Odessa Archives - Missourinet

Former state legislator Kolkmeyer is focused on protecting Missouri ratepayers at Public Service Commission (AUDIO)

April 5, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

A former state lawmaker who’s been appointed to the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) is grateful for the appointment, and is pledging to focus on protecting Missouri utility ratepayers.

Former State Rep. Glen Kolkmeyer (R-Odessa) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on March 18, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Former State Rep. Glen Kolkmeyer (R-Odessa) served eight years in the House, from 2013 to 2020. He was forced out by term limits. Mr. Kolkmeyer is also the former Missouri Propane Gas Association president, and served as Wellington-Napoleon’s fire chief from 1982-2002.

“Three weeks ago, I was extremely honored when Governor Mike Parson called and asked me to serve on the Missouri Public Service Commission, as a commissioner. I was just extremely honored,” Kolkmeyer says.

The PSC regulates investor-owned electric, natural gas, steam, water and sewer utilities in Missouri. The PSC also has some jurisdiction over telecommunication providers in Missouri.

“Honestly, I don’t know that I have any big priorities other than just protecting the citizens of Missouri with the utilities. That’s really my one and only goal and focus,” says Kolkmeyer.

Kolkmeyer is a former chairman of both the Missouri House Transportation Committee and the House Administration and Accounts Committee. He tells Missourinet that he learned a lot about utilities, while serving in the House.

“I served on (the Missouri House) Transportation (Committee) all eight years and we dealt with a few of these issues. Also, issues on the (House) floor, but I also served two years on the Utilities Committee in the House,” Kolkmeyer says.

He was a leader on transportation issues in the House, and pushed unsuccessfully for a ten-cent gasoline tax increase in November 2018. Proposition D, which was rejected by voters, would have provided the state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) with additional funding. Missouri’s 17-cent per gallon gas tax has remained the same since 1996.

Kolkmeyer, who represented Jackson, Johnson and Lafayette counties, was re-elected to his fourth and final House term in 2018. He received about 69 percent of the vote to defeat Democratic challenger Connie Simmons.

Meantime, former Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr (R-Springfield) is praising the appointment, tweeting that he’s proud and excited for Kolkmeyer. Speaker Haahr describes Kolkmeyer as one of the best in the Missouri Legislature.

His appointment requires Missouri Senate confirmation, and he will go before the Senate Gubernatorial Appointments Committee. A hearing date hasn’t been set yet.

State Sen. Denny Hoskins (R-Warrensburg), who represents Lafayette County, tells Missourinet that he looks forward to sponsoring Kolkmeyer’s nomination.

Click here to listen to the full two-minute interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and former State Rep. Glen Kolkmeyer (R-Odessa), which was recorded on April 2, 2021:

China trade war escalates, Missouri congressman says “its time to bring this tariff thing to a conclusion”

August 23, 2019 By Ashley Byrd

In the latest volley in the U.S. vs. China trade war, China retaliated Friday morning with higher export charges on American goods and agricultural products. Then Trump responded in a tweet late Friday afternoon: “China should not have put new Tariffs on 75 BILLION DOLLARS of United States product (politically motivated!) Starting on October 1st, the 250 BILLION DOLLARS of goods and products from China, currently being taxed at 25%, will be taxed at 30%…”

Missouri’s 7th District Congressman Billy Long, a Trump ally, reacted to the news in Springfield today, “I think it’s time to bring this tariff thing to a conclusion. I’ve been giving the president benefit of the doubt on this, the farmers have too,” he told Brownfield Ag News.

Long was in his district with U.S. House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson, D-MN, as part of a two-day trip to Missouri to meet with members of Congress and their farm constituents. Peterson also met with Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-4th, and Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver, D-5th.

Chairman Peterson and Rep. Cleaver take tough questions from farmers at the Odessa Community Center

Peterson and Cleaver met with local farmers in a community center in Odessa Thursday to talk about rural broadband needs, federal disaster payments — and the trade war.

“There are people that will win in the China deal; their just not us. It’s the intellectual property, some of these other areas, autos, they’re the ones that will win if we ever get a resolution of the Chinese situation. Agriculture–I don’t see any upside for us,” Peterson told about 50 farmers.

Peterson, a career farmer, says his district has been hit hard in pork and soybeans.

“As of now, they are able to buy all the pork they need from the Netherlands, and from Brazil and other places and they haven’t had to buy from us. Our guys are dying on the vine. The soybean sales have dried up not only because of tariffs but because the market’s dried up in Asia,” he said.

He says trade issues with China could have been dealt with before that country became a member of the World Trade Organization. Peterson says he voted against that. Now he says, he would handle the situation by taking China to the WTO court.

“You’re going to get more good out of that than you are out of these tariffs, ” he told Brownfield Friday in Springfield.