Last week the Kansas Legislature introduced bills in both houses that if passed will make Kansas the most coal friendly state in the union. The bill is the reaction to KDHE’s denial of a permit to build two 700 mega-watt coal-fired power plants in Holcomb.
The bill will permit the release of several million tons of new emissions in Kansas if the plants are built by Sunflower and co-investors. This project will degrade the air quality for all of Kansas and also will use up billions of gallons of precious ground water while 85 percent of the power is for out-of-state use.
The obvious benefactors of this project are the coal-mine operators in Wyoming, the “clean-air” and “water short” state of Colorado that will buy most of the exported power.
The bills are being bum-rushed through the legislature without the normal scrutiny that an issue of this stature should have. The backers of this bill know that public interest in clean renewable energy is growing and federal regulation of carbon dioxide is imminent, so we have this heavy-handed effort to tie Kansas to 50 more years of coal.
Call or e-mail Rep. Don Dahl and Sen. Jim Barnett and let them know their job is to represent the best interests of Kansas, not the coal-mine owners.
It might help to remind them of what Dwight D. Eisenhower said in his farewell address to the nation:
“As we peer into society’s future, we—you and I, and our government—must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering for, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow.
“We can not mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without asking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.”
You can contact Sen. Barnett by phone at 785-296-0111 and by e-mail at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
us.
Rep. Dahl can be reached by phone at 785-296-0111 and by e-mail at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Harry E. Bennett
Marion
Write Comment
Write Comment
Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article.
Personal verbal attacks will be deleted.
Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed.
Just ensure to *Refresh* your browser for a new security code to be displayed prior to clicking on the 'Send' button.
Keep in mind that the above process only applies if you simply entered the wrong security code.
