As climate changes, activists struggle for Kansas' attention

[Judi Lynn]

John Hanna, Ap Political Writer
Updated 5:29 pm CST, Thursday, February 20, 2020

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Environmentalists are struggling to get lawmakers to even discuss climate change as a serious issue in Kansas, where some leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature question the widespread scientific consensus that human activity is dangerously warming the planet.

States such as Virginia, Minnesota and California are pursuing goals for eventually getting all of their electricity from renewable resources. But Kansas proposals aimed at reducing electricity use, making state office space more energy efficient and encouraging farmers to capture and store greenhouse gases have languished without committee hearings.

Environmentalists had to schedule their own climate change hearing earlier this month outside of lawmakers' regular meetings. Even more galling for them, a House committee's first foray Thursday into environmental policy was a hearing on a business-backed measure to bar cities and counties from banning single-use plastic bags or straws.

Some Republicans worry about the costs of pursuing initiatives for consumers, farmers and businesses, questioning whether Kansas could effectively lessen the problem. But some of them doubt it's a problem compelling enough to address and express opinions at odds with most scientists' views.

More:
https://www.chron.com/news/us/article/As-climate-changes-activists-struggle-for-15071353.php

[SWBTATTReg]

1. Am surprised at this denying the reality of the situation in KS. Look around, there are ...

literally hundreds and hundreds of windmills everywhere, and power is being generated in a variety of different ways (solar, better use of animal refuse, etc.). The state is number 2 in the country so far in generating power from wind (or on its way), behind the state of TX.

Are these politicians not seeing the light or windmills when they go driving down the highway? Reducing energy use seems to be the reverse of what everyone is doing. With the arrival of more and more technically driven devices supporting the Computer age, all requiring energy, this reduction in energy use initiatives by the KS politicians seems to be contrary, being that everyone cuts their own energy use so they won't have higher energy bills, and devices are getting smarter in energy use too.

[Maxheader]

2. They will quote the party line..

With one foot in the grave...