Tag Archives: coal plant
Tri-State’s Coal Plant in Kansas: Fact from Fiction
As the saying goes, we are all entitled to our own opinions, but not our own facts. We strongly believe the real importance lies in not confusing the two. Many supporters of the proposed Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association (Tri-State)/ … Continue reading
Cutting Coal Plant Emissions
It’s a classic debate about government’s role. Case in point: The Environmental Protection Agency has finalized a rule that will drastically cut sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions — a move that has greenies applauding and coal advocacy groups making dire warnings. Continue reading
What’s your plan, Governor?
Gov. Sam Brownback has received praise for declaring Kansas’ Flint Hills totally off limits to wind energy development. There is no question that this pristine prairie environment must not be spoiled or endangered, but we have some concerns about what happens next. We do not doubt Brownback’s sincerity in guarding those hills, but he now must demonstrate that he is equally committed to capitalizing on his state’s vast wind energy development potential. It is much easier to declare where wind turbines cannot go than it is to open opportunities for their development. Continue reading
Tell USDA/RUS to Stop the Sunflower Electric Coal Plant Bail Out
Our allies at Sierra Club and Earthjustice have created easy opportunities to take action and ask USDA/RUS to comply with federal law and protect the interests of taxpayers against the dishonest tactics of the pro-coal special interests. Continue reading
Richard Crowson Political Cartoon on the Sunflower Plant
A new political cartoon about the coal plant permit from renowned Kansan Richard Crowson: Continue reading
Holcomb Coal Plant Approved; Denver Switching to Gas
Meanwhile, the Holcomb approval is being described as allowing “40 percent fewer emissions” than a proposal killed in 2007 — an odd fact to emphasize, given what KDHE appears to have approved. It is not clear whether the 40 percent emissions reduction claimed by the acting secretary (and repeated by the Eagle’s editorial) reflects any improvement other than the approved plant’s reduced size. Continue reading
Long-Delayed Sunflower Power Plant Gets OK to Build
By Karen Dillon of the Kansas City Star After being blocked for four years, a western Kansas utility finally won state permission Thursday to construct an 895-megawatt coal-fired power plant. The go-ahead permit was a huge victory for Sunflower Electric … Continue reading
State Approves Permit for Holcomb Coal Plant
Acting Health and Environment Secretary John Mitchell announced his decision Thursday. It allows Hays-based Sunflower Electric Power Corp. to move forward with its $2.8 billion project outside Holcomb. Continue reading
Kansas Allows Controversial Coal-Fired Power Plant
Today, in the absence of those strong leaders, Sunflower Electric Co. finally got state permission to build its pollution producer. Under a new administrator, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment granted the permit after department workers spent nights and weekends processing the permit, presumably so they could beat a deadline that would have forced the new plant to meet stringent pollution standards kicking in Jan. 2. Continue reading
Sierra Club’s Response to Sunflower Coal Plant
“The final permit was pushed through in less than six months despite a comment period that generated 6,000 public comments, many of which were against the project, and despite decreasing electricity demand, low natural gas prices, and considerable renewable energy growth. In fact, just this month Colorado announced it will be shutting down coal plants while Kansas brings a comparable amount of new coal capacity online, ironically, mostly to serve Colorado.” Continue reading
