Topic: Climate change
Interview of Nancy Jackson, November 9, 2023
Interviewed by Rex Buchanan
Nancy Jackson, founder and director of the Climate + Energy Project (CEP) from 2007 to 2010, recalls being challenged by the founder of the Land Institute on her approach to finding workable solutions to climate change. Jackson held that alternatives should be found to meet the needs of western Kansans for energy, good jobs, and a sustainable economy. Based on that challenge she started the CEP through the generosity of many experts in Kansas and across the country. Those initial years of the CEP were significant, and the project's impact was unexpected. In this Show Moreinterview Jackson discusses that impact and the importance of meeting people where they are in order to find solutions to difficult public policy issues. Show Less
Interview of Rod Bremby, December 22, 2023
Interviewed by Rex Buchanan
As Secretary of Health and Environment for Kansas, Rod Bremby became the first U.S. public official to deny a coal-fired power plant operating permit due to climate change. In this interview he reflects on that decision made while navigating uncharted policy terrain and on lessons learned during his 30-year career in public service at the local and state levels. Bremby describes missed opportunities in considering the power plant operating permit application while saying clearly that, even in retrospect, it was the right decision. Bremby also explains how integration of health and environmental policy makes sense at the Show Morestate level. Notably, Bremby paints a picture of leadership that recognizes and relies upon the expertise and experience of public servants who serve under appointed officials. Show Less
Interview of Wes Jackson, March 5, 2024
Interviewed by Rex Buchanan
In this reflective interview, Wes Jackson recalls the influences on his thinking and his work in the field of environmental science and research. His thinking was embodied in the Land Institute which he co-founded in the mid-1970s after leaving academia. That perspective is firmly based on the connections between science, sociology, political science, religion, and literature that bring them all into one rather than separate silos. That all-encompassing view, using the prairie as a model, informs his thinking about sustainability, broadly writ, that is multi-fascited and based on an appreciation of "outghtness" -- doing things the Show Moreway they ought to be done. Show Less
Interview of Janis Lee and Laura McClure, May 20, 2024
Interviewed by Rex Buchanan
Janis Lee and Laura McClure, both Democrats elected from predominantly Republican districts that overlapped, often campaigned together and conducted constituent communication sessions in the areas they both represented. Because their time in the legislature (1989-2011) and their largely rural districts in northcentral Kansas intersected, Lee and McClure both worked on a wide range of policies pertinent to the Energy & Environment Collection of oral histories: confined feeding facilities, solid waste, waste tires, water quality standards, the Kansas v. Colorado lawsuit, and the Water Transfer Act that the city of Hays was exploring at the time of this interview, among Show Moreothers. In the energy arena, significant issues during their time of service in the Kansas Legislature included retail wheeling of electricity, gas pollution remediation, well plugging, and gas-gathering systems regulations. In this May 2024 interview, they explore those issues, the dynamics of the legislature, campaigning, and the work involved in serving in the legislature. Show Less
Interview of Bruce Snead, September 3, 2024
Interviewed by Rex Buchanan
This interview of Bruce Snead, former Director of the Engineering Extension Program at Kansas State University, focuses on his career and contributions to energy policy in Kansas beginning when he moved to the state to take a position with the university. Snead reflects on the complexity of the history of unsuccessful attempts to establish an independent energy policy entity in Kansas. His perspectives on state action were colored by his years of service as a non-partisan elected member of the Manhattan, Kansas City Commission and Mayor, as well as his involvement in a number of statewide energy planning Show Moreefforts where he saw the importance of individuals to policy development and implementation.
Highlights -- short excerpts from the interview