House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls, keeps discrediting himself in his push to expand a coal-fired power plant near Holcomb. He repeated to Wichita Independent Business Association members this week a falsehood about how developers of a proposed oil refinery “were told they’d never get a permit†in Kansas, and that “they’re looking at South Dakota now.â€
The Dallas-based company announced last June that South Dakota was the finalist for its refinery, months before Kansas Health and Environment Secretary Rod Bremby denied Holcomb’s permit request. The company did look at northeast Kansas as one of several fallback sites in case it ran into problems in South Dakota. But after it received zoning approval there, the company notified Kansas that it was dropping its option to buy land here.
Getting an air permit in Kansas was not a problem. Bremby told the company in a letter in February that Kansas was “open for business†and that if the company made the same proposal it had in South Dakota, he didn’t foresee any problem issuing the permit.
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Sen. Carolyn McGinn was also “telling tales” this morning in her column in the Eagle. Out of one side of her mouth came the declaration that the legislature understood “the need for sustaining and preserving a valuable water supply for our region” but – out of the other side of her mouth -was in favor of licensing the two coal plants so that they could use 30 million gallons of water a year – each and every year – to supply energy for Colorado, Texas and elsewhere. At the same time, we can’t seem to find a way to compel Colorado to release out of their reservoirs enough water into the Arkansas River to flow across the border into Kansas. So Colorado gets our water TWICE? This really is GREAT public policy, Senator McGinn.
A professional politician that lies?? How can that be?? Who would re-elect a lying politician ?
Hmm………
Well we’ve already had one company being a victim of the coal plant, the truck depot that Neufeld tried to link up the Holcomb plant on the same bill. Wonder he’s not citing that company’s loss as a victim of Regulatory Uncertainity!
Oh yeah, he’s so discredited he’s gonna get sent back for another term by his district. Unless… some of you help defeat him. Anyone working on that?
And he’ll be back with more seniority and a firmer grip on the House than he did as a first term speaker.
Mr. “we’d have to ban Coke” is going to be around a long time to wreck havoc on the state.
And he is one vengeful sumbiotch.
Next years session oughta be fun… unless democrats take the house.
Fat chance, given the state of the kdp.
…and has anyone else noticed, his dumbass comments, for the most part, play really well in Kansas? Just like terry, joe and phred’s comments.
See a pattern here?
Oh and Mick, it’s thirty thousand acre feet of water per year, according to Sunflower’s proposal. That is enough water to cover.. wait for it.. THIRTY THOUSAND ACRES with one FOOT of water.
Every year.
I think it’s gone down a little since they are building two towers, not three, but it’s still estimated to be at LEAST 20,000 acre feet per year.
I used to know how to convert that to gallons, but hey, we dont have enough water out here to count that high anymore…
Glad to help
One acre foot = 325,000 gallons.
Average household water usage = 127,000 gallons per year
Yeah, I just LOVED carolyn’s little propaganda piece.
Maybe your delegation fared well, but the rest of the state? Eh, not so much. But then, she’s already shown how much she cares about “the rest” of the state.
She has been on the WRONG side of water policy since her first day in office. She HELPED hays and russell drain Cedar Bluff so russell could have their ethanol plant and hays could water their golf courses with treated water. Water advocates had high hopes for her when she took over the committee chair as a FRESHMAN. Now? She’s proven to be just as bad as neufeld.
Oh yes indeed, when I’m looking for sane water policy, CAROLYN is where I go. (BIG effin eye rolll)
Parochial and short sighted. Typical republican.
No one in the legislature is watching the hen house when it comes to water. NO ONE.
Thanks lj.
So, that’s 325,000 x 20,000 gallons PER YEAR that the holcomb plant would use.
And that would provide water for HOW MANY households annually?
We could sure use all those “households” out here right now.
Hey ksfarmgrrl,
I don;t follow the water issue. Like I should. And I don;t follow state politics as well as I should But I do have a quesiton, that I think, registers across state and national politics. You stated
”
Maybe your delegation fared well, but the rest of the state? Eh, not so much. But then, she’s already shown how much she cares about “the rest” of the state.”
My question is this, and this only. Is she elected to represent the state as a whole, or only her district? I think her district, but with an eye to what happens to the state as a whole impacts on her district. But overall, her leanings have to be to her district, right?
I agree LJ, her first obligation is to her district.
But for her to say what a successs this session has been, based on her delegation’s success, is just dishonest.
Maybe her delegation fared well, but the rest of the state was held hostage to coal.
This session has got to go down in history as one of the biggest wastes of time and taxpayer dollars. The sooner the leggies realize that, the better.
And blowing smoke up our collective butts doesnt make the legislature any more of a failure this year.
And did I mention, it was a REPUBLICAN majority that controlled the ks legislature?
She should be hanging her head in shame instead of saying “yeah, but we brought home the bacon for our folks”.
And yeah, I brought up pork for a reason…
“And blowing smoke up our collective butts doesnt make the legislature any more of a failure this year.”
Sorry, should have been “less of a failure”.
A rose by any other name and all… :)
Total water usage per day in Kansas (as of the year 2000) 4,430 million gallons per day (Mgal/d)
addition of the two Holcom plants = 17,000,000 gallons per day. Net increase = 4 10ths of one percent. SIgnificant? Don;t know. Unnecessry? From what I can tell
KFG- The plan is to take W. Kansas water , make electricity and sell it to Colorado, take the money and hire Haliburton to make a big ass lake out of nothing for W. Kansas and everybody lives happily ever after! ??
Oh and LJ? While I agree that every legislator’s priority should be their district, they cant ignore what goes on in the rest of the state. Otherwise we are just in tribal war, with your tribe beating up my tribe, and vice versa.
And she is a powerful committee chair. The ENVIRONMENTAL committee.
Oh but her hands are clean on coal? Hehehehehhehehe.
Exactly what did her freakin’ chairmanship accomplish for the environment?
(crickets chirping)
Hee heeeeeeeee gster!
Maybe they could fill the lake with instant powdered water?
Just add… coal?
Neufeld must be a pathological liar. In an attack on Brmeby published in the Eagle he claimed that the supposed microalgae pilot plant would “have rendered the expansion nearly carbon-neutral.” That claim was a lie and he knew it when he made it. So it comes as absolutely no surprise that he continues to lie.
ksfarmgrrl–
I wasn’t arguing with you. ANd Yeah, if her committee assignment is one such as environment, she needs to approach THAT job as one for the entire state. I was just wondering in general.
There is always a tension, between politicans and other politicians, and politicians and their constituents, on whom they serve. Just like the pork kings in the federal congress, they are bringing home the bacon to their district, which is what gets them reelected. Unfortunately, add them all together, and there is a burden on us all. It is interesting sometimes to watch them try and balance the two concepts
I didnt think you were arguing with me. It’s a good point. But ya know, when it comes to water, the STATE owns ALL the water in Kansas. Not any one district, town, or ethanol plant.
WATER stewardship is a statewide issue. Water knows no political boundries. It just flows.
Or not.
I agree. When it comes to the environment, we all have a stake, and that politicians have to take a look at the whole picture. At the same time, they get caught up in being seen as bringing money to their district. Most politicians are numbskulls. Show them where the amount of water used is less than 4 tenths of one percent of the water used, and that it will increase dollars (or at least perceived to bring dolalrs) and most will say
“what’s the problem?”
How much water is stored in a water meter and the pipes that feed into it? :)
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[...] WE Blog | The Wichita Eagle Editorial Department Blog wrote an interesting post today on Neufeld still telling tales about air permitsHere’s a quick excerptNeufeld still telling tales about air permits 8 minutes ago House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls, keeps discrediting himself in his push to expand a coal-fired power plant near Holcomb. He repeated to Wichita Independent Business Association members this week a falsehood about how developers of a proposed oil refinery “were told they’d never get a permit” in Kansas, and that “they’re looking at South Dakota now.” The Dallas-based company announced last June that South Dakota was the finali [...]