Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius took another stand against coal-fired power plants in her state, vetoing legislation last week that would have overturned a decision by her administration to deny permit applications for two new power plants.
The bill would have reversed a decision made by Department of Health and Environment Secretary Rob Bremby to deny permits to Sunflower Electric Power Corporation for two new power plants at its Holcomb Station in Western Kansas. The bill also would have stripped his agency of the power to deny similar permits in the future, if the agency insisted on holding utilities to standards more strict than provided in the federal Clean Air Act.
The bill was passed without a veto-proof majority.
As usual, proponents of the bill said refusing new coal-fired plants will result in increased electric rates, and opponents said the environment cannot afford the emissions of another dirty-coal power plant.
Sebelius said, "Of all the duties and responsibilities entrusted to me as governor, none is greater than my obligation to protect the health and well-being of the people of Kansas. And that is why I supported the decision of the Secretary of Kansas Department of Health and Environment regarding Kansas’ energy future."
She added that with new climate change legislation on the horizon, coal-fired power likely won’t be cheap for long.
"Federal legislation has been introduced that would have the net impact of taxing carbon," Sebelius said. "If any of the proposals are adopted, utility companies and their customers will pay far more for energy which produces carbon. It will also require spending billions on equipment to clean the atmosphere as thoroughly as possible. Building additional coal plants now is likely to create a significant economic liability for Kansas in the future."
Sunflower said its plans to burn low-sulfur coal, install air emissions control technology and release no wastewater protected the environment.
Earl Watkins, Sunflower’s president and chief executive, said, "If not resolved, this veto will unnecessarily raise electric rates for Kansas families and punish our Kansas workers and industries. We are experiencing significant growth on the Sunflower system, and we must add new coal generation to support our existing natural gas and wind generation assets."
Governor Sebelius has offered a compromise to approve one smaller coal-fired power plant, combined with mitigation strategies and additional wind power, as long as the power it generates serves Kansas customers first.
She also issued an Executive Order creating the Kansas Energy and Environmental Policy Advisory Group to engage in a "comprehensive discussion" of the states energy policy.
Loading...