Governor Laura Kelly, during the April recess of the Legislature, signed several bills into law and vetoed others. One of the bills she signed, HB 2634, affects members of the Kansas Livestock Association. This bill aims to provide livestock producers with more flexibility in managing water. It introduces a new rule within the Local Enhanced Management Area and Intensive Groundwater Use Control Area laws. It allows producers to use more water than their annual limit, as long as they stay within their total authorized allocation, over a specific conservation period. This change is designed to help manage water distribution issues often faced by feedyards and dairies.
The Kansas Livestock Association supports the signing, seeing it as a way to improve operational flexibility for livestock facilities. This support highlights the bill’s role in promoting sustainable groundwater conservation, which is vital for the sustainability of agricultural operations in the region. They say that Governor Kelly’s recent legislative actions show her administration’s dedication to addressing environmental and agricultural challenges.
