KCA members hear from their legislators at annual meeting

By Doug Rich

The Kansas Cattlemen's Association (KCA) hosted a panel of Kansas legislators during their annual meeting Jan. 26 in Hutchinson. The discussion ranged from bureaucratic blunders to prairie dogs as the legislators outlined issues that might come before them this year.

"I call this the year of the bureaucrat," Senator Terry Bruce from Hutchinson said. "This year we have seen a bureaucrat deny a permit for a coal fired electric generation plant in Holcomb. This year we have the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) issue an opinion that if taken to its logical conclusion will mean that farmers who take a load of grain to the elevator are the first leg of interstate commerce. We also have an opinion by the Kansas Department of Revenue that guided and unguided hunting excursions are required to pay sales tax."

Bruce said he hopes there will be bills introduced this year to correct these rulings, which he described as absurd.

Nearly all of the legislators on the panel put the permit for the coal fired plant in western Kansas at the top of their list along with a variety of water related issues. In addition to Bruce, the panel included Representatives John Faber-Brewster, Larry Powell-Garden City, Mark R. Treaster-Pretty Prairie, and Steve Lukert-Sabetha.

"The coal fired plant denied a permit by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) is an issue that I think we will be able to get solved this year," Rep. John Faber said.

"There are a lot of old coal fired plants in the eastern part of the state," Faber said. "By building this new cleaner plant we could probably shut down some of the dirtier plants in the eastern part of the state and really save some pollution."

Water issues were also discussed, including the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), and intensive groundwater use areas, both of which will affect irrigation along the Arkansas River and the Upper Republican.

"What they want to do is drawback all the irrigation wells in some areas rather than go by current law which says, first in time-first in rights," Rep. Faber said.

"We are really competing with the eastern part of the state," Faber said. "They want to see the rivers flowing and we want to be able to use the irrigation wells in the western part of the state."

Rep. Larry Powell said the House of Representatives did not like the CREP program last year, but slipped it in during negotiation on the omnibus budget.

"We had a study that showed it would cost Finney County $75 million," Powell said. "There were 40,000 acres over two years in the bill last year. The federal government would only agree to 20,000 because of the timeline. It is back up again this year and they want to redo it."

Rep. Steve Lukert-Sabetha, said his priority item is to assure that the biodiesel and ethanol industries continue to grow and develop in the state. Although he is primarily a grain and hay producer, he understands the discomfort that $4.50 and $5 corn causes the livestock producers.

"I believe that ethanol and biodiesel are directly tied to the future of agriculture," Lukert said. "One thing I know--it is nice not to have to depend on government subsidies to survive. I look forward to the day that we can eliminate government subsidies all together for agriculture."

Lukert said he thinks livestock producers will adjust to the high price of corn and find a way to be profitable.

"The American public adjusted to $3 a gallon gas price and they will adjust to the higher cost of beef," Lukert said.

A graduated driver's license and rural opportunity zones are two issues that Rep. Mark R. Treaster from Pretty Prairie would like to see resolved this year.

"We are working on a graduated driver's license which would raise the age when teenagers could get a drivers license. I think it is a good thing because it will save some young people's lives."

Treaster said a similar bill came up two years ago but he was against it at the time because it is did not include a farm permit. The new bill, which passed the Senate last year, includes the farm permit.

Treaster said he would like to get some changes in the tax credits for job creation made this year.

"Right now there are tax credits for existing businesses and for new businesses that create jobs." Treaster said. "The problem for rural areas is that the threshold for getting those credits is 20 jobs. In rural areas we don't see too many businesses coming in that create that many jobs. The new bill will focus on counties with less than 50,000 people and the threshold for those areas would be two jobs."

"Treaster told the KCA members that if it did not help them personally, hopefully, it would help the area where they live.

Rep. Faber told the KCA members attending the annual meeting that the state will go through reapportionment in 2010 and the balance of rural and urban legislators will be changed.

"We will no longer have a majority in either the House or the Senate," Faber said. "We will have urban folk telling rural people how to do their business."

As an example, Faber referred to the issue of prairie dog control. Faber said a bill has already been introduced that would allow people to have prairie dogs on their property.

"They might decide that the only thing we can poison a prairie dog with is lead," Faber said. "As you know that takes a lot of man hours."

Faber said a possible solution might be to allow folks to have prairie dogs on their property if they would be responsible for damage to adjacent property. He asked for feedback from rural areas and suggested this might be the time to do something with the bill while rural votes are still available in the legislature.

Doug Rich can be reached by phone at 785-749-5304 or by e-mail at richhpj@aol.com.

2/4/08
1 Star WK\20-B

Date: 1/31/08

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