Latest news with #SenateBill89
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Landry vetoes Senate oversight for his Port of New Orleans board choices
Barges and ships navigate the Mississippi River near Gramercy, Louisiana, on May 1, 2025. (Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator) A bill that attempted to add a layer of legislative oversight to the governor's picks for the Port of New Orleans board was officially sunk Monday with Gov. Landry's veto pen. Senate Bill 89 by Sen. Joseph Bouie, D-New Orleans, would have required the Senate to approve the governor's picks for members of the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans. The measure received unanimous approval from both chambers of the legislature. Currently, the governor has sole authority to choose port board members nominated by a coalition of organizations from Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard Parish. The nominating organizations are made up of university leaders, trade associations and local chambers of commerce. Members of the board serve for five-year terms. Landry cited 'an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy' as grounds for nixing the bill in his veto message, saying the port board selection process was sufficiently rigorous. 'Appointments are locally driven, carefully vetted, and rooted in industry expertise and community representation,' reads Landry's veto message. 'Adding a Senate confirmation requirement would complicate a system that already includes substantial input, oversight, and structure.' The Port Board of Commissioners is made up of four members from New Orleans, three from Jefferson Parish and one from St. Bernard Parish. As the sixth-largest port in the United States, the Port of New Orleans handles shipments of hundreds of cargo types, from consumer goods such as coffee, clothes and food to industrial materials including metals, wood and rubber. A major hub of global commerce, the Port of New Orleans ships more than 74 million tons of goods a year, according to a 2025 U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics report.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Author fights back against lawmakers on the brink of backsliding into major health crisis: 'This is not a partisan issue'
Silas House didn't plan on becoming the face of a fight against water pollution, but when a bill showed up that could weaken protections across his home state, he spoke up. The Kentucky-born author joined other residents and environmental advocates at the edge of the Kentucky River to push back against Senate Bill 89, as reported by Louisville Public Media. The bill, already passed by the state Senate, would change how Kentucky defines "waters of the commonwealth." That shift could mean many small streams, creeks, and even groundwater would lose state-level protection, which is a move that House, along with local residents like Madison Mooney and conservation leaders like Gerry James, say puts people's health and drinking water at risk. "Our creeks and rivers, no matter how small, are all connected. We all live downstream," House said during a press event organized by groups including the Sierra Club, according to Louisville Public Media. Growing up in Eastern Kentucky, House says the creeks near his home were a place to play, explore, and connect with nature. That experience made him value water as part of the "commons" — a shared resource that everyone relies on and has a responsibility to protect. "This bill breaks that code," he said. Under SB 89, water would only be protected if it's considered "navigable" under federal law. But most people in rural areas don't rely on big rivers since they are relying on small streams and private wells. A 2019 report by the U.S. Geological Survey found that about 43 million Americans use private wells for drinking water, which are often more vulnerable to contamination and less strictly regulated than public water systems. And in Kentucky, the risks are real. According to the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, many parts of Eastern and Western Kentucky depend on groundwater, and that water could lose state protections if SB 89 becomes law. Mooney also worries about the cost of cleaning up water once it's polluted. How often do you worry about the quality of your drinking water? Never Sometimes Often Always Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "Water systems in Eastern Kentucky are struggling with aging and out-of-date infrastructure as it is," said Mooney, a Martin County resident who works with local water groups. "Large-scale pollution, which this bill will allow, doesn't only destroy our creeks. It makes drinking water unaffordable for Kentuckians." Those concerns aren't unfounded. A 2024 report from the American Water Works Association found that protecting drinking water at the source is one of the most cost-effective ways to keep water safe, with over 60% of utilities already implementing or working on source water protection plans. "This is not a partisan issue," said fellow speaker Gerry James of the Sierra Club. "It's about the health of our communities." Helping out on issues like this doesn't have to mean taking legal action or showing up at governmental buildings. Local and national groups doing this kind of work often rely on donations to stay active — whether they're fighting pollution, improving access to clean water, or pushing for stronger protections in their communities, as the Sierra Club often does. You can also make an impact by choosing to support brands that are trying to make more eco-conscious choices for the environment. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Significant rollback of Kentucky's regulation of water pollution becomes law
Opponents of Senate Bill 89 gather by the Kentucky River to voice their concerns, March 4, 2025. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Liam Niemeyer) A controversial bill that would significantly roll back Kentucky's ability to regulate water pollution will become law after the GOP-controlled legislature on Thursday overrode its veto by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. Senate Bill 89, sponsored by Sen. Scott Madon, R-Pineville, would considerably narrow the definition of state waters that are regulated by the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet. Madon, with the backing of the Kentucky Coal Association, has touted the bill as a move to relieve industries from housing construction to coal mining of bureaucratic barriers. Environmental groups have lambasted the bill as potentially opening the state's water resources to pollution, threatening the groundwater of hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians who rely on rural public water utilities and private wells. Rebecca Goodman, the secretary of the Energy and Environment Cabinet, had previously said she had 'grave concerns' with the bill. Beshear in his veto message wrote SB 89 by 'failing to protect all water sources' would result in 'pollution, sickness and more dangerous flooding.' Sen. Stephen West, R-Paris, on the Senate floor said he believed changes to the bill made as it advanced through the legislature, after hearing concerns about groundwater pollution, helped improve the legislation. 'We protected our (coal) operators from overreach of the agency, and after listening to constituents, after listening to comments on this floor, provisions to protect groundwater were put back in,' West said. Environmental groups and the cabinet have said the changes made to SB 89 don't go nearly far enough to protect groundwater resources across the state. Democrats opposing the bill referenced a letter from Goodman, the cabinet secretary, who wrote Kentucky would be the only state in the country to cede its authority to regulate water to the federal government. Sen. Robin Webb, D-Grayson, who voted against overriding the veto, said the 'compromise' made to change the bill did not 'go far enough.' 'The origination of this measure arose from agency overreach, but the pendulum now has swung far to the other end,' said Sen. Robin Webb, D-Grayson, who voted. 'I have utilities in my district that rely on groundwater sources. I represent sportsmen and women across this country in the state that have reached out.' Kentucky Waterways Alliance executive director Michael Washburn — in a statement also representing leaders from the Kentucky chapter of the Sierra Club, the Kentucky Resources Council and the Kentucky Conservation Committee — said the legislature sided 'with polluters over Kentucky's people and the industries that rely on clean, safe water.' 'This decision gives coal companies greater freedom to pollute our headwater streams, at the expense of the tens of thousands of homes, farms and businesses that depend on groundwater from private wells in rural Kentucky,' Washburn said. 'To the polluters who championed this bill: we are watching. We have built a resilient, determined coalition — and we are ready to act.'
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Clock ticking in Frankfort: House Democratic leaders say Kentuckians are ‘in the dark'
FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — In a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, House Democratic Caucus leaders rebuked what they called 'an appalling lack of transparency' this legislative session. FOX 56's Bode Brooks reported that it's a crucial week for the state legislature. There are only days left for Kentucky lawmakers to work out their differences on pending legislation before a veto break. Read more of the latest news in politics 'We ask our chairman to really be judicious with what they do, but still, there's going to be some give and take, and there's going to be some things we don't understand the rationale for moving. So, a lot more discussions between us and them and then vice versa, they won't understand the rationale of why we would do something. So, the dialogue between the two chambers has increased, and the movement of the bills have increased,' Sen. President Robert Stivers told FOX 56 on Tuesday. Caucus Whip Lindsey Burke of Lexington provided a look at what this movement looks like. 'Yesterday we saw a 100-page bill with major income tax changes clear committee and the house before the public could even read it online,' she said. 'Last night, there were three rewritten education bills sent to committee members after 8 p.m.' As a result, 'our members barely know what's in these bills, and the public doesn't know at all,' as reportedly some have not been made available to the public. Teen accused of killing 16-year-old in Rambling Creek Drive shooting Cicadas return in 2025: Will Kentucky see them? Clock ticking in Frankfort: House Democratic leaders say Kentuckians are 'in the dark' Burke cited the following examples: House Bill 755 made it through committee and the House on Tuesday 'in a matter of hours' before it was uploaded online. Lawmakers were given 25 minutes to discuss Senate Bill 89; no questions were reportedly taken. House Health Services Committee 'rushed through another rewritten bill negatively affecting reproductive care.' 'Our caucus, staff, and the public need to know what's in these last-minute bills,' Rep. Burke said. 'Only about five percent of this year's expected laws had been sent to Gov. Beshear by Friday, when there were just six working days left this legislative session. That's not how government should work. Our caucus is fighting for greater transparency and for Kentuckians to have the information they need and the voice they deserve.' Rep. Al Gentry suggested that a former procedure, a three-day posting rule, be implemented. 'I think we need to seriously consider going back to that because it gives time for the people to see what is going to committee; give them time to come to committee if they would like to testify even or if they just would like to express their opinion,' Rep. Gentry said. Read more of the latest Kentucky news He affirmed that several Republican members have been open to amending their legislation when necessary, but 'when we rush processes and the public does not know what's coming, people that are getting harmed are not letting us know, and there's no way to fix a bill.' Burke attributed the time crunch to the amount of bills they're seeing this year, calling the quantity 'unprecedented.' Click here to watch the press conference. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Public water supplies gain protection but opponents say bill still puts wells, wetlands at risk
Sen. Scott Madon, R-Pineville, left, tells a House committee he worked with the Louisville Water Co. on amending Senate Bill 89. Clay Larkin, an attorney with the Kentucky Coal Association, sits next to him. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Liam Niemeyer) FRANKFORT — A bill that would limit state regulation of water pollution in Kentucky picked up an amendment in a House committee Tuesday morning, but opponents say the changes don't do enough to protect against groundwater contamination while small streams and wetlands would still be stripped of state environmental protections. Audrey Ernstberger, an attorney and lobbyist for the Kentucky Resources Council, told the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee on Wednesday the amended SB 89 'exposes rural communities to pollution risks that could devastate local economies and health.' Senate Bill 89 sponsor, Sen. Scott Madon, R-Pineville, and Rep. Jim Gooch, R-Providence, the chair of the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee, said they worked with various groups to add an amendment to SB 89 after fielding concerns the legislation didn't adequately protect against groundwater pollution, leaving private water wells vulnerable in particular. Madon, speaking before the House committee next to a lawyer representing the Kentucky Coal Association, reiterated his reasoning for SB 89 arguing that industries from farming to manufacturing to coal mining would benefit from a limited definition of what waters the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet can regulate. 'The more I learned, the more I realized this isn't just a coal industry issue. These issues are affecting a wide variety of businesses and job creators across the Commonwealth,' Madon said. The amended bill is expected to come up for a House vote Wednesday afternoon. Madon pushed back on criticisms that the bill would threaten groundwater, saying he worked with the drinking water utility Louisville Water Company on changes to the bill. Vince Guenthner, a senior utilities consultant for the Louisville utility, told the Lantern he worked with Senate President Robert Stivers, Gooch, Madon and Kentucky House leadership on changes to SB 89. Guenthner said he believed the changes protected Louisville's water supply along with 'a vast majority' of public drinking water supplies in the state. He said his conversations with lawmakers did not discuss private drinking water wells. The amended SB 89 passed the House committee with all Republicans except one voting in favor of the bill. Democrats opposed the bill, citing concerns from environmental groups that the bill could harm the private drinking water sources of rural Kentuckians. Gooch said he met with the Energy and Environment Cabinet on changes to the bill but that it was his understanding the cabinet believed the changes did not go 'far enough' with water protections. The secretary of the Energy and Environment Cabinet expressed 'grave concerns' about the original version of the legislation. A cabinet spokesperson did not immediately provide a comment on the amended version of SB 89. Gooch said he expects the full House to vote on SB 89 on Wednesday. If approved, it would go back to the Kentucky Senate to accept or reject the changes. When asked about concerns from environmental groups about the amended bill still not adequately protecting groundwater, Gooch told the Lantern lawmakers would be willing to revisit the issue if 'a well is not being protected, especially private wells.' 'Too many people in the state depend on those, and we'll be looking at that,' Gooch said. 'It might be in a couple years we may have to come back and tweak something.' Gooch characterized one environmental lobbyist's testimony as 'hyperbole' during the Wednesday committee hearing. Environmental groups and a representative of a Letcher County nonprofit law firm in Eastern Kentucky in testimony honed in on strong concerns they still had about the bill's impacts on groundwater and the state's water resources at large, asserting the changes didn't go far enough to protect Kentuckians from potential water pollution. The amended version of SB 89, like the original, still changes the definition of 'waters of the commonwealth' by removing 'all rivers, streams, creeks, lakes, ponds, impounding reservoirs, springs, wells, marshes, and all other bodies of surface or underground water, natural or artificial.' The state definition is changed to instead mirror the federal definition of 'navigable waters.' The bill also still sets bonding requirements for coal companies seeking permits for long-term treatment of water leaving mine sites. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2023 that drastically cut the federal government's ability to regulate bodies of water and wetlands led to the Biden administration weakening federal rules on water pollution. Litigation over how expansive protections are under the Clean Water Act has continued over decades as various federal administrations have tried to define 'waters of the United States' in more broad, or restrictive, terms. The bill's amendment expands the definition of regulated state waters beyond the weakened federal standard in specific, limited cases, though not in ways that alleviate concerns from environmental groups. The amendment would add to the state definition sinkholes with 'open throat drains;' naturally occurring 'artesian or phreatic springs' and other springs used as water supply sources; and wellhead protection areas, which are surface and subsurface areas surrounding a water well or wellfield supplying a public drinking water system. Ernstberger in an interview with the Lantern said the specific examples included in the bill's amendment don't account for the variety of geological features involving groundwater such as karst aquifers. In testimony before the committee she said tens of thousands of agricultural wells along with private drinking water wells in rural Kentucky remain vulnerable to pollution. 'SB 89 also excludes off-stream ponds, reservoirs and headwaters. To say that none of these water resources require the same level of protection as our rivers and lakes is not just irresponsible. This is dangerous,' Ernstberger said. Nick Hart, a water policy director for the Kentucky Waterways Alliance, in testimony called on the legislature to preserve the existing definition of regulated state waters and instead take time to study the economic and statutory impacts of SB 89. Rebecca Shelton, the director of policy at the Letcher County-based Appalachian Citizens' Law Center, told lawmakers about how she uses a filter for a water well on her Eastern Kentucky property because the water contains heavy metals and bacteria. She said she's paid thousands of dollars to install the filter and maintain it and worries how SB 89 could impact other private well owners. 'I'm fortunate to have had these choices and the ability to pay for them. Yet I know there are still areas of Letcher County that do not, where households do not even have the option of hooking up to the public water system because the lines don't run to their house,' Shelton said. Rep. Bobby McCool, R-Van Lear, the only Republican to vote against the modified bill passing the committee, cited concerns about private water wells and impacts on utilities for his opposition. McCool represents Martin County that has for years dealt with infrastructure woes with its public drinking water utility. 'I certainly appreciate the efforts in trying to help with the coal industry,' McCool said. 'I just cannot take the risk of hurting the water system.' He said he wasn't confident concerns about private wells were 'taken care of.' Rep. Suzanne Miles, R-Owensboro, who voted in favor of the bill advancing, said the amendment came about from multiple people working on the changes. 'I think it's very important for all of us to recognize we all want clean water, and that is the intent of amending and just reassuring that we've protected the water,' Miles said.
