Tag Archives: Sunflower Electric Power Corp.
Where’s the Outrage Over Coal Boondogles?
Back in 1980, Sunflower Generation Corporation in Kansas received $543 million in federal loans and loan guarantees (taxpayer money). Like Solyndra, they were not able to pay that money back. So they arranged deals with the federal government to “restructure” the loans, multiple times. Sunflower was unable to repay taxpayers due to financial strain related to over-built Holcomb I, the existing coal plant Sunflower owns. Continue reading
Clean Air Advocates Cheer Court Decision on Kansas Coal Plant Expansion
Much of Sunflower’s financial struggles stem from overbuilding capacity at their existing unit, Holcomb I, which is a scenario that could be repeated if Holcomb II is constructed since neither Sunflower nor Tri-State, the Colorado partner, has demonstrated the project is needed. Continue reading
Industry Wields Sway Over Air Pollution Rules, Enforcement
Sunflower Electric’s Kansas permit success (to date) is a telling snapshot of how, when industry flexes its muscles over Clean Air Act issues, it often wins. From Kansas to Louisiana to Texas, Wisconsin and Ohio, community groups have fought new plants, expansions and chronic emissions – only to see industry score victories with regulators and politicians. Continue reading
Fair Fight?
Whether people are opposed to or supportive of Sunflower’s coal-fired plant, the regulatory trail this project has traveled over the last four or five years raises questions and concerns. This is a contentious fight, but it doesn’t help KDHE or Kansas to be caught misrepresenting the facts of the case. Continue reading
Is KDHE a Regulator or a Manipulator?
So not only did KDHE ignore EPA’s directives, it tried to mislead the Supreme Court. These are people in charge of protecting our health and environment? Continue reading
More Dirt on Sunflower Electric’s Coal-fired Power Plant
State legislators, Govs. Mark Parkinson and Sam Brownback, and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment have not acted in the public’s best interest during this tortured five-year saga. As a result, a weak permit was rushed through to allow the expansion. Continue reading
EPA Says KDHE Not Honest About Permit Objections
An Environmental Protection Agency official has accused lawyers representing a Kansas agency of lying to the state Supreme Court about support for a permit that would allow a $2.8 billion coal-fired power plant to be built in southwest Kansas. Continue reading
KDHE Lied About Coal Plant Objections
Environmental Protection Agency officials say KDHE lawyers weren’t honest in written arguments last month when they said EPA had no objection to the Sunflower permit. Continue reading
EPA Spars with Kansas over Sunflower Coal-fired Power Plant
In their written arguments last month to the Supreme Court, Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) attorneys may have told a stretcher. EPA has consistently told the state that the permit needed more stringent limits on certain pollutants and KDHE not only ignored EPA’s request to amend the permit to include the more stringent limits, but now is actually attempting to mischaracterize EPA’s position to the court. Continue reading
Kansas Energy and the Bremby Decision: Four Years Later
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, but 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. Continue reading
