The center of the controversy is an ex-TV weatherman who uses his chairship of a key committee for questionable claims about green energies and to highlight complaints from those opposed to wind and solar energy projects.
Republican state senator Mike Thompson’s opposition to renewable energy pits him against not only environmentalists, whose bills won’t be voted in his committee, and against big utilities and GOP coworkers, who claim that his measures to limit new wind turbines or solar farms are too extreme.
While GOP-led states are resisting the global push for fossil fuels to be phased out, Kansas is unique in that it gives such a large policy role to someone who denies the connection between human activity and climate change. Mandy Warner (director of climate and clean-air policy at the National Environmental Defense Fund) said that resistance to climate change is now turning towards the solutions.
Warner stated, “You won’t say you don’t acknowledge the problem, or that it’s not happening, but you will admit that it is there.”
Thompson, a 64-year-old retired TV meteorologist from Kansas City is affable and friendly. His Utilities Committee chair position has meant that he is primarily focused on fighting wind companies, and making a case against renewable energie. This leaves little time for his committee.
“It’s not the best place to put him,” stated Rabbi Moti Riber, executive director, Kansas Interfaith Action which lobby on climate issues.
Even with the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature’s conservative bent, environmentalists had hoped for modest green initiatives, such as studying green hydrogen’s potential, doing more to encourage energy efficiency or getting more electric vehicle charging stations along highways.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, while Democratic states passed dozens of laws last ye to combat climate change, Republican states took steps to protect fossil fuels. Kansas, at least nine other states and others now prohibit cities of ending natural gas service.
Renewable-energy advocates are able to make a difference even in conservative states, pitching their potential for economic growth and creating jobs. Oklahoma , for example, created a task force last January that drafted proposals to launch a hydrogen fuel business there.
Kimberly Svaty is a lobbyist for an alliance involving renewable energy companies and investors in projects stretching from Texas to Canada.
Minnesota’s Republican-led attempt to repeal “clean cars” standards led to GOP state senator Bill Ingebrigtsen laughing when reminded about his 2011 comments that climate change was “a fallacy”. He said that he now believes the climate is warming, and asked, “Can we make a difference as humans?”
Kansas renewable-energy advocates claim that Thompson’s opposition stems from a previous political era. According to federal data, Kansas has moved from renewables accounting for only 1.1% of its electricity generation capacity in 2002, to 50% now. is replacing coal as the largest source of electricity.
Consumers shouldn’t be able to eliminate these investments. It’s not a good investment for the environment,” stated Chuck Caisley (a senior vice president at Evergy – the largest electric company here in Kansas).
Thompson stated that he is defending frustrated property owners who feel overwhelmed by the pressure from big companies on them, their neighbors, and local officials. Thompson said that landowners are treated like collateral damage and that he is sick of it.
He views renewable energy as unreliable, ultimately costly, and both obsolete descriptions. He also supports controversial arguments that turbine blade noise and light flicker can cause health problems.
Thompson’s comments on scientists’ concerns about coastal cities being at risk due to melting polar ice caps and rising sea levels also stand out.
“Polar ice caps have been present in only 20% of Earth’s history.” Thompson stated that people assume they have always been there. (The Earth has had ice cap at each pole for the past 3 million years. Modern humans have been living on the planet for approximately 300,000 years.
Thompson’s supporters include landowners who oppose wind companies’ plans for turbines to be built in rural areas.
Debra Cramer admitted initially being “amazed” at Thompson’s willingness go so far out of his district to speak with landowners. She is currently following the leases of land by a German energy company in her area of Labette County, southeast Kansas. One of the three county commissioners was recalled by voters in December.
Cramer supports Thompson’s efforts for statewide restrictions on turbines.
Ty Masterson, the conservative Republican from Wichita, stated that Thompson was named chair of the Utilities Committee by the Senate President. He chose Thompson because of his professional background as well as his passion for energy issues.
Masterson stated, “The whole process is about asking questions.”
Thompson was a U.S. Navy forecaster and weather observer as a young man. He retired in 2018 as a television meteorologist after having spent most of his career living in Kansas City. He was elected by local Republicans to fill the vacancy in the state Senate at the beginning of 2020. He won a full four-year term that November.
He pushes his colleagues to question scientific consensus and recently told them in a meeting that he did his own research and thought outside of the box for most of his career.
Members of the committee voted to pass the bill after Thompson demanded that his committee approve a bill that would require new wind turbines to be equipped with technology to dimm their lighting at night.
