Author Archives: GPACE
Lenexa Company’s Western Kansas Wind Farm to be Economic Boon
Known as the Buffalo Dunes Wind Project, the 405-megawatt wind farm is being developed by Lenexa-based TradeWind Energy. It has the potential to be a $600 million development and generate enough power to serve as many as 120,000 homes at full capacity. Continue reading
Weak Natural Gas Pushes Florida Utility to Sell Tons of Coal
Natural gas-fired power plants are displacing coal-fired generation in record numbers across the country because gas prices are near a 10-year low due to record production from shale gas, making gas the cheaper fuel. Continue reading
Judge Right to Order Study of Coal-fired Power Plant
The responsible thing now is to complete the environmental impact statement. It should clearly lay out what steps Sunflower Electric must take to best protect the health of all Kansans if the plant is eventually built. Continue reading
Renewing Colorado: How Green Energy is Working There
In six years, Colorado has diversified its electricity mix and built a thriving renewable energy industry while maintaining stable electricity bills. We have seen the cost of renewable energy credits for large photovoltaic solar projects decline by 75 percent, and wind in Colorado is now a least-cost energy resource. Continue reading
U.S. Elections vs. the Environment: The Stigma of Successful Regulation
The current administration’s environmental policies have frequently been a disappointment, but the choice in the November elections seems sure to be between disappointment and disaster. Continue reading
Where’s the Outrage Over Coal Boondogles?
Back in 1980, Sunflower Generation Corporation in Kansas received $543 million in federal loans and loan guarantees (taxpayer money). Like Solyndra, they were not able to pay that money back. So they arranged deals with the federal government to “restructure” the loans, multiple times. Sunflower was unable to repay taxpayers due to financial strain related to over-built Holcomb I, the existing coal plant Sunflower owns. Continue reading
Clean Air Advocates Cheer Court Decision on Kansas Coal Plant Expansion
Much of Sunflower’s financial struggles stem from overbuilding capacity at their existing unit, Holcomb I, which is a scenario that could be repeated if Holcomb II is constructed since neither Sunflower nor Tri-State, the Colorado partner, has demonstrated the project is needed. Continue reading
Unequal Risks and Benefits for Citizens in Six States on Keystone XL Pipeline Route
In Kansas, for example, lawmakers gave TransCanada a 10-year tax exemption, which means the state won’t receive any property tax revenue from the pipeline. Meanwhile, each of the other five states—Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas—would earn between $14 million and $63 million a year, according to U.S. State Department estimates. Continue reading
Industry Wields Sway Over Air Pollution Rules, Enforcement
Sunflower Electric’s Kansas permit success (to date) is a telling snapshot of how, when industry flexes its muscles over Clean Air Act issues, it often wins. From Kansas to Louisiana to Texas, Wisconsin and Ohio, community groups have fought new plants, expansions and chronic emissions – only to see industry score victories with regulators and politicians. Continue reading
