Call it an incentive. Call it bribery. Whatever, it’s a prime example of how a deep-pocket special interest can seek to bend the legislative process to its purpose while doing an end run around regulation: House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls, announced Monday that Sunflower Electric Power Corp. had an understanding with Kansas State University to provide $2.5 million over 10 years for energy research — but only if lawmakers approve the permits for the two Holcomb coal-fired plants by June 1. House members complied Tuesday, though they fell short of the votes needed to override a veto by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.
At least one lawmaker, state Rep. Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, said the maneuver was inappropriate. “I think it’s in poor taste to dangle a contribution to a state university in front of the state Legislature on the eve of a debate on a major bill like this, and then to also say, ‘If you don’t pass the bill I want, we are not going to make this contribution,’†he said.
Anybody else feeling dirty?
29 Comments
This offer should be referred to the new Kansas Attorney General for prosecution. As a K-State graduate, I particularly resent it.
Man…that sounds like bribery. Except it doesn’t benefit an individual. I agree with you JWink..something for the attorney general to examine.
It is scary to think if they can openly promise $2.5 million, how many other no so public promises have been made to individuals?
On NPR, I heard the replay of Neufeld’s introduction of the offer, where he emphasized that Sunflower’s “offer” was only good until June. He sounded like a car salesman.
What he did is part of the legislative process, but it was undeniably heavy handed.
Surprised?
Check out what a state representative makes and tell me Sunflower didn’t do a lot more incentive dangling to get the vote they did.
I don’t know if a law has been broken so the KS-AG may not be able to do much. If he was willing to do anything in the first place.
Why would K-State agree to such a offer? Maybe you K-State people need to write/call K-State concerning their agreeing to the offer.
As with their ‘magic algae’ this is only window-dressing. Not surprising at all.
I’m sure that if the offer had been made to KU, in Rep. Davis’ district, his opposition would have not been heard. Funny how that works.
omg, that is so funny. Yup, its not bribery, I guess you could call it tactiful persuasion.
Sounds like something Cartman would do off of SouthPark.
If Sunflower doesn’t get the deal by June, then K.State gets a lump of coal instead?
It’s amazing to what ends the powers that be will do to get a large water consumer . such as this plant, built so they can turn around and send 85% of this supposedly needed power over the border to Colorado.
Do you suppose that Colorado doesn’t know the “secret” required to build their own plant, hence the importation?
What is that odor?
Well, there’s the problem.
They should have offered 2.5 million to KU, not KSU. :D
Guess Colorado can always count on the flatlanders to take their garbage.
Jennifer
Posted February 20, 2008 at 8:20 am | Permalink
“I’m sure that if the offer had been made to KU, in Rep. Davis’ district, his opposition would have not been heard. Funny how that works.”
Ahhh another republican with a crystal ball — don’t ya ever get tired of trying to run everyone else’s life as well as your own
Regular — didn’t take ya long to open your crystal ball too —– what a blind moron
Larry,
They don’t care. But be assured they’ll be the first in line and the loudest, screaming for water when it vanishes.
(And I think Jennifer was being a bit sarcastic. ;) )
Who cares? Apparently no one.
Bring on the Fascism! If We The People keep voting for the same people over and over and over again because we keep buying their lies, then we get what we deserve.
Maybe Brawndo will buy the FDA soon. HAHAHAHAHAHA! Fu.ck.ing funny.
What a great deal for Sunflower. Kansas and K-State, not so much.
BP is giving the University of California $500,000,000 over 10 years, to do biofuels research. That’s $4,000,000 a month. K-State will be getting a little more than two weeks of BP-UC’s funding, over 10 years.
It would be ludicrous to expect significant research to be done for $250,000 a year. For example, at Texas A&M’s School of Engineering, the research budget averages over $480,000 (2004 data). PER FACULTY MEMBER ($208 M for 433 faculty.)
So, if K-State were TAMU, the Sunflower grant would be equivalent to half a single TAMU faculty member’s laboratory research budget.
So is this proposal going to be giving the money to one lone engineering professor supervising 3 or 4 grad students, or two professors with 2 grad students apiece, or 5 professors with 1 student apiece, or what?
What are the research goals?
MPS, you point out the absurdity of the “offer” insofar as funding any serious, long term research. While the “offer” may not rise to the level of bribery, as defined by statute, it clearly was intended to secure votes. Other than that, it’s not worth much.
Larry = WSClark’s Troll
OMG, Crowson, you just KILL every damn day. Your cartoons on this subject have been so dead on, they should be enshrined in a hall of fame somewhere.
Today was just the crown jewel. Just like YOU are the crown jewel of the WE.
I laughed until I cried. Cried over how stupid Sunflower and Neufeld must think we are. I hope you folks in eastern Kansas pour LOTS of money into an opponent’d campaign for neufeld. And morris. And the whole hee haw gang, including huelskamp and powell.
These guys just have to go. Period. And if the folks in their districts wont do it, well, you have to help them a bit. At LEAST strip them of their powers, seniority be damned.
If your sane republican reps and senators would stop these guys, this joke of a legislature MIGHT get down to business.
Like preserving our water. ‘Cause it’s in YOUR best interests as well.
Bo Pilgrim LIVES! And he’s taken over the bodies of Steve Miller and Earl Watkins.
I guess what Lawrence and the rest of the state will feel with this vote on domestic partnership registries is what is known as the STICK being used with the Kstate carrot.
You wingnuts and the religious right must feel so used.
But probably not.
Sunflower Elect corp is certaintly no BP. So the disparity between grants is probably proportional when considering the greater market capitilization of BP.
Should a company like BP choose to attempt to build say a refinery in Kansas, a little hot air from the environmental lobby should easily engender some hefty grants similar to those received by U of C.
It’s pretty obvious, on so many levels, the contempt Sunflower has for Kansas.
The water issue, the carbon issue, the fact that the power is going to Colorado, the smattering offer to K-State… and, we have to assume, a hugh amount of campaign contributions.
Luckily for Sunflower, most Kansas legislators are beneath contempt.
Kansas should just tell Sunflower Electric that they work here at the pleasure of the rate-payers of Kansas.
We can always hire somebody else . . .
POISON PILL
The Sunflower Electric Holcomb, Kansas 1,400 megawatt coal fired power plant expansion project is a 1,400 megawatt poison pill designed to destroy the renewable wind energy market in wind resource area.
It is blocking maneuver strategically designed to destroy the market economics of renewable energy by flooding the market with (a) tax supported, (b) fossil fueled, electrical power. The tax exempt status of that fossil plant diverts public funds “taxes” to destroy “the green spark spread” for the sale of Kansas generated renewable energy. This makes developing Kansas renewable wind power that much more difficult. Why and for whose benefit?
KANSAS AT MERCY OF IMPORTED FOSSIL FUELS
Particularly, Holcomb will leave Kansas again paying millions of dollars to import FOSSIL fuel. This plant would transfer hundreds of millions of dollars of what should be self generated Kansas renewable energy production – - – to out of state Wyoming fossil fuel producers for the life of the power plant.
This Kansas plant also would have to compete with hundreds of other coal fired plants for that same costly coal fuel noting that coal has seen significant increases in price. Western Kansas with its excellent renewable wind energy potential should be a net power exporting producer not a net power importer.
$250,000 a year? That’s chump change for Sunflower. If any senators change their vote it’ll be easy to see who gives up principles for cash. The Republicans have already done so but they never had much principles to begin with.
Jim Newport,
Good points in your post. Coal costs, and coal transport costs are rising. Carbon taxes will raise costs for coal… and transport, if by diesel train.
Wind and solar costs are “constant”.
Also, where does the $2.5 million for the offer come from? The rate-payers, via higher electric bills?
Geez Cosmos, no one answered your question yet? I think the answer is yes, it comes from rural rate payers. Like me. A member of a member cooperative.
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