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24 Jan

Posted at 15:38h in Advocacy
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2022 Legislative Session, Week 2 This week, the Legislature worked through bills and hearings, even while many legislators were absent due to positive COVID tests. The Senate passed a few bills of high importance, as the House also began initial committee work. Here are some of the highlights of the week. Redistricting Aside from passing a budget one of the main objectives of the 2022 session will be adopting new maps and boundaries for the legislature, statewide elected seats, state school board, and our state Congressional districts. On Friday, the Senate passed Sub...

19 Jan

Posted at 21:37h in Industry News
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On January 17, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a "Frequently Asked Questions" resource on the Biofuel Producer Program. This resource outlines helpful information for those applying for relief, including: Eligibility Information Application Development Payment Information USDA announced on December 8, 2021 the agency is now making available $700 million in direct payments to biofuel producers adversely impacted by the health pandemic. These funds were authorized through the COVID relief legislation which was signed into law in late 2020. The program application is open through February 11, 2022. VIEW FAQs...

17 Jan

Posted at 15:38h in Advocacy
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2022 Legislative Session Commences The Kansas legislature gaveled in on Monday, January 10, 2022, and your Association’s government affairs staff was at the capitol monitoring and weighing in on bills affecting our industry. It was a busy week in Topeka which saw hearings on various tax issues related to wildfires in the state and Governor Laura Kelly’s State of the State address. Key issues this session will include reapportionment and redistricting following the 2020 census, a Senate vote on the “Value Them Both” constitutional amendment question on abortion, possible legalization of medical...

04 Jan

Posted at 20:12h in Industry News, Regulatory
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EPA is hosting a virtual public workshop on biofuel greenhouse gas (GHG) modeling February 28 - March 1, 2022. This is a virtual meeting and open to the public. The purpose of this workshop is to solicit information on the current scientific understanding of greenhouse gas modeling of land-based crop biofuels used in the transportation sector. The meeting is being conducted by EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) in consultation with the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Energy. The information gathered as part of this workshop will be...

19 Dec

Posted at 21:02h in Industry News, Regulatory
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Late on Friday, December 17, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a split decision removing the stay on OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for large employers. The ETS requires covered employees to be vaccinated or wear a protective face covering and test weekly. The ETS was published in the Federal Register on November 5, 2021, and then immediately challenged in federal court by dozens of states and other plaintiffs. The very next day, a stay was issued on the emergency standard by the U.S. Court...

07 Dec

Posted at 17:08h in Industry News, Regulatory
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This summer, Renew Kansas Biofuels Association joined with Kansas Corn, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) and Fuel True in requesting intervention in a matter before the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) in which Evergy proposed to increase utility rates in order to recover future costs associated with the large-scale installation of electric vehicle charging stations. Renew Kanas joined a petition to intervene where it asked KCC to deny Evergy’s proposed rate increase to pay for EV charging stations. On December 6, KCC issued an Order denying Evergy’s proposed rate increase. This...

23 Nov

Posted at 16:13h in Advocacy
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In a one-day historic Special Session yesterday brought by legislative petition, the Kansas legislature passed House Bill 2001. The Special Session was called following legislative hearings where over a hundred people testified to a special committee on the negative affects the COVID-19 mandate would have on their employment status. The bill was championed by both House and Senate leadership and was the sole purpose for the Special Session. The Senate passed the bill 24-11 and the House passed it by a vote of 77-34. Your association joined others in the business community...

12 Nov

Posted at 14:17h in Industry News
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The Kansas Department of Transportation is committed to keeping the highways cleared whenever inclement weather impacts the state. In line with workforce shortages across the nation, KDOT does not have enough equipment operators – the agency’s primary snowplow operators – in a number of areas across Kansas. These shortages create the potential for highways to not be cleared of snow and ice as quickly as in the past. The agency has dealt with reduced staffing in the past, but the shortages are greater this year. KDOT is about 30% short of snowplow operators...

04 Nov

Posted at 13:39h in Industry News, Regulatory
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On Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021, President Joe Biden released details of the administration's long-rumored COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The mandate includes two newly-released policies and updates the previously announced federal contractor/employee rule: Vaccine requirement for employers with 100 or more employees Vaccine requirement for health care workers New timeline for federal contractors/employees of vaccination by Jan. 4, 2022. OSHA) is announcing the details of a requirement for employers with 100 or more employees to ensure each of their workers is fully vaccinated or tests for COVID-19 on at least a weekly basis. The...

21 Oct

Posted at 16:28h in Industry News, Regulatory
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The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) is seeking volunteers to participate in a road usage charge (RUC) study. The study will focus on identifying how a RUC system that reflects unique Midwestern needs could help fund transportation investments. The study is being supported by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and coordinated with the Minnesota DOT to expand the pilot’s reach. This study is a only a test-run – not implementation. What is RUC? A road usage charge, or RUC, is a policy whereby drivers pay to use the road based on miles driven....

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