Kansans don’t seem to be warming to the Sebelius administration’s exhaustive efforts to block a coal-fired power plant expansion near Holcomb. Though one survey last November found that 62 percent of Kansans strongly agreed with the administration’s initial decision to deny the plant’s air-quality permit, 48 percent of the 500 Kansans surveyed earlier this month by Rasmussen Reports said the state should allow the plant to be built, compared with 32 percent against the plant.
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28 Comments
Its obvious most Kansas taxpayers don’t have enough information about the extreme dangers of these proposed Garden City/Holcomb twin coal-fired power plants. If they were informed, they would be out in the streets fighting these water gulping, air polluting “threats to the prairie” until the concept is dead and buried.
Got too go to breakfast.
Right you are JWink. It looks like steve miller’s PR campaing of “disinformation” is working. I got this from the Salina Journal. I also saw it in the Hays Daily. Did I just miss it in the WE?
Yet another of miller’s predictions proven false. Along with the lies about magic algae.
Does anyone but me ever wonder what else he lies, er “misinforms” us about?
DUANE SCHRAG
WICHITA — It was only a few months ago that Kansans were being warned that killing the proposed coal-fired power plants at Holcomb would kill the fledgling wind industry because it would also kill transmission lines needed by new wind farms.
Today the coal project is off the table, interest in new wind has grown faster than the price of crude oil, and companies are elbowing each other for the chance to build new transmission lines.
ITC Great Plains, an independent transmission company with headquarters in Michigan, was the first to express a serious interest in building the north portion of what has been dubbed the X-Plan — a transmission project that connects Wichita and western Kansas with Oklahoma. Now Westar Energy has served notice that it wants to do the same.”
Oops, forgot the link. Story headline about transmission lines on the right side of the front page.
http://www.saljournal.com/
Did you hear? There’s an energy crisis looming.
Besides, as a bonus, we get CO2 to help fight the cooling of the earth.
And my tomatoes need it, because they aren’t doing so well this year.
Hmm it looks like outlander officially changed his nic at 10:04.
52% is still a majority.
The coal fired plants are not needed and not wanted.
The people of Kansas are not required to allow the taking of their water and the pollution of their air so that Sunflower can make money brokering electricity to Colarado.
The plants will not be built.
June 23, 2008
Westar Energy, BP Alternative Energy North America plan to break ground for wind farm June 24th.
Westar Energy, Inc. and BP Alternative Energy North America, Inc. will conduct a ground-breaking ceremony starting at noon, Tuesday, June 24, at the Flat Ridge Wind Farm site, 7923 NE Ridge Rd., Nashville, KS 67112, located about 60 miles southwest of Wichita. Landowners, as well as state and local leaders have been invited to the event. Media is also welcome to attend.
http://www.westarenergy.com/corp_com/corpcomm.nsf/NewsReleaseContentWeb
Even Westar sees the light. Alternative energy is the future, and Westar understands how foolish it would be to not jump on the wagon early. I always said that once windpower and other alternatives got going, the big power companies would be buying them all up and continue to be the power.
(No puns intended, but they couldn’t be helped, considering.)
Is this a good thing? Or a bad thing?
Wind can be added slowely and as needed to keep up with demands. I see no reason transmission lines can’t be built without a coal fired plant. This issue is a perfect example of powerful lobbyest warping information to suit their best interests.
For about 10k one can add solar to their individual homes to lesson the draw on the grid. It should be mandatory for all new construction, and a write off to add to an existing structure.
I’m not sold on global warming, not an environmentalist per say. It’s just doing what’s right, if we can do it better, and cleaner, we should! What does interest me is energy independence!
We need to double our nuclear capability, add more wind and solar, and push hybrid vehicle technology.
Fossil fuels will continue to supply 85% of our energy needs until at least the year 2030.
http://www.energytomorrow.org/mediaroom/?id=45&type=v
Alternatives are great, most people are all for expanding “alternatives” —
However, alternatives MUST be subsidized.
Alternatives are more expensive than coal or oil.
Coal and oil pay taxes.
Wind and solar CONSUME tax revenues in the form of subsidized government support.
Morever, to say that energy is “unneeded” at this point in our history makes any nut ball, who says such a thing, look like the Unabomber.
The world DEMANDS more energy, and we must do every thing we can, at all levels, to expand production of energy.
You libs have a point, on the water issues. However, even though I do not recall anyone supporting the stupid Ethanol idea, on this Blog, I also do not see anywhere near the objection to ethanal plants, that I do towards these new coal plants. Why is that?
Coal WILL be used.
The public is growing tired of the crazy green propaganda.
Your polls, in support of enviromental radicalism, are squishy.
Ask people if they would like to see their utility bills go up by 50% or 100% over 5 years, in “support” of the “global warming” hype, why don’t you?
The public will rebel against you radical greens.
It is already happening.
There are common sense, CLEAN ways to make use of our abundant energy reserves.
By the way, “not needed” is also dumb, for this reason:
Energy generation takes planning and time.
You don’t build new production capacity for CURRENT needs.
Construction is based on FUTURE needs.
Those who stop our energy industry from providing for the future are responsible for higher prices.
Democrats want you to freeze in the winter, swelter in the summer, and to ride a bicycle everywhere.
By the way, I am curious how many libs had to start riding bicycles because of their drunk driving history, and not because of true “green” beliefs?
“Auto envy” perhaps?
econ101,
LOL! Thank you for the clueless, irrational, and funny rants.
Clueless?
If you put it up for a vote, I think people would tell you that “clueless” would be a label that fits you libs, on this issue. As in:
“Do you think people who do not want to produce more energy, and say that halting energy production capacity, will not increase prices, are “clueless”???
Of course, some of you libs are NOT clueless. Some of you KNOW that your green, anti energy policy WILL increase price, and that is what your black, dishonest, capitalism hating hearts really want!
The plants will not be built.
The greatest energy source we have lies in conserving what we already waste.
The coal WILL be used.
Will Kansas gain tax revenue from that coal?
Will Kansas jobs be created, with that coal?
The plants were meant to supply electricity for Colorado.
Colorado does not want the plants built in Colorado.
Colorado is also significantly more progressive than Kansas. Colorado will conserve more and more energy. The plants will not be needed.
The people of Kansas are not required to allow Sunflower to take our water and dirty our air so that they can play Enron like games at brokering in EXCESS electricity.
The plants will not be built.
“Honey, I saved $333.00 today, when I went shopping”
“Thats great, we need the money.”
“Ya, I only spent $666.00 instead of $1,000.00. Everything was 30% off!”
Gosh, go shopping again, we could really use the money!
—–
“A penny saved is a penny earned” is the old phrase, but — Where is the PRODUCTION in the above equation?
Somewhere, somehow, somebody HAS to produce energy.
Even if we do conserve, the world energy needs will STILL increase. It is not possible to keep our energy use static without causing severe poverty and starvation.
People are conserving, anyway, especially at these prices. The last thing we need is rationing, or govenrment mandated conservation of energy.
Government controls will kill the economy.
econ101,
Yes, you ARE clueless.
Who do you think pays for the multi-BILLION dollar new coal plants that aren’t needed? The consumers.
It’s CHEAPER to reduce future demand with higher energy efficiency than build very expensive coal plants.
Wiser utilities are encouraging efficiency, and renewable sources.
Enron?
Enron was a GREEN company. Enron was in the natural gas business.
Enron fought againt coal, far more than any liberal on this Blog.
An Enron exec actually had a great deal to do with the entire “carbon credit” idea — which is another scam in itself.
Do your homework.
Enron is one of YOURS not one of mine.
econ101,
No, not Enron. The many utilities nationwide who pushing efficiency and renewables.
But thank you econ101, for again proving that you’re clueless.
How stupid are some of you people? Just like you do with the President and the war, you start the big lie and continue to repeat it till you think its the truth.
These plants are not being built to supply Colorado and Oklahoma. They are for the future energy needs of Kansas. Yes in the beginning, power will be sold out of state. But as Kansas grows and the demand for electricity grows, more and more of what they produce will be consumed in Kansas till one day all of it will be sold to Kansans.
Its kinda funny, how we have been told for years now how Kansas is the laughing stock of the nation for our State Board of Education de-emphasizing evolution and allowing intelligent design to be part of our science standards.We were told how this has harmed Kansas economic development and potentially caused prospective employers to go elsewhere with their plants and jobs.
Well, can there be any doubt that the Governor and her looney appointees has truly caused us to lose jobs and prestige around the nation? A fine example is Arkansas. Generally considered to be a backwards state, their biggest electric utility company also wanted to add a couple of coal fired units to an existing plant. When the watermelon people (green on the outside, red on the inside) demanded that the new plants be stopped, the Governor, a fellow democrat, refused. Instead, he went to bat to make sure that the state issued the permits and the plants will be built. No they won’t be making jokes about Sebelius on Leno and Letterman, but you can bet in boardrooms around America, they have taken notice and Kansas carefully cultivated reputation as a business friendly state is down the crapper. Oh by the way, we are still going to get the giant rate increases to pay for all these wind farms and new transmission lines.
………………..Chrisfrommactown, you are just a plain moron for thinking like that. Who gave that line of “logic”, billo?
Right Chris, there just saying it’s for Colorado and Oklahoma to get the deal done. Are you a complete moron?
GOTTA be chris’s ditto head ditz of a wife again.
I wish he’d keep her tied up.
They don’t run rant radio on the weekends so she comes and does her own version here.
“But as Kansas grows”
Uh yeah. Kansas aint growing. Putting up a power plant aint gonna change that.
“Kansas carefully cultivated reputation as a business friendly state is down the crapper. ”
Kansas, with its “right to work” laws is already a little TOO business friendly if you ask me.
People move to a state for lots of reasons. Kansas does not attract the kind of jobs that people want. A coal plant won’t change THAT either.
In her bold stand against a new fossil fuel plant, the Governor has set precedent that will increasingly be followed across the nation.
The plants are not wanted and will not be built. Live with it.
Nice to hear from The 3 Stooges(Apophis, Phanton & BlueJay). By the way, it wasn’t me the wife in this last post. Believe it or not I have a lot of other things to do with my life than sit at the computer blogging with people like you. I still cannot believe that you accused me of saying there WERE weapons of mass destruction. I just merely told you that just because you can’t find something doesn’t mean that it didn’t exist. I don’t see why you can’t figure that out. I can’t prove that they did exist, but you can’t prove that they didn’t exist. Simple logic.
Phantom
Posted June 29, 2008 at 6:09 pm | Permalink
Right Chris, there just saying it’s for Colorado and Oklahoma to get the deal done. Are you a complete moron?
Do you ever think before you post Phantom? Obviously not. You just spew your vitriol because you know you can’t win an argument based on logic and facts.
Now listen carefully , because I know the facts give you a headache when you can’t refute them.
Sunflower electric originally planned to build three 650 megawatt generators. based on projected future needs. No they do not need all that extra power at this time. But the management of Sunflower decided to make this huge investment at this time to make sure they can meet their customers needs well into the future. At the same time, the front range of the Rockies is one of the fastest growing regions in the nation and has the need now for more affordable power. Sunflower saw an opportunity to provide for their customers future needs while lessening the costs for their customers by selling to power hungry Colorado. I can’t make it any plainer than that.
By the way, many States get their power from other states. California gets a lot of their power from Montana and North Dakota which have lots of coal. To think that we can or should curtail economic growth in the name of environmentalism is just plain stupid.
Chris – the fact that we have scoured Iraq and found nothing would sure seem to indicate they don’t exist. It’s like the fact that I just looked in my closet and did not see an elephant. So, I conclude that there is no elephant in the closet. But, I suppose that by your logic I have not ‘proved’ that there isn’t an elephant in there.
Well, maybe he is hiding behind my shoes!
:)
The power plants will be built.
Why….because they will be necessary, and that necessity will trump the ‘Green/Libs’ feel good agenda.
Well bth, that may be true, but I bet someone moved the elephant under the bed while you were distracted.
So My Friends, how does one dictate to their captors the terms for their release, the when and how?
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[...] month by Rasmussen Reports said the state should allow the plant to be built, compared with 32 perhttp://blogs.kansas.com/weblog/2008/06/opinion-flip-flop-on-coal-plant/Brief storm knocks out power Milwaukee Journal SentinelA fast-moving thunderstorm swept through [...]
Wiilliam…
This was one time where I have to agree to disagree…