Last week (Tuesday, October 18th, to be exact) marked the fourth year since then-Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment Rod Bremby issued the historic denial of air quality permits for the proposed 1400 MW Holcomb Station coal-fired expansion sought by Sunflower Electric Power Corporation (of Kansas), Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association (based in Colorado), and Golden Spread Electric Cooperative (of Texas).

That Was Then

Bremby cited the (then) recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Massachusetts v. EPA classifying carbon dioxide as a pollutant under the Clean Air Act, and the United Nations IPCC reports on global climate change and its impacts upon human health and the environment among his reasons for the denial.  His decision also cited Kansas statutory authority clearly delegated to the KDHE Secretary for such decisions.  His decision was the first instance in the United States of a public official blocking coal plant construction based in part upon concern for health and environmental impacts from climate change caused by coal-fired power plant emissions.

Pro-coal forces in Kansas and elsewhere immediately launched an assault on then-Governor Sebelius, with paid advertisements in national media linking the decision to support for foreign dictators and hyperbolic claims that Bremby acted “illegally” and “against the will of Kansans.”  The ads were blasted by observers everywhere as false information and fear-mongering, and subsequent multiple, bi-partisan polls in Kansas showed clear and overwhelming public opposition to the proposed coal plant project with its emphasis upon unneeded electricity generation, imported resources, pollution of Kansas, and value and economic impact for other states.

The Sebelius administration spent significant political capital defeating multiple versions of pro-coal and anti-regulatory wish-list legislation in 2008 and 2009.   As late as April of 2009, then-Lt. Governor Parkinson repeatedly and publicly called out the lies and misinformation project supporters were using to justify their efforts.

In the wake of the 2008 national elections, the pro-pollution and climate change denial machine (generously funded and guided by Kansas’ own Koch brothers) increased efforts to undermine established scientific consensus regarding climate change and human-caused drivers of global warming.  Using climate change denial and the economic recession as a kind of Trojan horse, the pro-pollution, anti-health crowd has undertaken a concerted effort to not simply stop regulation or valuation of greenhouse gases, but to undo 40 years of federal public health and environmental protections – protections that have coincided with unprecedented overall economic growth and prosperity in the United States.

Sunflower Electric and its allies dodged continuous questions about the project (from financial mismanagement, to “clean coal” falsehoods, to demand realities, to water consumption) and threw everything and the kitchen sink at the decision and support for it, including personally naming Bremby, Sebelius, and Parkinson in a frivolous federal lawsuit.   Yet, the project remained stalled for legal, regulatory, financial, and other reasons.  Golden Spread moved on, and developed wind and natural gas assets to meet its relatively small need for future generation capacity.

Public and administrative support for Bremby’s decision stood firm until Sebelius departed for a Presidential cabinet appointment.  Immediately upon being sworn in as governor, Parkinson announced his own secret deal with Sunflower Electric that gave pro-pollution advocates everything they had ever wanted (and that he had previously called “dishonest” and “unnecessary”), including a 900 MW coal plant at the Holcomb Station and a complete stripping of state responsibility for air quality.  Of note, Bremby never signed the settlement agreement and KDHE was never involved in the development of the deal.  Parkinson then embarked upon a process of collusion and political pressure that saw the project permitted before the end of 2010 despite unprecedented public opposition – ultimately firing Bremby in order to clear that path.

This Is Now

In mid-2011, former KDHE Secretary Bremby accepted an offer by the governor of Connecticut to apply his considerable talents and commitment to public service on behalf of that state’s citizens.

Former Governor Parkinson is now a highly paid lobbyist in Washington, DC, and former Sunflower Electric Power Corporation CEO Earl Watkins has retired.

The Bloomberg Foundation (of New York City’s Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg) recently donated $50 million to Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign.

And a Republican sweep of statewide elected offices and Congressional seats leaves Kansas with the most conservative (and pro-polluter) public leadership in the state’s modern history.

Meanwhile, the pesky reality that, due to massive unpaid taxpayer loans, Sunflower Electric is essentially a federal government entitlement project did not escape the attention of a federal District Judge, who ruled that Sunflower Electric and the Rural Utilities Service of USDA had violated federal law in pushing the Holcomb Station coal-fired expansion forward at taxpayer risk and without legally-required review. Remediation in that case is pending, as is a Kansas Supreme Court review of a legal challenge to the KDHE permit and process for the project.

According to the permit granted by KDHE, the proposed plant is not state of the art or clean, as claimed, but will in fact be one of the dirtiest plants in the nation.

Electricity demand is down and, even accounting for the recession, projections are for much lower demand than utilities had been claiming.

None of the primary project partners can demonstrate a need for coal-fired generation from the project – it appears to be essentially a merchant plant designed to benefit Tri-State since it will be phased for the Western Grid and will be owned entirely by Tri-State.

The much-touted jobs and economic benefit from the project are years away at best, since there is no need for the plant’s capacity and Tri-State has publicly stated construction will not begin prior to 2016, at the earliest.  Still, Kansas elected officials continue to help Tri-State delay the project while blaming “environmental extremists” for the delays.

The fundamental science that informs the worldwide observations of global warming caused by anthropogenic climate change continue to be confirmed, including by a recent study funded in part by the Charles Koch Charitable Foundation.

Kansas’ relative ranking in achievable wind energy capacity has increased.  Recent tall tower data for Kansas from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory shows even more wind density than previously measured, with wind generation capacity factors in southwestern Kansas reaching over 50% in some instances.  Wind farm and transmission development in Kansas continue apace, regardless of the proposed Holcomb Expansion coal-fired project.

Lower prices and increased supply have made natural gas cost-competitive with long-term coal contracts, and its cleaner emissions portfolio beats coal’s performance (and cost) under increasing public health and environmental protections.  Natural gas is also a much better partner for renewable energy integration than coal.

In spite of deceptive and misleading partisan political tactics, modern and necessary public health and environmental protections (most developed under previous Republican administrations, many focused on power plant emissions) continue to be implemented and supported by a significant bi-partisan majority of Americans.

The regulatory uncertainty caused by partisan political opposition to carbon regulation or valuation, in the context of virtual certainty by key actors in capital finance markets and energy policy circles that greenhouse gases must and will be regulated in the future, has created significant overhanging risk, halting most investment in new coal plants and making the economics of coal plant retrofits questionable.

Efforts continue to obscure the facts, derail the rule of law, and deny the public interest in order to benefit the coal plant project and its special interest allies.  All in all, though, it seems that Mr. Bremby’s decision four years ago remains as visionary and important an act of public service now as it was in October of 2007.

Scott Allegrucci is the Executive Director of the Great Plains Alliance for Clean Energy

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The bid to build a coal-fired power plant in Kansas is shredding the credibility of much it touches — the former governor who endorsed it, the state agency that rushed to approve it and the utility that’s trying to steamroll it toward completion.

Kansans who deserve protection from this pollution-belching facility have been ill-served by that governor, Mark Parkinson; by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment; and by Sunflower Electric.

The utility pushed its application through in late 2010, working way too closely along the way with the state environmental agency to avoid complying with new, tough emission laws set to take effect in early 2011.

In the latest development, Sunflower Electric is asking that it be allowed to erect the plant under its current air-quality permit even if construction doesn’t start within the 18-month time window required by the permit. The utility is trying to save millions of dollars that it might have to spend to meet the stricter pollution regulations. But its “savings” don’t calculate the heath risks and future costs for Kansans living downwind from the proposed plant.

Unfortunately, Sunflower will see a friendly face at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment in making its case for a “stay” in the permit.

The state agency should refuse Sunflower’s request. Instead, the department ought to decide whether it will decline or grant a permit “extension.”

If Sunflower gets an extension, the new permit would have to take into account the more stringent emission rules that are now in effect. That would be the best way for the agency to look after the public’s health.

Sunflower Electric does have another responsible option it could pursue: Pledge to meet all current air-quality rules so it can build the cleanest possible coal-fired plant. That would be one way to begin restoring the utility’s credibility.

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/07/05/2996119/the-stars-editorial-dirty-coal.html#ixzz1RKOhL8Sf

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Latest controversy warrants response from utility, KDHE.

In the ongoing saga over a proposed Sunflower Electric Power Corp. plant expansion, behind-the-scenes exchanges between the utility and state officials have generated still more scrutiny of the plan.

A recent Kansas City Star report revealed the Kansas Department of Health and Environment worked with Sunflower to craft answers to public questions about the coal-fired power plant plan — answers needed to help shape an air-quality permit that would determine emissions releases for the new unit planned at Sunflower’s Holcomb facility.

It was just the latest troubling development in the path to a $2.8 billion project designed to provide necessary baseload energy, and deliver an economic boost to southwest Kansas with some 2,000 jobs during peak construction.

A low point in the process came four years ago, when a bigger expansion plan was shelved by then-KDHE Secretary Rod Bremby’s denial of an air-quality permit due to concerns over greenhouse gas emissions.

Subsequent wrangling in the Kansas Legislature led then-Gov. Mark Parkinson to broker a sensible deal to allow a scaled-down Sunflower facility expansion (one coal-fired, 895-megawatt plant instead of two 700-megawatt units) along with initiatives to power wind and other renewable energy.

Still, environmentalists have fought the power plant expansion at every turn, to include the Sierra Club’s recent appeal of the air-quality permit approved in 2010 by the KDHE.

And now, the report of the KDHE turning to Sunflower for answers to public questions only gives them more ammunition.

The situation suggests an all too cozy relationship. An independent government agency, the KDHE was expected to conduct an impartial review of an operation it has a duty to regulate.

KDHE and Sunflower officials essentially have declined to comment on the report, citing the ongoing litigation. As understandable as that may be, Kansans still deserve an explanation.

After all, it could be as simple as the KDHE seeking technical information from Sunflower on particulars of the complex project.

While the latest revelations shouldn’t scuttle the proposed expansion, the dealings between Sunflower and the KDHE and subsequent silence have cast another cloud of doubt over the process.

Both entities should be eager to clear the air.

Read more: http://www.gctelegram.com/opinion/Editorial-6-25-11#ixzz1QUS6zn9p

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Former Kansas Health and Environment Secretary Rod Bremby spoke at Kansas City Kansas Community College about his controversial decision a few years ago to deny a permit to a coal-fired power plant in southwestern Kansas.

On a day when the wind chill started out as below zero, global warming would hardly seem the appropriate topic. But as former Kansas Health and Environment Secretary Roderick Bremby told students and the public at a speech on sustainability today at Kansas City Kansas Community College, the extremes of weather, including hot, cold and major weather events, have connections to human actions that have polluted the environment.

While it’s colder in some places, overall the Earth is warming, he said, citing scientific findings. The extreme cold weather the nation is experiencing, along with weather events in Europe and the recent extreme floods in Australia, could all be part of the effects of global warming, he said.

Bremby defended his actions today in denying a permit three years ago to Sunflower Electric Power Corp. for a controversial coal-fired power plant in southwestern Kansas. One by one, he answered critics’ claims against his actions in denying the permit. His decision was supported by then-Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.  After his exit, a permit for a coal-fired plant was later approved in 2010 by Bremby’s replacement appointed by former Gov. Mark Parkinson. Bremby said he did not want to divulge today what he said to then-Gov. Parkinson, or his advice, when he was forced out as health and environmental secretary last November.

During his presentation, Bremby showed slides from a study that challenged whether the coal-fired plant in Kansas would be the cleanest in the nation, a claim that was stated by its supporters. He said that there were more than 600 other plants in the nation that were cleaner.

Bremby told the audience that it would be far more efficient, and would create more Kansas jobs, to retrofit existing homes, businesses and institutional buildings to become energy-efficient rather than to build new coal-fired plants.

In answer to a question from community activist Richard Mabion, Bremby agreed that Kansas City, Kansas, could become part of the model for green cities by renovating more of its homes in the northeast area, rather than tearing them down. Russ Rudy also raised the question of how to save more homes in the northeast area from bulldozers.

Bremby explained that his denial of the permit for the coal-fired plant a few years ago was the first step toward a public process to create a conversation about the state’s energy policy. However, he felt that the work toward creating an energy policy based on participation from the public has not been accomplished yet in the state. He said he favored participation from all segments in creating that policy.

A few years ago, the influence of lobbying dollars in this permitting process was “staggering,” Bremby said.

He urged those in attendance to not only follow the politics of the environmental issues in Topeka and Washington, but also to take action at home, where they live and work, in accomplishing environmental goals.

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​The Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday that it isn’t thrilled with Kansas’ proposed plan to allow Sunflower Electric Power Corp. to build a second coal-burning power plant in Holcomb. We know, you’re all stunned at this shocking and unforeseen development, so take a deep breath before reading further.

HA! Total JK! Nobody is surprised by this. The latest episode in the Holcomb 2 soap opera was practically assured months ago, as the Kansas Department of Health and Environment hurriedly approved the air quality permit the plant needed before the end of the year, when stricter air quality rules went into effect. 

KDHE didn’t include particularly stringent standards on the plant, which caught the feds’ eye. Of course, KDHE bureaucrats publicly trash-talking the EPA probably didn’t help their case. Drama! Drama! Drama!

The EPA says the plant would use outdated standards for the amount of pollutants sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide it would release. The Associated Press reports that, in short, the agency wants the plant to cap hourly emissions, which the permit doesn’t call for. The EPA sent Sunflower a letter seeking a “dialogue” with the state over that plant. This should be fun, since the last time KDHE employees interacted with the EPA, they bragged about using “a few words we can’t repeat.”

The agency says its concerns are not great enough to try to stop the plant from being built. The Sierra Club is, however suing to stop it.

In related news, former secretary of KDHE Rod Bremby, whose opposition to building more coal plants earned him a pink slip from former Gov. Mark Parkinson, will finally talk about his firing this week. He’s scheduled to give a talk Thursday at 11 a.m. at Kansas City Kansas Community College. Details here.

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Desk Statement – Sunflower Power Holcomb Plant – Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) Construction Permit

EPA Regional Administrator Karl Brooks sent a letter to Robert Moser, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment on February 3, 2011 asking that the Kansas Department of Health Environment (KDHE) address EPA concerns regarding the Sunflower Power Holcomb Plant PSD Construction Permit.

Background:

• On December 16, 2010, KDHE issued a final Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit to Sunflower Electric Cooperative authorizing the construction of a new 895 MW coal-fired steam generating unit.
• EPA provided comprehensive comments on August 12, 2010, and October 22, 2010, as part of the public comment period.

EPA believes it is important that all Clean Air Act requirements are addressed in the Sunflower permit. Therefore, it is important that KDHE adequately address EPA’s comment that the permit needs to ensure that the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) are protected. This includes protection of the new nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) NAAQS by establishing enforceable short-term limits for emissions of those pollutants.

The new NO2 and SO2 NAAQS were put in place to protect public health. In setting these new NAAQS, EPA determined that short-term exposure to SO2 and NO2 can result in adverse health impacts, including difficulty breathing and increased asthma symptoms. This pollution can also result in increased hospital admissions and emergency room visits relating to respiratory illnesses, particularly in sensitive populations like older adults, children and asthmatics.

Brooks’ letter asks KDHE to begin a constructive dialogue about how to resolve EPA’s concerns regarding the implementation of the new NO2 and SO2 NAAQS in the Sunflower permit and future permit actions.

What follows is commentary from GPACE:

In a letter date-stamped February 3rd, 2011, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks advises the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) that there are a number of deficiencies with the air quality permit granted by KDHE on December 16th, 2010 to Sunflower Electric for the Holcomb 2 coal-fired power plant.

In the letter, Brooks notes that KDHE did not respond adequately to concerns about the permit expressed previously by EPA.  The concerns about the permit outlined in the letter focus primarily on emission allowances for Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and Sulfur Dioxide (SO2).

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) contributes to respiratory ailments and ischemic stroke, and creates acid rain, which has destructive and costly impacts upon infrastructure, agriculture, and habitats.

Nitrogen oxides (NO2) contribute to acid rain and are ozone precursors that affect the respiratory system, exacerbating asthma and causing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and stunted lung development in children.

Furthermore, the letter clearly states that EPA “disagrees with KDHE’s interpretation of federal law” on the issue of ensuring new National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

Brooks invites Sec. Moser of KDHE to establish a dialogue on how to address the deficiencies in the permit, and the (mis)interpretation of federal law by the state agency, and requests Moser contact EPA “in the very near future” to set up a meeting.

Stay tuned.  This could get interesting.

To read the letter from Brooks of EPA to Moser of KDHE, click here.

To read the 12/16/2010 statement by KDHE Acting Secretary John Mitchell concerning the Holcomb 2 permit, click here.

To read more about the health and environmental impacts of coal-fired power plant emissions, click here.

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TOPEKA, Kan. – Federal officials said Friday that Kansas hasn’t imposed strict enough limits on the potential air pollution from a new coal-fired power plant in the southwest part of the state.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency questioned parts of a state Department of Health and Environment air-quality permit issued in December, which allowed construction of the plant by Sunflower Electric Power Corp. The utility, based in Hays, wants to build the plant next to an existing coal-fired plant outside Holcomb, in Finney County.

The EPA’s regional office in Kansas City, Mo., released a letter Friday from Administrator Karl Brooks to KDHE Secretary Robert Moser, seeking “dialogue” about the air-quality permit. The letter says the EPA finds the permit’s limits on emissions of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide too lax.

EPA spokesman David Bryan said the state and the federal agency appear to disagree over whether Sunflower’s permit must be in line with tougher emissions rules issued by EPA last year. The federal agency wants Kansas to impose per-hour limits on the two pollutants, rather than 30-day averages.

In a separate statement, the EPA’s regional office said short-term exposure to the two pollutants can cause people to have difficulty breathing and increase symptoms of asthma, resulting in more hospital visits and respiratory illnesses.

“All we want to do is sit down with KDHE and go over those parts of the permit and get some answers,” Bryan said during an interview.

It’s not clear yet what the letter means for Sunflower’s $2.8 billion project, which has bipartisan support among state legislators and the strong backing of Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. Bryan said the EPA isn’t stepping in to halt the project, and he wouldn’t speculate about where talks with state officials could lead.

Sunflower spokeswoman Cindy Hertel said the company won’t comment until next week about the EPA letter because, “We are still reviewing it.”

KDHE officials also were reviewing the letter before responding. The permit was issued by Moser’s predecessor, Acting Secretary John Mitchell, who remains the director of the department’s Division of Environment. At the time, Mitchell said of EPA officials, “I will be very surprised if they have any problem with what we have done.”

Brooks’ letter said the state agency “has not adequately addressed” concerns about proposed limits on pollution raised by EPA in August. At the time, KDHE was considering a draft of the air-quality permit that Mitchell eventually issued.

Environmentalists strongly oppose Sunflower’s project, and the Sierra Club has asked the state Court of Appeals to overturn the air-quality permit. The environmental group raises the permit’s provisions on nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxides as an issue, among others.

Amanda Goodin, an attorney for the environmental group Earthjustice, who’s involved in the case, saw the EPA letter as a warning to Moser and other state officials. She described it as the first step in a review that eventually could lead federal officials to block Sunflower’s project.

“This EPA letter points out one of the most obvious failings of the permit,” she said. “I think Kansas is just looking for a way to make this permit more lax.”

Sunflower supplies power for about 400,000 Kansans and plans to build a plant with a capacity of 895 megawatts, enough to meet the peak demands of 448,000 households, according to one state estimate. Three-quarters of the new capacity, or 695 megawatts, would be reserved for a Sunflower partner, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association Inc., of Westminster, Colo.

That’s long been a sore point for many critics of Sunflower’s push to add coal-fired generating capacity, but the utility’s supporters say exporting electricity is as beneficial as exporting beef, wheat and other agricultural commodities.

Sunflower’s plans for the new plant are in keeping with an agreement in April 2009 between Sunflower and Brownback’s predecessor, Democratic Gov. Mark Parkinson. Brownback became governor last month.

Sunflower had wanted to build two new coal-fired plants outside Holcomb, but saw that project blocked by KDHE. Legislators who supported the project in turn had stymied “green” policies favored by Parkinson and his predecessor as governor.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Anybody who has ever tried to get license plates knows that dealing with government entities can be a frustrating and laborious task. However, when it’s your job as a state official, it’s probably best to shut up, smile and play the bureaucratic game.

Apparently Tom Gross with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s Bureau of Air doesn’t care for this little guideline. 

Gross whined to the state’s House Energy and Utilities Committee about how hard it was to get straight answers on new greenhouse-gas rules from the Environmental Protection Agency. Normally that might be fine. It certainly wouldn’t be shocking if the EPA was a little slow to dish out information or was fuzzy on specifics. But this was a boneheaded move because the EPA is in the perfect position to knee KDHE in the balls.

According the the Lawrence Journal-World, Gross was griping about the EPA requirements that new and growing power plants and other greenhouse-gas-producing industrial facilities must use the latest pollution-mitigating technologies available. From the piece:

“The whole process was incredibly frustrating,” Gross told the House Energy and Utilities Committee. “We told them a few words we can’t repeat,” he said.

But why should Gross have avoided needling the feds with salty language? Because the permit that KDHE approved (jammed through, actually) for the Holcomb 2 coal-fired power plant late last year now needs the EPA’s approval. Yes, Gross is bragging about chewing out the EPA, while his department needs the EPA to sign off on one of its most important projects. It’s like a teenager asking his mom to let him stay out past curfew while badmouthing her to her face.

If the EPA wants to, it can give KDHE and Sunflower Electric Company, which wants to build the plant, a very hard time as it reviews and revises the permit. It will be interesting to see how badly its feelings were hurt.

Meanwhile, in somewhat related news, a stamp commemorating Kansas’ sesquicentennial has been revealed. And what did the U.S. Postal Service think best represents Kansas’ century and a half of history? The farmers who made the state an agricultural powerhouse? Coal trains chugging through the state on their way to the Holcomb plant to fuel industry?  Um, no. Five wind turbines in a rolling field. Maybe coal plants are too hard to draw?

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TOPEKA — A state environmental regulator on Wednesday criticized the federal EPA over the implementation of a new greenhouse gas rule.

Tom Gross, with of the Bureau of Air for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said it was difficult to get information from EPA and the federal agency changed major deadlines several times over the so-called “tailoring rule.”

“The whole process was incredibly frustrating,” Gross told the House Energy and Utilities Committee. “We told them a few words we can’t repeat,” he said.

Gross said he “loved” a letter that the attorney general of Texas wrote to EPA in which Texas vowed to fight the agency over the greenhouse gas rules. Gross said he didn’t think it was going to do Texas any good to battle the EPA in court, but added KDHE also pushes back against EPA. “We do that in our own way pretty much every single day,” he said, referring to enforcement actions and permit timelines.

In December, KDHE issued a permit for a controversial 895-megawatt coal-fired plant in southwestern Kansas. EPA has said it will review whether the proposal complies with the law, and environmentalists have filed a lawsuit challenging the permit, alleging it fails to control hazardous pollutants, and that the permitting process was improperly influenced by supporters of the project. KDHE has said the permit meets all state and federal requirements.

State Rep. Joe Seiwert, R-Pretty Prairie, and a member of the House energy committee, said it seemed that while EPA wants to reduce coal-burning electric power facilities it has no plan on replacing that capacity or knowledge about how expensive electricity will get.

Other committee members also expressed frustration with the EPA.

“It would sure seem like they have a serious agenda against coal-fired power plants,” Gross said of the EPA.

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If in the odd chance you’re looking for an opportunity to be disgusted by political malfeasance, look no farther than Kansas.

Last week the state’s Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) rammed through the permit approval for a new, polluting and un-needed massive coal-fired power plant.  The 895 Megawatt behemoth is not needed in Kansas: approximately 80 percent of its power is slated to be shipped out of state. But Governor Mark Parkinson wanted it and appears to have forced his Health and Environment department to approve the permit before January 2 when new Environmental Protection Agency regulations to limit carbon dioxide emissions take effect  that would require plants to install millions of dollars of greenhouse gas controls.

If you think no pressure was placed on the agency to issue the permit, you might wonder why employees were ‘voluntarily’ working weekends to sort through the approximately 6,000 public comments on the proposal. That’s odd since a previous review of 800 comments took sixteen months. You can find more about the permit here.

As I’ve noted in a previous blog, Governor Parkinson was against this plant before he was for it. Any realistic political observer has no doubt that the Governor had the former KDHE fired because it was clear then Secretary Rod Bremby was not in favor of the plant. As I noted earlier on Bremby’s firing

The reason: Rod Bremby had shown the courage to stand up to Big Coal and the Koch Brothers (who appear to own the Kansas Legislature, judging by the number of lobbyists they employ). Bremby had been the first state official in the United States to deny the permit for a dirty new coal plant based on the health impacts of its global warming emissions. He was backed up by then Governor Kathleen Sebelius, who vetoed efforts to overturn Bremby’s decision, and her lieutenant, Mark Parkinson.

At the time, Parkinson was against plant, to be developed in the town of Holcomb by the Sunflower Rural Electric Cooperative. As Parkinson said at the time (March of 2008): “Why legislators are supporting Wyoming coal and Colorado energy while putting at risk the economy and health of Kansans is beyond me.”

It’s a good question. The plant is being developed  in Holcomb by KS-based Sunflower Electric Cooperative, but about 80% of the power would be purchased by Colorado-based Tri-State Generation and Transmission to power Colorado homes and businesses. Coal for the plant would have to be shipped (and dollars shipped out) from Wyoming.

Undoubtedly this decision will be challenged in the courts, and hopefully by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Kansans and justice deserve at least as much.

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