The following comments were delivered by GPACE staffer Kelly Jacobsen at the Overland Park Public Hearing for Sunflower Electric’s Holcomb Station Expansion Project on Monday, August 2.
To the staff of the Kansas Department of the Health and Environment:
My name is Kelly Jacobsen. I’m a native Kansan and I’m here today to show my support for the workers of Kansas by opposing the construction of this 895mw coal plant and urging the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Sunflower Electric to consider a project that would utilize native Kansas resources.
If this project is permitted, Tri-State Generation and Transmission, the out-of-state owners of this coal plant, have said they do not anticipate construction starting until at least 2016. That means that there is no potential for work for at least six years. Not a single new coal plant has broken ground in the last twenty months. In this tough economic climate, these men and women don’t need a wink-and-a-smile deal saying they will have jobs in six years — they need jobs now.
Construction on the Emporia Energy Center, a peak natural gas plant, started within one year of permitting and The Renewable Energy Policy Project reports that Kansas could create 11,491 new manufacturing jobs in the renewable energy industry. Why should these workers wait six years for 1,500 temporary construction jobs and 50 permanent jobs at a coal plant when natural gas and wind have the potential to put more people to work sooner.
I want these workers to be able to take pride in the fact that their work will utilize homegrown fuels like natural gas and wind, instead of imported coal from Wyoming.
Not only would using native resources put these people to work faster, but it would also generate a source of tax revenue for the state of Kansas. In 2007, Kansas generated $132.3 million in severance revenue. In the same year, the state of Wyoming generated $803.6 million in severance revenue. Why should we continue to send our dollars to Wyoming when we could be better utilizing our Kansas native fuels to generate tax revenue which could create better schools, better libraries and better public funding in our state?
Finally, not only do I want these workers to be able to provide for their families, but I want them to be able to do it in a way that doesn’t put their families at higher risks for asthma, heart disease, lung disease, cancer, and stroke. According to a report from Physicians for Social Responsibility, coal pollutants, like carbon dioxide, mercury, particulate matter, and nitrous oxides will cause damaging effects on our respiratory, cardiovascular, and nervous systems.
Based on this information, I ask you to please deny this permit application. Thank you for your time.
Respectfully,
Kelly Jacobsen
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