To Kansas Clean Energy Supporters:
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment released the schedule for the public comment period and hearings on the proposed Holcomb coal plant project. The comment period begins today, July 1, and ends August 15 (which means that comments can be submitted directly to KDHE outside the public hearings any time during this period).
Three public hearings have been scheduled for the first week of August:
- August 2 in Overland Park at Blue Valley Northwest High School
- August 4 in Salina at Highway Patrol Training Central Auditorium
- August 5 in Garden City at Garden City Community College Joyce Auditorium
Each hearing will begin at 2:00 PM. Hearings will break at 5:00 PM and reconvene at 6:30 PM, continuing until all written or verbal comments have submitted. Note that the hearings start in KC and move west to Garden City.
You may see public statements indicating the “issuance of a draft permit” – this is technically correct, but misleading.
KDHE has issued a draft permit that is now the subject of the public comment process. As with the previous process in 2007, that draft permit can be altered or amended at any time by KDHE or EPA, right up until the very end of this process. It can also be denied. The public comment period could also be extended if necessary.
GPACE will be posting more information in the coming days that can help inform your comments, including topical fact sheets about the impacts of the proposed coal plant project. A form is up on our website now that allows citizens to submit comments which we will then deliver to KDHE. This form is at http://www.gpace.org/publiccomment/.
And next week keep an eye out for the first e-newsletter from GPACE with information about the proposed coal plant project, the public comment process and hearings, and breaking news and information about this entire process.
Again, please be on the lookout for more information in the next few days, and mark you calendars for these hearings.
Many Thanks,
Scott Allegrucci
Director
