Energy + Environment
Biden says ‘big chunks’ of his spending bill could still succeed, including climate plan
President Joe Biden said Wednesday the climate and child care provisions in his domestic spending agenda could still become law this year, even as the larger plan has stalled in the Senate over other items that Biden conceded may not pass — such as an expanded child tax credit. In a nearly two-hour news conference, […]
Forest Service in ‘paradigm shift’ to use logging, controlled burns to prevent wildfires
The Biden administration will announce Tuesday it is using $3 billion from last year’s infrastructure law to revamp the federal approach to wildfire management, introducing a 10-year plan to deal with the large swaths of the West scientists consider most at risk of destructive blazes. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a former Iowa governor, is scheduled […]
Bill would block Missouri cities, counties from enacting EV charging station mandate
A Republican lawmaker is seeking to undercut efforts by officials in the St. Louis area to build more electric vehicle charging infrastructure in preparation for the move away from gasoline-burning cars. Both St. Louis and St. Louis County passed ordinances last year requiring businesses to prepare for electric vehicle charging. The city’s ordinance also has […]
December 2021 was the warmest on record in Missouri and Kansas — by a long shot
Kansas and Missouri logged their warmest average December temperatures on record last month, according to data released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Average temperatures over the last half of 2021 were higher than they’ve ever been in either state — and across the country. Meanwhile, despite a devastating cold snap that forced power outages […]
EPA denies extension for Ameren to stop dumping coal ash, gypsum at two power plants
Ameren Missouri must stop dumping waste from two of its coal-fired power plants into nearby pits following a federal crackdown on coal ash that denied the electric utility an extension to comply with new regulations. The move could force the utility to retire at least one of the facilities years ahead of schedule. The Environmental […]
Evergy announces plan for large solar farm near coal plant in Kansas City
Evergy will build a 10-megawatt solar farm near its coal-fired power plant in northeast Kansas City, the company announced on Wednesday. The electric utility serves 1.6 million customers in Kansas and Missouri. Half of the energy produced at the solar farm will go to serve that entire base. The other half will be reserved for […]
Joe Biden debuts $1 billion meatpacking competition plan
President Joe Biden unveiled plans Monday to allocate $1 billion in federal money to increasing competition in the meatpacking industry. “Without meaningful competition, farmers and ranchers don’t get to choose who they sell to,” Biden said. “Put another way, our farmers and ranchers have to pay whatever these four big companies say they have to […]
Some Democrats push to rescue climate plan in Biden spending package
A group of congressional Democrats on Tuesday called for preserving the climate portions of President Joe Biden’s stalled domestic spending bill as Democrats in the U.S. Senate rewrite the measure. U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Tina Smith of Minnesota and John Hickenlooper of Colorado, along with Reps. Kathy Castor […]
Couple creates food hub in southwest Missouri to help families during ‘difficult times’
Anita and Gary Burney moved to Back Acres Homestead — or as they jokingly call it, “Back Ache-rs’ Homestead” — in southwestern Missouri three years ago to find a quieter life. Just a few miles from both the Arkansas and Oklahoma borders, the Burneys’ homestead features a lovely stone house, chickens roaming, a garden, some […]
To protect water, University of Missouri professors recommend tighter regulation of runoff
More than 190 segments of Missouri rivers, streams and lakes are impaired because of pollution from crop fertilizer, livestock waste and urban runoff. And without action, two University of Missouri professors say, more drinking water utilities might have to spend considerable sums to keep their water supplies healthy, raising rates for customers. The professors — […]
Missouri bill would require schools to filter drinking fountains for lead
Thousands of Missouri school buildings are likely not testing their water for lead. A Missouri House bill would require them to start filtering. Lead is a dangerous neurotoxin. Medical professionals say there is no safe amount of lead for children to inhale or consume. But Missouri residents drink water supplied by lead pipes at rates […]
Grain Belt Express takes first resistant Missouri landowner to court
A $2 billion wind energy project spanning the length of northern Missouri is for the first time asking a judge to force a resistant landowner to sell the company an easement on their land. Grain Belt Express, a proposed high-voltage transmission line that would carry 4,000 megawatts of renewable energy from Western Kansas to Indiana, […]