In a commentary in the Dodge City Daily Globe, House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls, suggested that if Kansas declines to allow Sunflower Electric Power Corp.’s coal-fired power plant expansion near Holcomb, the project will go “across the state line in Colorado. This would mean our state could suffer possible negative impacts without the economic benefits, and the energy produced there would be sold to Sunflower and Kansans at a higher rate,” Neufeld warned.
A spokesman for a major Sunflower investor said there is no such contingency plan, which would take board action.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Registered?
Commenting on WE Blog now requires you to be a Kansas.com member. Use the links above to register, if you haven't already, or to log in.Contact us
Follow us
Daily Archives
-
Recent Comments
- BlueJay on Open thread 11/22
- Regular on Open thread 11/22
- Regular on Open thread 11/22
- Rage on Open thread 11/22
- cosmos_originally on Open thread 11/22
- Chas on Open thread 11/22
- BlueJay on Open thread 11/22
- Boxlock20 on Open thread 11/22
- satatom on Open thread 11/22
- JimJohnson on Open thread 11/22
10 Comments
How far west would this go into colorado? If this would go right along the Kansas border in far Eastern Colorado and away from the population core and mountains, I’d be very concerned about losing a huge business in Western Kansas.. Now this one has me thinking…
I’d like to know the purpose of the plant in the first place.
It will more than likely raise rates not lower them. Where is there power shortages? Certainly not in Kansas that I’m aware.
The power shortages must be in Colorado where the population is growing faster than the surrounding states.
If they want the power and the pollution, then they can build it there.
NIMBY…
Maybe Colorado wants it.
That’s because Colorado environmentalists would decapitate dolls on the plant site.
Door King,
BINGO. Well-said.
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/oct/08/not_colorado/?opinion
“The Lawrence Journal-World reported legislative leaders saying that ‘if the state rejects proposed coal-burning electric plants in western Kansas, developers would move the $4 billion project 50 miles west to Colorado.’
We’ve been following Tri-State Generation and Transmission’s billion-dollar boondoggle over here in Colorado, and I can tell you that this is just another fast one they’re trying to pull over Kansas, Colorado, and the whole region.
The first time Holcomb coal plant supporters tried this scare tactic, they said Texas and Oklahoma would build the coal plant and reap the reward, but both those states are headed in a different direction.
Just last month, Oklahoma officials rejected plans for a coal-burning facility. And earlier this year, Texas’ largest energy provider, TXU, scrapped plans for eight coal plants. TXU realized that their dollars are better invested in clean energy solutions which create more jobs, more local tax revenue and none of the disastrous impacts that coal plants have on our air and water quality.
Why do you think Colorado-based Tri-State is trying to put this polluter in your back yard, just 50 miles from Colorado, instead of ours? First, they knew these plants could not be built in Colorado. Second, they thought Kansas was an easy target. Kansans should say try again, Tri-State.”
This is supposed to be a threat?
“If you don’t let us build our un necessary plant that you don’t want we will build it somewhere else!NYAH!” ?
Um. Ok.
Let em go elsewhere! We don’t want their dirty coal, pollution, and false promises of economic development. Rep. Neufeld is an idiot, and is only spreading those lies because of the contributions to his campaign. Dirty coal equals dirty legislators!!!
And we should expect what else from an education-hating GOP House leadership, with a speaker posessing an unknown educational background?
I don’t think Colorado will approve a coal-fired plant. Colorado is one of the most environmentally-aware states in America.
The state is committed to achieving higher energy-use efficiency.
There are hundreds of Colorado companies making good money manufacturing and selling solar systems for home and office water and space heating. There is even a Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association.
Colorado has 6 operating wind generation farms, plus 3 under construction, one of which will generate 400 MW. Denver hosted the largest wind energy conference ever held in North America in 2005.
Colorado ranks second in the nation after Massacusetts in its percentage of adults who have college degrees. Its growth has been driven by a an ongoing influx of young to middle-age knowledge-economy workers and entrepreneurs who want a sustainable green environment.
We spent two weeks in Colorado this summer. In Boulder, adults from 20 to 70 were riding bikes. In one incident, car traffic was stopped by police officers to allow several hundred cyclists to safely compete in a race. In the mountains we saw large numbers of cars with racks carrying bicycles, kayaks and canoes. (In winter, it changes to x-country and downhill skis.)
Most Coloradans– and by that I must point that “transplants” who were born on the West and East Coasts and their children now outnumber multi-generation “natives”– know they have a gorgeous state. They don’t want to trash their natural treasure.
Pitches of “Well, admittedly our plan may pollute the environment, but it will create several hundred jobs, and jobs trump environment” and “We can’t implement environment-cleanup measures in our plant, so if you push us to do this, we’ll just shut down and throw people out of work,” which are very effective in many states, don’t wash in Colorado today, as the counterargument is, “We can create more clean industries, and they are higher paying than yours.” For example, nanotech in Colorado has an estimated $100,000 average income.
A few years ago, “eco-tourism” and “eco-friendly” outdoor activities overtook traditional hunting and fishing in annual dollars spent. (I read this in the Denver Post when I visited in August.)
The primary bottleneck to growth in Colorado isn’t power shortage, it’s water shortage. So Coloradans are smart enough to figure out that they can have the electricity they need by a combination of continuous energy efficiency improvement, and continued solar and wind power development. Coloradans understand that the worst choice they could make would be to drain their part of Ogallala aquifer, when they can meet their power needs without losing precious drinking water.
I just feel sorry for uninformed Kansans who don’t know what is going on in our next-door state, wh believe ridiculous propaganda that if Kansas doesn’t build the Sunflower coal-fired plants, Colorado will “grab” this “opportunity”. That’s preposterous to anyone who knows anything about Colorado.