1/13/2008

By DUANE SCHRAG

Salina Journal

Until a few months ago, Sen. Pete Brungardt was expecting health care to dominate the 2008 legislative session.

"Now, I think it will be energy and the Holcomb plant issue in particular," said Brungardt, R-Salina. In mid-October, Rod Bremby, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, turned down an air quality permit that had been requested for the construction of two 700-megawatt, coal-fired power plants at Holcomb.

Bremby based his decision on concerns over carbon dioxide emissions, which have been linked to global warming and accelerated climate change. Critics point out that carbon dioxide is not regulated, either at the state or federal levels.

"I don't think Kansas should be the guinea pig on this," said Sen. Ralph Ostmeyer, R-Grinnell. "I think he should have allowed it."

Although Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has said she left the decision entirely up to Bremby, she went from promising support for the power plants two years ago to saying this fall that she opposed them.

"The capacity for retribution is tremendous here," Brungardt said. Many in western Kansas -- residents as well as legislators -- thought the plant expansion would give the region's economy a crucial shot in the arm. "They think it's a betrayal that serves the governor's national reputation."

Rep. Josh Svaty, D-Ellsworth, is braced for considerable rancor.

"We have a speaker (House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls) who has promised to derail the session if he doesn't get his way," Svaty said.

Legislators were unsure what the fallout will be.

"There's probably enough votes to pass some sort of legislation that would override Secretary Bremby's decision," said Rep. Charlie Roth, R-Salina. But he doubted there would be the votes to override a veto.

"I hear rumblings that there's a compromise in the works," Roth said. "I hope that's the case."

He said that one positive aspect of the controversy is that it has brought energy policy to center stage.

"I don't know how it will turn out, but we sure need to debate it in an open and forthright manner," he said. "It seems to me to let the secretary of KDHE decide our energy policy is kind of a crazy idea."

Rep. Deena Horst, R-Salina, thought Bremby could have explored alternatives.

"It may have been acted on a little too hastily," Horst said.

Rep. Tom Moxley, R-Council Grove, said that concern over the carbon dioxide emissions is a generational issue that will be addressed gradually.

"I'm not prepared to say what should be done just yet," he said. "We don't know that greenhouse gases damage the planet, but do we want to take that chance?"

Moxley saw irony in the fact that older, less efficient coal-fired power plants continue to operate in Kansas.

"How do you turn down what will be the cleanest coal-fired plant built, ever, and then justify not doing something with existing plants?" he asked.

Health care a focus, too?

Several legislators expect health issues to get a lot of attention.

"We've talked about health care for the last seven years and have made very little movement," Ostmeyer said. "Somehow we need to control the cost of health care going up."

He said that rural hospitals are finding it increasingly difficult to survive.

"They're struggling to keep their doors open," he said. "Without our hospitals out here, what's going to keep western Kansas alive?"

Rep. Elaine Bowers, R-Concordia, said small businesses are having a particularly hard time providing health insurance for employees.

"Maybe if it was an open market there might be more choices," she said.

Roth said there has been talk of raising the cigarette tax by at least 50 cents a pack, and possibly a statewide smoking ban.

"I doubt that the [new cigarette tax] can get much traction but I would vote for it," he said. "And I would vote for a statewide smoking ban."

He's not surprised by the slow pace of health care reform.

"We're not making much progress on it because it's a tough issue," he said. "If the solution were simple, it would have been done a long time ago."

Another budget battle

Another difficult issue will be the budget.

"I hear that if we just add up the things we're already obliged for, we are already at 4 percent over last year's spending," he said. Some groups are already lobbying for the Legislature to hold spending to no more than a 3 percent increase.

This comes amid signs the economy may be flagging.

"The part I don't relish is if the economy starts to turn down, then all of a sudden we're going to have a revenue shortfall," Roth said.

Meanwhile there are several big-ticket items demanding attention. For one thing, the state's retirement plan is underfunded, Roth said.

And the state's 10-year transportation plan ends in 2009. The Kansas Department of Transportation has been holding meetings around the state to say that for the next decade it will need $2 billion a year -- twice what it receives now.

"I think transportation is going to have to come up with some more efficient ways of doing things," Ostmeyer said of the department. "I'm concerned that we're spending a lot of money on highways and we're not getting longevity out of them."

More money for schools?

Education may need new money in the near future also.

"I think we will talk some about increasing the amount of money schools will receive," Horst said. She was unsure where the additional money would come from.

"We are facing a major, major teacher shortage," Svaty said. "It all comes back to what the budget looks like. Teaching is no different than any other profession: you aren't going to do it for free."

Immigration, abortions

Immigration is expected to be another topic in the next session. Roth said there has to be a solution that is more nuanced than shipping everyone out who doesn't have papers.

"I think that's dangerous to our economy," Roth said. "What do we do with the children who were born here and are citizens?"

But the problem really needs to be addressed at the federal level, he said.

"We need a comprehensive policy that includes how to deal with the 10 to 12 million immigrants we have in our country currently," Roth said.

Brungardt said legislation on late-term abortions is likely.

"A lot of wedge issues come up at election time," he said.

n Reporter Duane Schrag can be reached at 822-1422 or by e-mail at dschrag@salina.com.

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