@yahoo.com http://www.wen2k.com
Sunflower.
Your coal fire plants are neither wanted nor welcome.
I’ll tell you what you HAVE convinced me. I am cutting back my electrical usage even more.
I tell you, those neocons are dirty nasty up there at the House.
Pmom,
This one’s not a neocon issue. It’s shaping up as a classic western vs eastern Kansas fight, and it’s dragging a whole bunch of completely unrelated issues along with it. Interestingly, the radical “conservatives” who push the divisive social issues aren’t getting as much attention as they’re used to getting.
Neufeld ordering Holmes to “shut down” dropped jaws all over the Capitol on Friday; it was all anyone was talking about on our way out the doors for the weekend.
Holmes and Neufeld both come from adjacent western KS districts, they’re both rural conservatives (different from the bat-shit crazy urban “conservatives” from Johnson and Sedgwick counties), and they usually have interests that are fairly well aligned. Having a fight break out between THESE guys is just stunning, especially given the seriousness of the issues.
It’s been a VERY odd session so far, especially on the House side. Nothing is moving. Committees are meeting infrequently and bills aren’t coming to the floor. We’re starting the 4th week of the session, and people are starting to wonder just when the House is going to get to work. The Senate is starting to get impatient, too – they can’t move their agenda if the House is sitting on its collective hands. The halltalk is that the big holdup is Holcomb, and that Neufeld is holding other issues back until this is resolved. I’m just hoping they don’t have a special session to wrap business up. I hate living out of my suitcase…
Consider this the 2nd irregular Dispatch From the Sausage Factory.
Tom
Hey outlander, remember Grover Norquist now? I have a hard time believing you when you said you had never heard of him (back when I posted that the Wall Street crowd would strangle Huckabee in his crib).
Well, in any case, meet the guy who really runs the GOP: Grover Norquist, Mr. Movement Conservative, best friend of Karl Rove (this association has made him the guy who currently holds all Republic office-holders to the infamous “no new taxes or tax increases” pledge: if the candidate signs then Grover directs RNC resources his/her way, if he refuses to sign or votes to increase taxes then Grover directs RNC resources to the next GOP candidate), chairman of the National Republican Assemblies, NRA and ACU boards member, registered as a foreign agent with DoJ (Angola), arm-chair economist (no grad degree), co-author of the Contract With America, and very likely the guy who in 1992 began directing the funding behind the VRWC, aka the systemic Clinton smears as well as the funding behind the Swift Boat smears of John Kerry.
So now Grover says jump, and the Kansas GOP yells “yes sir how high” on its way up.
This is the guy, THIS guy and his knee-jerk no-tax ideas behind government funding, is why the Republics deserve to lose in November.
People can slam W and McCain and Huckabee and Reagan and Ginrich and Dobson all they want, but if you want to know who’s really behind all the outright nuttiness of GOP fiscal policy, the guy who’s most responsible for the Republics’ current “borrow and spend” reputation, look no further than Grover Norquist.
Oh yeah, and if you want to know who owns the foot on Huckabee’s neck, the foot yall are working so hard to remove, then talk to Kobach. Sounds to me like he and Neufeld get marching orders from Grover, the owner of that foot.
Pedant,
Norquist showing up strikes right at the heart of the Republican caucus in the Legislature. Many of the urban Republicans, the crazies and the moderates, are open to the “no new taxes!!!” arguments. That’s how we get this east v west split. Add into that dynamic the split between social moderates and social wackos, and you have a “House divided” in a very literal sense.
Get some popcorn, it’s gonna be a long session.
And dont forget, Grover and Abramhoff are pals from waaaaaay back. From their college republican days.
hehehehehehhe.
Tom, good on you for all you do. Want me to send some salsa for Valentine’s Day? At least it would be homemande. I hate suitcase life too.
Oh, and btw…
if anyone thinks this session is strange and the east vs west split is bad, wait until the WATER WARS kick in.
Farmgrrl,
I would LOVE some salsa. And better than sending it with Luann on Wednesday, WHY DON’T YOU JUST SHOW UP??? heehee
I’ve been asking some of my friends that are on the Energy & Utilities Committee if the water issue has come up. They all look at me, like, “huh?” Everyone’s focused on the carbon caps/taxes/credits. I point out that Oglalla levels are declining and this will make it worse, I get “oh, Sunflower Electric says they’re going to make it water-neutral by buying up everyone’s equivalent water rights.”
No joke. That’s what they’re saying. I’m really surprised at how short-sighted the rural delegation is here. If they let Holcomb in, and strip KDHE of its licensing powers, this will open the door for MORE of these power plants. Can you say “death-knell for western Kansas agriculture”?
Agreed Tom. And that “buying up existing water rights” is what Sunflower has been using to deflect the water usage questions.
I notice no one says the truth. This is Colorado’s way at getting a second bite of the water apple. Er, a second gulp of the water stream.
They wont use THEIR water to generate power. They are grudgingly, slowly, and only under court order, letting water go that Kansas is owed. But then?
heheheh. They use OUR water as soon as it crosses the boarder to generate THEIR power. Two fer.
Western Kansas deserves what they get, given the freakin’ KNOTHEADS they send to Topeka. Over and over and over and over…Thomas Frank is right. They continually vote against their own best interests out here. Dummasheis.
And the other reason no one wants to talk about water? They’d have to address irrigation, meat packing, feedlots and ethanol plants.
Now THOSE are the third rail of Kansas politics.
If I show up it will only be to eat at the Globe.
HEE HEE HEE HEEEEEEEEE!
Besides, someone has to stay here to take care of the chickens and the dog.
The Globe. Dinner. You’re on. Pick any Monday through Thursday evening, I’ll buy.
. . . and there hasn’t been hell raised over Kansas attempt to buy up all water rights it can, including the land it runs through? The gimmick being used is, the state will save money by not having to pay CRP funds to farmers. Sunflower, mega-growers, and the Eastern conglomerate are pulling the strings on that one. Guess where they want that water going, and you win a brand new car, run of 85/15. Of course it comes with no tires, engine or transmission; kinda like the Kansas legislature. And that ain’t thinking green, believe me.
Monkeying around with the third rail in Kansas politics could see one regress to the pre-hominid stage:-)
JM,
Yep.
Tom
Sunflower Electric Power Corp. President Earl Watkins seems to think that a carbon tax will hurt coal and natural gas by the same amount.
http://www.hutchnews.com/Todaystop/sunflower2008_02_04T21_54_28
Dosen’t Watkins know that natural gas emits about 45% less CO2 than coal? And coal is usually transported by diesel (CO2) train, sometimes for a long distance.
Opposition to carbon taxes is futile… they will be implemented in the future, and the taxes will slowly rise. Carbon taxes should be included when considering new coal plants.
If they need that power so god damn bad, why don’t the States that are to receive it build their own freakin’ coal burning power plants?
Huh?
Sound pretty damned reasonable to me – I realize that I am just a stupid liberal environmentalist, but if Texas needs more power, then they should just build a flippin’ power plant.
Damn, if WE needed the power, do ya think Texas would build a power plant for US?
Why isn’t anyone talking about the 12-year tax abatement that’s part of the Sunflower proposal? Why isn’t anyone talking about a Project Labor Agreement that would guarantee construction jobs for Kansas trade unionists, rather than a bunch of out of state and out-of-country low paid laborers?
Who is Tom? And where is the Globe Diner?
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Jessie…
Ok, I’m not in complete agreement with this, but I see your point. Thanks for sharing….