This Kansas House resolution formally acknowledges the 40th anniversary of operations at the Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station in Burlington. The document highlights the plant's role in providing a significant portion of the state's electricity and emission-free power to over 800,000 homes. It also notes the facility's economic contributions, including its safety record and financial impact on local communities. As a commemorative measure, the bill does not alter any laws or policies but serves to recognize the station's service and leadership.
This bill prohibits the development or operation of new large load data centers in Kansas counties that have experienced a drought emergency within the last three years. It directly affects county governments, which would be required to deny applications for such facilities during the three-year period following a drought declaration. The law defines a large load data center as a facility with a monthly electrical demand of 10 megawatts or more and allows counties to issue moratoriums on these projects until the three-year period ends. Existing data centers authorized or permitted before July 1, 2026, are exempt from these restrictions, and the bill does not prevent local governments from adopting even stricter land use regulations.
This bill introduces two new taxes on large wind farms and solar facilities in Kansas, targeting those with a capacity of at least 5,000 kilowatts. The first tax is a $4 annual fee per kilowatt of capacity, while the second is a $0.001 per kilowatt-hour tax on electricity produced, both payable by the year 2027. Revenue from these taxes will be placed in a new state fund designated for property tax relief, which will then be transferred to support school district financing. The legislation also amends existing school tax laws to allow for a reduction in the statewide property tax levy for schools using these funds.
HB 2693 regulates how swine waste is applied to agricultural land in Kansas. It prohibits certain application methods (like high-pressure nozzles) and requires low-pressure nozzles under three feet, contour buffer strips on slopes ≥3%, and specific setbacks from homes, roads, parks, and wildlife refuges. The bill mandates that swine facilities with 1,000+ animal units submit detailed nutrient utilization plans - including soil tests, crop rotations, and application rates - to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment for approval. These plans must be updated as needed and include measures to prevent odor or nuisance conditions for nearby residents. The law directly affects large swine operations and aims to manage waste application to protect land, water, and community health.
HB 2775 creates a three-year exemption from Kansas' 8% severance tax for all new oil and gas wells. This directly affects operators who drill new wells by eliminating their initial tax burden on production. The exemption applies to the standard 8% tax rate on the gross value of oil or gas produced, covering all new wells regardless of size or location during their first three years of operation. It amends existing tax law (K.S.A. 79-4217) to add this temporary relief for new well operators.
HB 2674, the PFAS Protection Act, prohibits the sale in Kansas of certain consumer products containing intentionally added PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), including carpets, cookware, cosmetics, feminine hygiene products, firefighting foam, and children's items. It directly affects manufacturers and sellers of these products within Kansas by banning PFAS in their formulations and requiring them to disclose PFAS content and conduct product testing. Key mechanisms include a statewide prohibition on intentionally added PFAS in covered products, mandatory disclosure of PFAS information to the Department of Health and Environment, and testing requirements for products sold in the state. The bill excludes medical devices, federally regulated products, and used items, focusing on everyday consumer goods where PFAS are deliberately added for function.
SB 449, the Clean Air Preservation Act, prohibits conducting polluting atmospheric experiments in Kansas, including solar radiation modification, geoengineering, weather modification, cloud seeding, and other interventions releasing pollutants. It directly affects any entity - such as government agencies, corporations, or research organizations - conducting these activities within the state. The bill creates criminal penalties for violations, repeals prior weather modification laws, and requires law enforcement to enforce the ban through investigation and interdiction of prohibited activities. Key provisions define prohibited "atmospheric activities" as any pollutant-releasing experiments harming health, environment, or agriculture, including methods like chaff dispersal or aerosol injection.
SB 473 authorizes the state historical society to transfer approximately 30 acres of land in Wabaunsee County to Audubon of Kansas without payment. The bill requires any related deeds to be reviewed and approved by the state historical society before finalizing the transfer, and prohibits Audubon from reselling the property. It includes a condition that if the land is not used for public recreation by July 1, 2026, or if Audubon ceases operations, the property reverts to the state historical society. This bill directly affects Audubon of Kansas (the recipient) and the state historical society (the reviewer and potential reverter).
HB 2669 prevents homeowner associations (HOAs) in Kansas from banning rooftop solar panels on individual units. It directly affects unit owners who want to install solar systems, ensuring associations cannot restrict or prohibit such installations. Associations may set reasonable placement rules, but these cannot block installation, harm system function, limit usage, or increase costs or reduce efficiency. The law does not apply to shared common areas like hallways or pools. This bill updates Kansas’ housing laws to support solar adoption while allowing limited, non-discriminatory HOA oversight.
HB 2636 regulates large-scale industrial energy facilities in Kansas, including wind, solar, and battery storage systems with a capacity of one megawatt or more. It requires facility owners to register with the State Corporation Commission (SCC), obtain SCC permits before new construction or expansion, and submit detailed decommissioning plans with financial assurance. The bill shifts permitting authority from county commissions (which can initially approve or deny projects) to the SCC for final approval, while establishing minimum setback distances and requiring agricultural mitigation protocols. It directly affects energy developers, facility owners, and landowners near proposed sites, particularly through the new protest process for county permitting decisions. The law aims to standardize oversight of these facilities’ full lifecycle, from construction to decommissioning, to address statewide environmental and land-use concerns.
