submitted to Primebuzz by David Klepper
TOPEKA | A couple hundred Kansas rallied on the Statehouse grounds today to protest legislation that would resurrect those two Western Kansas coal plants.
And they came up with an alternative energy alternative to Drill, Baby Drill: Blow, Baby, Blow. (They’re talking about wind, people. Wind.)
The rally brought together an eclectic bunch: environmentalists opposed to coal, steelworkers who want to build wind turbines, a Christian minister and rural advocacy groups.
Speaker Scott Allegrucci of the Great Plains Alliance for Clean Energy called on lawmakers to reject legislation that would strip the discretion the state’s top regulator used to reject two coal plants in 2007.
“We are asking for an end to political games and an end to special interest peddling,” Allegrucci said.
The bill has passed both the House and Senate, but lawmakers haven’t yet crafted a compromise version to send to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. She’s vowed to veto the measure, so supporters are trying to lock in the necessary two-thirds majorities in both chambers needed to override the veto.
The bill contains some “green” provisions designed to encourage energy efficiency and
renewables. But the speakers at Thursday’s rally aren’t biting.
“What’s hidden behind the curtain? Coal plants. That’s it,” Allegrucci said. He called the bill “really good energy policy – for Colorado and Texas utilities…. Really good economic policy – for Wyoming coal…”
Kim Hanson, a Leawood resident and a member of the Democratic group True Blue Women, spoke about the need to confront global climate change head on. She said federal regulations and public opinion will likely doom any new coal-fired power plants anyway.
“The writing is on the wall for coal,” she said. “… We don’t need your pollution and we don’t need your power. Quit wasting our time trying to force these coal plants.”
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