10 Dec KDA publishes proposed changes to state noxious weed regulations
The Kansas Department of Agriculture has published proposed changes to state noxious weed regulations. A virtual public hearing on these regulations has been scheduled for 10:00 a.m., February 16, 2021. Anyone desiring to participate in the public hearing via video conference must pre-register at: https://kansasag.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0sfu-oqjsuGNQdMDAmKyym_oUwhjZryJZ9.
As KARA prepares to review these proposed regulations and submit formal comments to KDA, we would seek input and comments from members. To provide input, please send your written comments to KARA at randy@kansasag.org on or before Friday, January 15, 2021. Links to various resources regarding the proposed changes are available via the buttons below.
The 60-day public comment period on these proposed regulations is now open. Prior to the public hearing, all interested parties may submit written comments by mail to the Secretary of Agriculture, 1320 Research Park Dr., Manhattan, Kansas 66502, or via e-mail to ronda.hutton@ks.gov. All interested parties will also be given a reasonable opportunity to orally present their views on the adoption of the proposed regulations during the hearing. In order to give all parties an opportunity to present their views, it may be necessary to request that each participant limit any oral presentation to five minutes. These regulations are proposed for adoption on a permanent basis.
The Kansas Department of Agriculture (“KDA”) is proposing these rules and regulations to list the species of weeds designated as noxious weeds in Kansas and to set out the control methods that are to be applied to those weed species as required by the Noxious Weed Act, K.S.A. 2-1313a et seq. The provisions of the Kansas Noxious Weed Law that set out the species of weeds currently designated noxious weeds in the state will expire on December 31, 2020. Consequently, revisions to some existing regulations, as well as several new regulations and the revocation of some existing regulations, are necessary to ensure continued appropriate management of noxious weeds throughout Kansas. According to KDA, the proposed regulations will not significantly change the landscape of the Kansas Noxious Weed Law or the economic implications of that law because the weed species designated noxious weeds by these proposed rules and regulations are the same species currently designated noxious in the Kansas Noxious Weed Law. Likewise, the control methods set out in these proposed rules and regulations do not differ substantively from the control methods currently prescribed.