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Kansas Denies Permit for Expansion of
Coal Units in Holcomb
November 12, 2007
Citing the role of CO2 emissions from coal-fire
power plants in climate change, the Kansas Department of Health and
Environment (KDHE) denied a permit to Sunflower Electric Cooperative
to build two 700-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plants in Holcomb,
Kansas. It is the first time in that construction of a coal plant
has been stopped because of carbon emissions in the United States.
Sunflower Electric, a cooperative headquartered in
Amarillo, Texas, had partnered with Tri-State G&T in Westminster,
Colo., to build the $3.6 billion plants near the Colorado border.
The intent was to generate electricity for the Colorado market.
Tri-State immediately issued a press release criticizing the
KDHE decision.
In making the announcement, KDHE Secretary
Roderick Bremby said he was using authority granted to him by a
Supreme Court decision last year defining carbon dioxide as a
regulated pollutant. Bremby said, “Denying the Sunflower air quality
permit, combined with creating sound policy to reduce carbon dioxide
emissions can facilitate the development of clean and renewable
energy to protect the health and environment of Kansans.” For
details, see the KDHE October 18 press release:
http://www.kdheks.gov/news/web_archives/2007/10182007a.htm
The story has generated a large volume of press
coverage across the country, including editorials in newspapers on
the East Coast and West Coast through last weekend.
Last week, the coal industry struck back at Kansas
Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D), whom they hold responsible for the
KDHE decision. Sunflower Electric and Peabody Coal Company in St.
Louis, Missouri, took out full-page advertisements in Kansas papers
statewide and ran TV ads showing smiling faces of Vladamir Putin
(Russia), Hugo Chavez (Venezuela), and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Iran)
and asserting that Sebelius was feeding into their plans.
On Tuesday, Governor Sebelius issued a press
release calling the ads "over-the-top nonsense." She said she felt
that Kansas could meet its load growth with wind power and other
renewable energy resources. She said, "It does a real disservice to
Kansans who are looking for an honest and constructive debate about
our state's energy future."
This week, Sebelius’ opponents in the Kansas
Legislature called Sunflower representatives to testify in hearings.
The Sunflower testimony focused on the benefits of increased carbon
dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. They even launched a new slogan:
“Carbon dioxide is life.”
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