The latest pro-coal energy bill has reached Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ desk, where it must be signed or vetoed by April 24. But for all the legislative hours devoted to trying to overturn Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Rod Bremby’s air-permit denial — and the nearly $800,000 spent by groups lobbying the public and lawmakers on the issue — Sunflower Electric Power Corp.’s coal-plant expansion remains in limbo. State Rep. Josh Svaty, D-Ellsworth, observed that most legislators have made up their minds and that, at this point, the issue would be best settled through talks between the governor, state regulators and Sunflower officials. “I think we’ve shown just how messy the legislative process can be and how little regulatory certainty the Legislature can provide,†Svaty said. He’s right.
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9 Comments
It’s a dead horse the legislature just needs to quit kicking it and get on with other things, even if the other things don’t pay as well!
Agreed Phantom, bury it.
Sunflower claims that it has this great bioenergy technology; Morris and Newfeld even claim that it will make the plant nearly carbon-neutral. BS! That technology is unproven and they are unwilling to commit to it.
IF Sunflower has this technology then there is absolutely nothing that prevents them from building it at their existing Holcomb plant. They should do so and prove that this thing works. Otherwise they should quit making their grandiose claims for it.
Liberals
You tell us that we MUST find alternatives for oil.
THAT technology is pretty much “unproven” —
However, the Greens insist that some kind of “new tecnology” will, very soon, save us from OPEC oil and also “save the Earth” from “global warming” —
But in the case of Coal plants in Kansas?
The same Greens tell us that technology can not “fix” any of the problems?
Paul - wind energy is well-proven. And this scientist is quite interested in seeing the algae technology go to the next step. However, unlike a fresman in economics I am not willing to stake the future on something that hasn’t gotten out of the lab.
Paul - I don’t relly know what the “greens” are saying; I tend to spend my time more with fellow professional scientists in this regard.
Technology ytpically progresses from lab to pilot plant to full-sized plant. Lets develop this technology before we try to scale it up too quickly. That is simple science/engineering common sense.
We need the new coal plants and I’m afraid if they don’t happen we will need the capacity in the future. I don’t know about emissions, but to me it is all hogwash on what might may or may not happen. It’s out of control just like the grass fires we have had; doing more emissions at anyone time than a coal plant might produce in months. I don’t know and I think this is all speculation on my part and I think others.
“It’s out of control just like the grass fires we have had; doing more emissions at anyone time than a coal plant might produce in months.” Not true
“I don’t know and I think this is all speculation on my part and I think others.” Perhaps. But at least those of us with a profesional background in the area have a bit more upon which to base our “specualation”
Ben, I read in an automotive magazine that a company was building a plant, IIRC it was going to produce fuel from algae, and the water requirements in the production process was gallon per gallon.
Phantom - I read a lot of things. Some are true, some are not. Since most automotive magazines want to believe that fuel supplies are infinite I find them a bit less reliable than some others.
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[...] vetoed by April 24. But for all the legislative hours devoted to trying to overturn Kansas Departmhttp://blogs.kansas.com/weblog/2008/04/coal-plant-not-a-job-for-legislature/Homeland Security Department plans for White House handoff AP via Yahoo! News From a 12th-floor desk [...]