What’s the Matter with Kansas?

Photo by: Homer4k

Simran Sethi – an award winning journalist and named one of the top ten “eco-heroes” of the planet by the UK’s Independent- recently wrote an editorial for The Huffington Post titled “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” The editorial described the current battle between Big Coal and the Kansas State Legislature.

For the past couple of years Sunflower Electric has been fighting to build large coal plants in Holcomb, Kansas. In 2007 Kansas denied the permits to build on the grounds that carbon emissions would negatively impact public health. This was the first time ever that climate change was cited in such a context. In response Sunflower proposed three bills in 2008 to the State Legislature that would allow the plants to be built. Governor Kathleen Sebelius vetoed all three. Now with the State Legislature back in session, Sunflower is continuing to fight through different legislation.

“This week, the Kansas Legislature is debating Bill 2182. While the bill makes no mention of Sunflower Electric, carbon emissions, or the Holcomb coal plants, it would effectively strip Health Secretary Rob Bremby and the Department of Health and the Environment of their power to regulate industry based on air quality concerns, and therefore force them to grant the permits to Sunflower.”

Only 8 percent of the energy produced from the Holcomb coal plants would supply Kansas. The rest of the energy would power Colorado. Yet, the plants in Holcomb would produce 11 million tons of carbon dioxide a year and become the largest new source of greenhouse emissions in the United States