| Utilities panel to talk nukes |
| The Senate Utilities Committee will hear from a Kansas State University professor next week about nuclear energy as a viable option for generating electric power, Chairman Jay Emler said Friday. ''If we (are) seriously not going to think about coal, then we need to start seriously thinking about alternatives,'' said the Lindsborg Republican. |
| Coal bill gets support from Salina legislators |
| The question no longer is whether a new coal plant will be built in Holcomb, but how big it will be, said Rep. Charlie Roth. On Thursday, the Senate approved a bill that would clear the way for construction of a plant with two 700 MW units. Sens. Pete Brungardt, R-Salina, and Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, were among those voting in favor of the bill. The most positive thing about the bill is that it "returns us to the rule of law instead of the rule of whim," said Emler. |
| Kansas Senate Utilities Committee to hear about nuclear power |
| The Senate Utilities Committee will hear from a Kansas State University professor next week about nuclear energy as a viable option for generating electric power.Committee Chairman Jay Emler said the meeting Thursday is to generate discussion about nuclear power. The state has one nuclear power plant near Burlington. |
| Committee tinkers with bill - Senate panel OKs power plant expansion |
| The Senate Utilities Committee on Monday passed a bill allowing expansion of a coal-fired power plant in western Kansas but not before stripping limits on carbon dioxide emissions and other conservation provisions. Senate and House committees are simultaneously working on the energy legislation. The Senate version will now head to the full chamber for debate. The finale of the discussion couldn't come fast enough for Sen. Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg. "This seems to be dragging down everybody," said Emler, the committee chairman. "Tempers are short about it." |
| Coal-plant bill altered, passed |
| The Senate Utilities Committee today passed a stripped-down energy bill allowing expansion of a coal-fired power plant in western Kansas but removing proposed regulations on carbon dioxide emissions. The committee’s action sends the measure to the Senate floor for debate. Sen. Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, and chairman of the committee said Gov. Kathleen Sebelius was sure to veto the bill, but he wasn’t certain if either chamber of the Legislature would have the votes to override the governor. |
| Coal-fired plants advance in Senate |
| The Kansas Senate on Wednesday gave preliminary approval to a bill that essentially would require the state to approve two 700-megawatt coal-burning power plants in southwest Kansas. After more than three hours of debate, the Senate advanced the measure on a voice vote to set up a final vote today. The bill is expected to pass. |
| Coal plant bill advances; Senate plans roll call vote |
| With charged debate but few substantive changes, a controversial energy bill received tentative approval Wednesday night from the Kansas Senate. The action is the first step of many to come on what one senator called the issue of the year. The Senate will take final action today. "We cannot let a bureaucrat override 166 people!" said Sen. Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, referring to the number of legislators in the Statehouse. |
| Coal bill returns, advances in Senate |
| Legislation to allow the expansion of a Western Kansas coal plant cleared a legislative hurdle this morning after lawmakers eliminated controversial curbs on carbon emissions. Sen. Jay Emler, a Lindsborg Republican and chairman of the Senate Committee, said it was important to him and the other authors of the bill that the regulatory process be corrected. Sunflower’s expansion met all state and federal environmental rules but was still rejected. |
| Senate committee reworks coal-fired plants bill |
| A Senate committee endorsed an energy bill Monday that would allow two-coal power plants in southwest Kansas after stripping out what would have been the state’s first limits on carbon dioxide emissions. The Utilities Committee’s 6-2 vote sent the measure to the Senate for debate, probably later this week. |
| Endorsement for Coal Plants in Kansas |
| The Senate Utilities Committee has endorsed a bill allowing two coal-fired power plants in the state. But it also stripped out proposed rules on carbon dioxide emissions. Committee members Monday said the CO2 rules -- and a proposed carbon tax for non-complying utilities -- would have prevented the bill's passage. In its new form, it appears almost certain that Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will veto the bill. |
| House, Senate debate power plant expansion |
| Tensions rose Thursday during the final day of hearings on a bill allowing expansion of a coal-fired power plant in southwest Kansas. The House committee could take action on the bill today, while the Senate committee won't act until early next week.
Senate Utilities Committee Chairman Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg said the bill received four days of hearings instead of the normal one day. It was "preposterous" to suggest the proposal was being rushed through, he said. |
| Bill would allow coal plants, with restrictions |
| Supporters of two coal-burning power plants in western Kansas introduced legislation Wednesday that would require the state to approve construction of the plants while imposing limits on carbon dioxide emissions. “There is no legislation like this in the United States. This is groundbreaking legislation,” said state Sen. Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg. |
| Kansans might face lifestyle changes |
| Kansas' energy problems cannot be solved by simply finding new energy sources to replace the old ones. "It's difficult to get very far that way," said Jerry Glover, one of three panelists who discussed and fielded questions on energy policy at Bethany College. Joining him on stage were Sen. Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, and Rep. Josh Svaty, D-Ellsworth. Emler, one of the critics of Bremby's decision, said that Kansas needs a comprehensive energy policy, and that it should take into account greenhouse gas emissions. |
| Energy council stuck in neutral |
| Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' administration sent shock waves through the nation by blocking a massive coal-fired power plant expansion in southwest Kansas. The action was without precedent in state history. CO2 has never been on the list of emissions regulated by Kansas or the federal government.Senate Utilities Chairman Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, said it would be a waste of time to seek legislative approval of a resolution urging congressional action on global warming. It would never pass the House or Senate, he said. (Full story...) |
| Saving energy not a turn-on |
| The 2008 Legislature will be asked to address a bill in January that mandates construction of efficient state-financed buildings — including public schools and universities. "Government needs to step up and lead by example," said Sen. Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, chairman of the Senate Utilities Committee and a member of the interim energy panel. (Full story...) |
| Legislators ignore research about climate |
| Sen. Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, chairman of the Senate Utilities Committee, wishes that people calling for a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions would acknowledge that carbon dioxide is necessary to sustain life on Earth. "The people that are opposed to the CO2 never talk about that aspect of it," Emler said. "I have yet to have any of them mention anything about CO2 being necessary for life. All they focus on is there's too much CO2." (Full story...) |
| New power lines are still in the works |
| Sen. Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, who is chairman of the Senate Utilities Committee and a member of the Kansas Electric Transmission Authority board, was asked about the future of new transmission in light of the denial of a permit for new coal plants at Holcomb. "Unless the public, through taxes, wants to pick up the tab to build what then become strictly economic projects, I would doubt seriously that KETA will build them," Emler said. "And KETA would be the entity of last resort because no utility company or transmission company would build them." (Full story...) |
| Panel pulls site’s paper on global warming |
| A state energy panel Friday decided to remove from its Web site a background paper on global warming. The 13-12 vote by the Kansas Energy Council (KEC) after a confusing discussion was seen by some as evidence that the advisory panel is off track. The KEC also voted to review the recent decision by Sebelius to join a greenhouse gas reduction pact with other Midwestern governors. State Sen. Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, and a critic of the decision to deny the two coal-burning plants, urged the KEC to review the pact, saying “we shouldn’t back off” just because Sebelius has signed the agreement. (Full story...) |
| Panel avoids climate |
| Lawmakers serving on the Electric Generation Review Panel say that determining whether science backs up last month's denial of a permit for Sunflower Electric isn't part of their committee's charge. The six-member committee, which consists solely of project supporters, could help lead an effort to rewrite air-quality rules or draft other legislation designed to overturn the permit denied by Kansas Secretary of Health and Environment Rod Bremby. Panel member and state Sen. Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, said Bremby didn't adequately defend his decision during the panel's Tuesday hearing, in part because he didn't explain what level of CO2 he considered to be dangerous. (Full story...) |
| KDHE head goes before state panel |
| Senate Utilities Chairman Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, questioned evidence that greenhouse gases contribute to global warming Tuesday as he told state regulator Rod Bremby his denial of a power plant permit had no basis in law. But Bremby, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, told lawmakers he expected to work with industry to develop new policy on greenhouse gases. He said during the hearing that his decision to deny a permit for Sunflower Electric was based on a federal court case favoring regulation of carbon dioxide and other evidence that CO2 emissions are contributing to climate change. "I understand there's a school of thought that believes that," Emler responded. "I also understand there's a school of thought that doesn't believe that." (Full story...) |
| KDHE secretary to pursue voluntary CO2 program, not mandate |
| The state’s top environmental regulator told angry legislators Tuesday that his decision to block two coal-fired power plants in southwest Kansas won’t lead to mandates for other businesses to cut their carbon dioxide output. Sen. Jay Emler said Bremby should have pursued voluntary CO2 limits and sought a compromise with Sunflower. “The bottom line is, if you’re thinking along those lines, you ought to have those discussions before you take an action,” said Emler, a Lindsborg Republican and Senate Utilities Committee chairman. (Full story...) |
| Decision on coal plant could bring legal battles |
| Language used to describe the unprecedented decision by Kansas regulators to block expansion of a coal-fired electric generating plant offers a preview of the fight still to be waged. An environmental lawyer viewed as "enthralling"... Gov. Kathleen Sebelius referred to the action by KDHE as commendable, but Republicans presiding in the House and Senate thought "extreme disappointment" and "devastating" more accurately captured the moment...
Sen. Jay Emler, a Lindsborg Republican and chair of the Senate Utilities Committee, said there was nothing improper about shipping electricity out of state to the highest bidder. (Full story...) |
| Attorney general played key role in coal rejection |
| Many Republican legislators blame Gov. Kathleen Sebelius for the denial of a permit for two coal-fired plants in southwest Kansas, but another Democrat, Attorney General Paul Morrison, played an important role. Morrison advised Rod Bremby, secretary of health and environment, that Kansas law allowed him to reject an air-quality permit over potential carbon dioxide emissions. Jay Emler, chairman of the Senate Utilities Committee, questioned whether Morrison's opinion had any influence. Had Bremby followed it, Emler said, the secretary would have had special hearings on CO2 as a pollutant and issued a formal declaration that the greenhouse gas is a hazard, all before announcing his decision on the permit. (Full story...) |
| Permit for plant gets boost |
| The staff at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has recommended approving a permit for a 1,400-megawatt expansion of a coal-fired power plant in southwest Kansas, KDHE Secretary Rod Bremby said Tuesday. With that revelation, Bremby became the man at the center of the controversy surrounding the permit's status. At a Statehouse hearing, Sen. Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, said he heard air-quality workers in the agency had recommended approval. (Full story...) |
| Lawmakers push for coal plant permit |
| A powerful contingent of western Kansas lawmakers, including top Senate and House leaders, pressed state Health and Environment Secretary Rod Bremby Tuesday to issue a permit for Sunflower Electric's two power plants at Holcomb. Bremby, however, told the legislative committee that he was still considering the permit, conceding that his regulatory staff had recommended he approve it. Senate Utilities Chairman Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, grilled Bremby over KDHE's court filings in a lawsuit filed against the agency by environmentalists seeking rejection of the two 700-megawatt plants' permits. (Full story...) |
| Economic impact of coal plants bigger for legislators than KDHE |
| Legislators who support two proposed coal-fired power plants in southwest Kansas view them as crucial to the area’s economic health, but the state’s decision to allow or block the project will rest largely on other issues. “The message is that the Legislature supports this project,” Sen. Jay Emler, a Lindsborg Republican, said during a break in the committee’s meeting. (Full story...) |
| Groups run ad campaign in newspapers against coal plants |
| A coalition of groups opposed to proposed coal-fired electric plants at Holcomb launched a campaign of full-page advertisements in newspapers today.
The ads came out on the same day as the scheduled release of a poll of Kansans on coal plants.The groups launching the ad at a press conference in Topeka on Wednesday said Sunflower's plans to add 1,400 megawatts of coal-fired electricity would saturate the region's power grid, depleting the market for wind." It would be ridiculous to think we would rely on any single source," said Senate Utilities Chairman Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg. |
| KDHE secretary: Staff recommended approval of permit |
| The state’s top environmental regulator acknowledged that his staff has recommended granting an air-quality permit for two proposed coal-fired power plants in southwest Kansas. Sen. Jay Emler, a Lindsborg Republican, said he had heard that department officials who deal with air-quality permits recommended approving Sunflower’s. |
| Attorney General says KDHE can reject coal plants |
| Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ administration has wide latitude to reject a coal-fired electric power project in western Kansas, according to a legal opinion released Friday by Attorney General Paul Morrison. “The bottom line is that politics has held this up for a ridiculously long time,” said Sen. Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, and chairman of the Senate Utilities Committee. |
| Lawmakers consider creating State Guard |
| Lawmakers are considering whether to set up a volunteer State Guard that could be called to active duty during emergencies. “Some of the aspects of that were very positive,” Emler said, noting the recent rash of natural disasters in the state, such as the May tornado that leveled Greensburg in southwest Kansas. “Having a civilian corps out there who could be deployed to a Greensburg or a flood area would be good,” he said. |
| Kansas’ low electric costs come with high emissions price |
| A kilowatt-hour of electricity generated in Kansas costs significantly less than the national average but contributes much more to global warming than power generated in most other states. Three-fourths of the electricity generated in the Sunflower State comes from coal-fired plants, and coal is the go-to fuel for supplying electricity around-the-clock. Senate Utilities Committee Chairman Jay Emler, R. Lindsborg said when it comes to meeting future demand, "We can't do it all with wind." |
| Emissions show Kansas' reliance on coal power |
| Three-fourths of the electricity Kansans use comes from coal-fired generating plants... Because most scientists link CO2 to global warming, such a heavy reliance on coal worries environmentalists.
But coal is king in Kansas, and utilities use it to meet around-the-clock demand because, Emler said, "We don't have a way to regulate when the wind blows." |
| Kansas: State's reliance on coal for power shows in emissions |
| Three-fourths of the electricity Kansans use comes from coal-fired generating plants, and that heavier-than-average reliance on coal helps explain why the state is among the top 10 in carbon dioxide emissions per person. “Folks are probably not willing to go back to the days of the pioneers and have conveniences only periodically,” said Sen. Jay Emler, a Lindsborg attorney who’s chairman of the Senate Utilities Committee. |
| Wilson Chamber Breakfast Features Emler and Svaty |
| Please join us at the next Wilson Chamber of Commerce Business Breakfast on Wednesday, June 6th. Our featured speakers this month are State Senator Jay Emler and State Representative Josh Svaty. Jay and Josh will update us on the legislative session just ended. There will be time for questions.
The Breakfast will be at Made From Scratch in Wilson, Wednesday, June 6, 2007 from 8:00 am - 9:00 am. |
| Legislature passes budget measure |
| After negotiators agreed on additional money for aviation research and keeping a $39.5 million prison expansion program on track, legislators approved the year’s last spending bill today. “This a compromise. That’s what we do,” said Sen. Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, one of the negotiators. “Do we like everything that’s in this compromise? Absolutely not.” |
| Higher spending concludes session |
| The Legislature's purveyors of wisdom and mischief Wednesday adopted the final piece of the state budget before punching tickets for home. "There's something in this bill for everyone of us to hate," said Sen. Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg. "This is a compromise. That's what we do." (Full story...) |
| Budget, renovations dominate discussion |
| Senate debate — prior to adoption Tuesday on a $12.2 billion state budget — sliced into subjects as diverse as the Capitol renovation, cow manure and use of tax dollars to buy liquor. A successful amendment sponsored by Sen. Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, requires any affiliation agreement between The University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., and St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., must be approved by the Kansas Board of Regents. (Full story...) |
| Senate backs hall of fame money |
| The Senate stepped to the plate Tuesday with a blessing for the $1.5 million bailout of the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in Wichita. Sen. Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, said the Hall of Fame was created in 1961 and has received about $400,000 in state funding over the years. "That's less than $9,000 a year, if it had been done on a yearly basis, which it has not," he said. "It is really time that we step up and support this organization." (Full story...) |
| Indy Farm Show |
| (KansasPrairie.net - March 13, 2007) Rep. Josh Svaty and Sen. Jay Emler will talk about this year’s legislative session and other issues... |
| Task force to study state prison system |
| Legislative leaders have put together a task force to be smarter when it comes to the state prison system. The panel will look at ways to reduce the rate of criminals who reoffend once they get out of prison. The chairman of the task force will be Rep. Mike O’Neal, R-Hutchinson, and the vice chairman will be Sen. Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg. |
| House Passes Bill to Encourage Wolf Creek Expansion |
| Senate Utilities Committee Chairman Jay Emler of Lindsborg said the bill needs to be considered, especially if legislators are worried about utilities building new coal-fired generating plants. (Full article...) |
| Planned energy advisory panel supported |
| A bill that would create an energy education and advisory committee drew more support than opposition Wednesday during a committee hearing.
Sen. Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, said he expected recommendations for draft changes to the bill next week and that the committee will likely vote on it the second week in February. (Full story...) |
| Energy panel urged to be forward thinking... |
| A full slate of bills was introduced Tuesday in the session's first meeting of the House Energy and Utilities Committee. Twenty-four bills will top the list for consideration in the 21-member committee. |
| Biofuel growth a cornerstone of plan... |
| ...Kansas Republicans for the most part agreed that wind deserved a higher platform, but some, such as Sen. Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, chairman of the Senate Utilities Committee, said the primary issue was placement of wind farms... |
| State's debt has steadily been rising |
| A graph of the state's debt shows a line that has risen from the $420 million mark in 1992 to about $4 billion in 2005. To monitor that growing number, Kansas should prepare a debt affordability study each year, a public finance expert told the Senate Commerce Committee on Friday. (Full story...) |
| Energy issues will be among driving forces... |
| Wind. Coal. Biodiesel. They are all buzzwords in discussions about the future of energy in Kansas. They are each also bound to play a role in some of the energy decisions made by the 2007 Legislature. |
| Proposals garner support, opposition... |
| The Kansas Energy Council will ask the public to comment this month on two proposals designed to advance conservation and wind power in the state. Formed just a few years ago, the council consists of diverse interests - members come from various public and private sectors - and has always struggled to reach consensus, said Senate Utilities Chairman Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg. |
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