AP Top Kansas News at 5:45 a.m. CDT

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Kan. senator defends stance on Sebelius nomination

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback acknowledges that abortion opponents are upset with him for not opposing Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' nomination as U.S. secretary of health and human services.

But Brownback, a prominent abortion opponent, told The Topeka Capital-Journal for a story Friday that pragmatism guided his decision not to sound an alarm about the nomination of the Sebelius, an abortion-rights Democrat.

"People have been pretty upset," the Republican senator said. "I've been saying to them there's a practicality to this."

He said any nominee for the HHS post put forward by President Barack Obama would be someone who believes abortion should remain a legal option.

"If you're going to have a pro-choice person in that position, it's better to have a Kansan," Brownback said. "Governor Sebelius is a talented lady. I will be fighting with her on several major policy issues. I have no doubt."

Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and former Republican Sens. Bob Dole and Nancy Kassebaum Baker endorsed Sebelius' appointment.

------ Veto urged on Kansas milk labeling bill

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- More than two dozen groups are urging Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to reject a bill that requires a disclaimer on milk and other dairy products that have labels stating they were produced without synthetic hormones.

The federal Food and Drug Administration says the the artificial growth hormone rBST isn't harmful to humans. Under a bill passed by the Kansas Legislature, products labeled as hormone free would have to say: "The FDA has determined that no significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rBST-supplemented and non-rBST-supplemental cows."

Sebelius spokeswoman Beth Martino said Friday that the governor will review the bill before deciding whether to sign or veto it.

The milk labeling language was folded into a bill that also deals with swine feeding permits and changes to the pesticide and fertilizer law. It passed 22-15 in the Senate and 82-42 in the House.

Opponents of the bill say there are enough concerns about the safety of rBST, or recombinant bovine somatotropin, to warrant a veto. Supporters maintain rBST is safe for humans and the bill would create level competition among dairy products.

Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports magazine, and 29 health, consumer, agricultural, animal protection and environmental groups, food processors and retailers sent Sebelius a letter urging rejection of the bill.

------ Emporia students vote to renovate student union

EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) -- Emporia State University students have agreed to help pay for an $18.5-million renovation of the student union.

The university says students voted 739-181 this week to increase fees over the next four years to pay for the upgrades to the Memorial Union. The rest of the money will come from private fundraising.

The project will include a new student lounge space and performance area and a renovated student cafeteria. An addition will feature a new entrance, information center and admissions office.

Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2010 and be finished by fall 2012.

The union was built in 1925. It has been added onto several times, most recently in 1972.

------ Colo. power generator reviews long-term coal plans

DENVER (AP) -- A Colorado-based electricity supplier for 1.4 million customers in four states is reviewing its plans for coal-based power, as a dispute over a proposed plant in Kansas drags on.

The Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association board said Friday it is re-evaluating all long-term plans from 2005 for resources, whether for fossil fuels or renewable energy.

Under the 2005 plan, Tri-State hoped to buy power from two coal-fired plants that Sunflower Electric Power Corp. proposed building in Kansas.

But in 2007, Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Rod Bremby blocked Sunflower's proposal over concerns about potential carbon dioxide emissions and global warming. Sunflower is seeking legislative relief to build the plants, but it may not survive a veto.

Tri-State general manager Ken Anderson said that keeps the Kansas project out of the near-term picture. Long-term prospects are unclear. In the meantime, Tri-State is expanding energy-efficiency programs, investing in renewable energy and increasing natural gas capacity.

Tri-State is based in the Denver suburb of Westminster, and its member cooperatives serve consumers in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming.

------ KU mourns death of oil executive graduate

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) -- The University of Kansas is mourning the death of a graduate who became an oil executive and donated generously to his alma mater.

Former Sohio executive Charles Eugene Spahr died Tuesday at age 95 at his home in Shaker Heights near Cleveland.

Chancellor Robert Hemenway said in a news release that Spahr was "one of the most loyal Jayhawks I have ever known."

The dean of the School of Engineering, Stuart R. Bell, described Spahr as a generous donor of both his time and money. His name appears on the Spahr Engineering Library and the Spahr Engineering Classroom in Eaton Hall.

Spahr graduated from the university in 1934. He spent the next several decades building Standard Oil (Ohio), widely known as Sohio. He oversaw the company's trans-Alaska pipeline and sold the company to British Petroleum.