2/20/2008
SARAH KESSINGER

TOPEKA — A six-member House-Senate conference committee could start work Friday on a final bill to facilitate a permit for Sunflower Electric Power Corp. to build twin coal-fired electricity plants.

House Utilities Chairman Carl Holmes, R-Liberal, was in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday and unavailable to confirm the time of the committee’s first meeting.

The Kansas Senate placed the Sunflower bill in conference on Wednesday after it was passed by the House on Tuesday. Senate leaders appointed Sens. Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, Pat Apple, R-Louisburg, and Janis Lee, D-Kensington, to the negotiating team.

Another version of the bill, passed earlier by the Senate, has already been placed in conference committee by House leaders. Members on the panel are Holmes, Rep. Rob Olson, R-Olathe, and Rep. Annie Kuether, D-Topeka.

The two teams could combine the bills into a final version or just work on one and leave the other pending for possible use later in the session.

For more on this story, see Thursday's Salina Journal.