Topeka — Agricultural interests Wednesday said they put together a compromise water quality bill, but environmentalists say it is nothing of the sort.
The measure was composed by large ag interests in private during the past few days. The Senate Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on it today.
"The fundamental issue is the Legislature cannot set water quality standards that are meant to be done on the administrative level," said Charles Benjamin, a lobbyist for the Kansas chapter of the Sierra Club.
Noting the rush to a hearing and the exclusive, closed-door writing of the bill, Benjamin said, "This is a good example of why it shouldn't be done in the legislative process."
But Sen. Robert Tyson, a Parker Republican, and chairman of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, defended the process of writing the bill. He said environmentalists were angry because they were not getting what they wanted.
Ag groups want to remove some streams from federal Clean Water standards that require the streams be clean enough to fish and swim in. Farm and ranching groups claim many of these streams only intermittently have water in them.
Environmental groups say the proposed legislation would result in the degradation of many flowing streams and rivers. And, they say, it will violate the Clean Water Act.
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