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Raymore city officials approve agreement meant to kill Kansas City landfill
A controversial landfill proposed for south Kansas City is likely dead after approval of a deal developers struck with a suburban municipality that has been fighting to kill the project. The Raymore City Council voted unanimously Monday for an ordinance setting out the terms for a settlement that would pay developers of the proposed landfill […]
After Missouri Senate filibuster, KC landfill critics hope to cut a deal with developers
Kansas City-area communities fighting a proposed landfill are hopeful negotiations with the developers will end the controversy and “eliminate” the project. For more than a year, communities that border south Kansas City have been fighting a proposed 270-acre landfill. They’ve pleaded with state lawmakers to pass legislation to kill the project, hired lobbyists and formed […]
‘The water wars are coming’: Missouri looks to limit exports from rivers, lakes
Missouri House members on Wednesday took a step toward prohibiting exports of water, arguing the state’s “most precious resource” should be protected and reserved for residents. The bill, which prohibits water exports without a state permit, cleared an initial Missouri House vote 115-25. It needs second approval before it moves to the Missouri Senate, where […]
Compensation for St. Louis victims of radioactive waste left out of federal budget bill
Legislation that would compensate victims of radioactive waste and U.S. nuclear bomb tests faces an uncertain future after it was left out of a federal appropriations bill Thursday, outraging members of Missouri’s Congressional delegation. But advocates for St. Louis-area residents exposed to World War II-era radioactive waste remain “extremely hopeful” as compensation remains closer than […]
Missouri lawmakers push tax break to expand Kansas City nuclear weapons facility
Kansas City-area lawmakers want to give a sales tax break to developers expected to expand a federal facility that builds non-nuclear components to “modernize and refurbish” the nation’s nuclear stockpile. A bipartisan group of Missouri lawmakers from the metro are promoting legislation to offer a sales tax exemption on materials needed to expand the National […]
U.S. Senate approves compensation for St. Louis nuclear waste exposures
The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted again in favor of legislation that would compensate those who developed cancer following exposure to World War II-era radioactive waste in St. Louis. The legislation, sponsored by Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, extends the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which is set to expire, and expands it to cover […]
Missouri bill would slash state regulations over small streams and major aquifers
Missouri’s leading agriculture groups are pushing legislation environmentalists and state regulators warn could jeopardize thousands of miles of streams and drinking water for 3.6 million people. Members of a Missouri Senate committee on Tuesday heard testimony on a bill that would narrow the definition of “waters of the state,” slashing the state’s authority over small […]
Bill targeting controversial Kansas City landfill clears initial Missouri House vote
Lawmakers must change a “broken process that unfairly hurts Missourians” to keep a landfill from moving into south Kansas City without residents’ input, state Rep. Mike Haffner told his colleagues Tuesday. Speaking on the floor of the Missouri House, Haffner argued that a landfill proposed for a site at Kansas City’s southern border would devastate […]
Florissant homes built on Coldwater Creek may sit on radioactive contamination
Federal officials are investigating whether residents of a small subdivision in the St. Louis suburbs are living on top of contamination dating back to World War II after finding radioactive material in their backyards. The Cades Cove subdivision, a small enclave in Florissant, was built on top of where Coldwater Creek once meandered. The creek, […]
Missouri House bill takes aim at ‘cesspool’ of meatpacking sludge
Between Vallerie Steele, her seven siblings and their children, there’s always a birthday or anniversary to celebrate on the family’s southwest Missouri farm. The summer months are typically a parade of pool parties and barbecues. Until last year. The stench coming from the lagoon across the road from Steele’s home has become unbearable. It holds […]
Missouri meatpacker that sought to dump wastewater into river will shut down
A southwest Missouri meatpacking plant that sought to dump treated wastewater into an impaired river will halt operations — at least temporarily. Missouri Prime Beef Packers will shutter its Pleasant Hope facility, which processes 3,500 cattle per week, April 26. It’s not clear whether the closure will be temporary or permanent. The closure, disclosed in […]
Missouri House bill would allow further testing for St. Louis radioactive waste
Local governments in the St. Louis area could request radioactive waste testing from the state under a Missouri House bill that would appropriate money to a long-unfunded program. The Missouri House Conservation and Natural Resources Committee on Monday heard testimony on a bill that would transfer $300,000 to a radioactive waste investigations fund created six […]