But, I Thought The State Was Going Broke (Topeka: 2015, lease)

[AnywhereElse]

You always hear that there isn't money for this and there isn't money for that. When my younger son was in school, I was complaining to one of my representatives about the lack of services and he mentioned that there just wasn't funding available and I mentioned that they were building an indoor parking garage for themselves in Topeka and it had a very high price tag. He said "Well, I didn't vote for that."

Now, I am hearing we are really in a bind as a state financially and I read this article: New Kansas Statehouse power plant more costly than expected Ah, I get really tired of this and this is one of the most irritating things about Kansas to me, the screwed up priorities.

[Rivertowntalk]

If they can't estimate the state revenues accurately, how would they be able estimate the cost of a power plant accurately? The new estimate won't be right either. It will be 20 million when it is said and done.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by AnywhereElse

You always hear that there isn't money for this and there isn't money for that. When my younger son was in school, I was complaining to one of my representatives about the lack of services and he mentioned that there just wasn't funding available and I mentioned that they were building an indoor parking garage for themselves in Topeka and it had a very high price tag. He said "Well, I didn't vote for that."

Now, I am hearing we are really in a bind as a state financially and I read this article: New Kansas Statehouse power plant more costly than expected Ah, I get really tired of this and this is one of the most irritating things about Kansas to me, the screwed up priorities.

Kansas could easily produce the vast majority of its electricity through renewable sources, but they will be a dollar short and years behind before they ever come to that realization.

[recycled]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

Kansas could easily produce the vast majority of its electricity through renewable sources, but they will be a dollar short and years behind before they ever come to that realization.

Maybe some of the politicians in Kansas are slow to embrace renewable energy, but lots of other people in Kansas are realizing there is some benefit from wind power. The interesting fact is that Kansas generates a higher percentage of its electric power into the grid from wind turbines than all but two other states in the US:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_p..._United_States

That might surprise a lot of people, especially those of us who live in "blue" states, but Kansas is not as big in fossil fuel production as other great plains states like TX, ND, OK. Kansas has no shortage of strong, steady wind blowing across the plains. Kansas has plenty of farm land owners who might welcome a chance to lease some space to wind turbine owners in return for a steady monthly check. For many farmers, that monthly income from wind turbines has kept them out of financial ruin in years where there crop yields are low or commodity prices are low (like now for many crops).

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by recycled

Maybe some of the politicians in Kansas are slow to embrace renewable energy, but lots of other people in Kansas are realizing there is some benefit from wind power. The interesting fact is that Kansas generates a higher percentage of its electric power into the grid from wind turbines than all but two other states in the US:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_p..._United_States

That might surprise a lot of people, especially those of us who live in "blue" states, but Kansas is not as big in fossil fuel production as other great plains states like TX, ND, OK. Kansas has no shortage of strong, steady wind blowing across the plains. Kansas has plenty of farm land owners who might welcome a chance to lease some space to wind turbine owners in return for a steady monthly check. For many farmers, that monthly income from wind turbines has kept them out of financial ruin in years where there crop yields are low or commodity prices are low (like now for many crops).

Yes, I would agree on many of those points, but one of the items that was holding the state back from aggressive wind energy development was a lack of adequate transmission line infrastructure in some rural areas, so development would have to be via the wind energy companies or also subsidized at the state level for some of the construction related costs. I will have to research that a bit more regarding newer updates as I haven't followed it recently. However, Kansas has little at all in common with Texas, regarding energy consumption and population. However, it can easily be a net exporter of energy.

[Rivertowntalk]

I just heard on the radio today that Kansas must reduce carbon output by 23% under new emission laws. It is high because most of our power is from coal. There are tons of windmills now. Not sure where that power is going.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Rivertowntalk

I just heard on the radio today that Kansas must reduce carbon output by 23% under new emission laws. It is high because most of our power is from coal. There are tons of windmills now. Not sure where that power is going.

Well, based on current KWH costs, coal is more expensive than any energy source. Wind and solar are getting cheaper at an even faster rate. Kansas would certainly not need any coal plants in the near future (10+ years) with targeted gains in increased renewable energy, natural gas, and energy efficiency- an item that is generally lagging and should be addressed.

[Mattks]

Originally Posted by AnywhereElse

You always hear that there isn't money for this and there isn't money for that. When my younger son was in school, I was complaining to one of my representatives about the lack of services and he mentioned that there just wasn't funding available and I mentioned that they were building an indoor parking garage for themselves in Topeka and it had a very high price tag. He said "Well, I didn't vote for that."

Now, I am hearing we are really in a bind as a state financially and I read this article: New Kansas Statehouse power plant more costly than expected Ah, I get really tired of this and this is one of the most irritating things about Kansas to me, the screwed up priorities.

The power plant is a backup generator, for the whole capital complex. The current power plant is in the Docking State Office building which is being demolished.
The total cost of the capital complex construction/remodel is quite ridiculous and was hundreds of millions over budget. The worst part is the state spent close to a million a few years ago rebuilding parts of the power plant. The capital did need renovation, but the general contractor screwed the state and the state let it happen.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_Kansas
Kansas has seen a ton of growth in wind production and a couple years ago we reached 20% of total energy being produced by wind. Kansas also exports energy.
I personally hope Kansas continues to produce more wind electricity and I hope we can start to look at nuclear more as well. Kansas did or is in the process of updating and adding more transmission lines as well. We have the capability and the foundation to be a leader in energy production, I just hope the state takes advantage of that.

[AnywhereElse]

I remember some opposition to wind energy, actually quite a bite. It looks though like it is moving forward. A couple of months ago, we saw a truck on the highway loaded with just one blade of a turbine and it was huge. It took awhile for us to even figure out what it was.

I do wonder with these contractors just how many behind the scenes deals go down when they are "awarded".

[Mattks]

There was a lot of opposition to wind energy initially, but I'm pretty sure that is no longer the case.

The general contractor of the Capitol Complex was J.E. Dunn, the owner is a friend of Brownback... so you can imagine how it got "awarded." My fathers construction company has done work with J.E. Dunn in the past, and the owner is a complete jerk/tool. He's supposed to be this great Christian guy, but I heard him cussing and swearing all the time, in general being a complete jerk to his employees and sub-contractors...

I saw this article being shared on facebook the other day, by some fellow Kansan friends (who are not in JOCO) who are likely fed up with how everyone saying Kansas is a failed state and an embarrassment. Now, in my opinion the author paints a brighter picture then whats true, but at the same time, I feel it's more true then the doom and gloom articles and posts I find on here frequently. Since Brownbacks economic policies are incredibly polarizing politically it's going to get extreme opinions on whats happening. I personally feel like it's somewhere in between and while I would argue we would be better off without Brownbacks tax cuts, but it's not going to make us a failed state. In my opinion by this time next year the government will be pretty well off, and hopefully the education budget will be fixed and increased.

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