Kansas Governor Again Vetoes Coal-Fired Power Plants

The measure was the fourth bill the governor has rejected in the past two years for the two power plants near Holcomb in Finney County.

"Last year, I vetoed legislation that forced the Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to issue air quality permits for two new coal fired plants which would produce 11 million tons of carbon dioxide each year," the governor said in her veto message.

"These new plants would generate 1400 megawatts of electricity, most of which would be exported to Colorado and Texas," she said. "In fact, Kansas would only get 200 megawatts of electricity, while we would get all of the new pollution.

In 2007, Health and Environment Secretary Rod Bremby rejected a permit sought by Sunflower Electric Power Corp. to build the plants over concerns about potential health and environmental risks related to emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. His decision was the first in the country based on climate change concerns.

Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius (Photo courtesy Office of the Governor)

"Now, we know that according to Sunflower Electric’s own reports, their customers will not need additional power until 2018," the governor said. "We also know that President [Barack] Obama is moving aggressively to regulate new carbon dioxide emissions. These developments reaffirm that now is not the time for new coal plants in Kansas."

State lawmakers have passed the previous three bills and have been able to override Sebelius' vetoes in the Senate, but have failed to find enough override votes in the House. It takes 27 of 40 votes in the Senate and 84 of 125 votes in the House to overturn a governor's veto.

The Holcomb Expansion Project, which will provide 2,500 jobs during construction and more than 300 permanent jobs, is viewed by many Kansans as a solution to economic problems.

On March 25, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce released findings from a public opinion poll regarding the energy bill vetoed by the governor. The statewide poll, conducted by Cole Hargrave Snodgrass & Associates, surveyed 600 registered Kansas voters from March 17-19.

Almost twice as many voters support the construction of the project (51 percent to 26 percent) as oppose it. Forty percent of all voters and 56 percent of supporters indicate that their reason for support is based on the project’s job creation and private investment in the state.

"The members of my unions have been hit hard during this recession, and we support this legislation because it will put union members back to work," said Rich Taylor, business manager for the Central and Western Kansas Building and Construction Trades Council. "Our members possess the skills to build the infrastructure that will secure Kansas’ energy future, and we are ready to get to work."

"This comprehensive energy legislation is the result of a lot of hard work by both chambers," said Kansas Senate President Steve Morris, a Hugoton Republican. "We’ve lost thousands of jobs during this tough economic cycle, and I believe we simply must pass this legislation to provide the jobs that Kansans deserve, no matter where they live in our state."

Kansas Representative Eber Phelps, a Hays Democrat, agreed. "This bill will spur conservation and promote renewable energy as well as coal-fired power," he said. "Thus it will bring jobs to Kansas in all three of those sectors."

Governor Sebelius says the renewable energy provisions of the bill are too week. "Despite what supporters of this legislation say, HB 2014 does little to advance clean, renewable energy. In fact, the renewable energy standards established in HB 2014 are less than the voluntary standards we already have today," she said. "The net metering provisions in the bill are weaker than any of the 42 states that currently offer net metering to utility consumers."

Net metering allows individual owners of systems that generate power, such as solar or wind power, to receive retail credit for at least a portion of the electricity they generate.

"Kansas needs legislation that will increase development of our renewable energy resources, increase energy efficiency measures and create good-paying jobs," the governor said. "Once again, as the rest of the country moves toward a renewable energy future, the legislature is intent on darkening Kansas’ energy future with new coal plants that will provide energy we don’t yet need."

Sunflower Electric Power Corporation, which proposes to build the coal-fired plants at its existing Holcomb coal-fired plant, is a regional wholesale power supplier that operates a 1,257 megawatt system of wind, gas, and coal-based generating plants and a 2,300-mile transmission system for the needs of its six member cooperatives who serve more than 400,000 customers living in central and western Kansas.

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2009. All rights reserved.