IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
October 25, 2007

For More Information, Contact:
Sherriene Jones-Sontag
785/296-2302

RHETORIC DROWNING OUT THE FACTS

Topeka - Kansas legislators expressed concern today that the rhetoric of those opposed to coal-fired power plants in Kansas is drowning out the facts about Sunflower Electric Power Corporation’s proposed Holcomb plant expansion denied last week by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius administration.

“State law required Sunflower to use the best available control technology when designing, constructing, and operating this expansion,” Rep. Carl Holmes (R-Liberal) said.  “And because of those efforts, the plants’ design would have made it the cleanest of all the plants in Kansas and the region.” 

Rep. Holmes, Chairman of the House Energy and Utilities Committee, said the design would have allowed Sunflower to operate all three plants in a way where mercury emissions will not exceed those of the existing plant while existing water rights would have been used by the project and because of an existing regulation of the Kansas Division of Water Resources, the impact on the aquifer will be unchanged.

Rep. Rob Olson (R-Olathe), Vice-Chairman of the House and Energy Utilities Committee, pointed out much has been said about the alleged impact the proposed plant expansion could have on climate change.  However, those who claim to support the expansion of renewable energy sources like wind completely ignore the company’s pledge to use renewable sources and include them in the expansion.

“Not much has been reported about Sunflower’s commitment to using renewable sources to provide energy for our state,” Rep. Olson said.  “Part of the expansion plan was to build new high-voltage transmission lines that would connect to Kansas wind farms, making them part of the national energy grid from coast to coast. The denial indefinitely delays Sunflower’s ability to build transmission lines necessary for additional wind power growth in Kansas.”

Rep. Larry Powell (R-Garden City), Chairman of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget Committee, said Sebelius’ administration based its decision on Secretary Bremby’s opinion that additional carbon dioxide in the atmosphere presents a “substantial endangerment” to the public health of Kansans. However, current EPA and Kansas regulations do not consider carbon dioxide a pollutant and Kansas law does not give the Secretary or KDHE the power to regulate carbon dioxide or any other unregulated emission.

“Still – Sunflower’s expansion included the development of the only fully integrated bioenergy center in the country,” Powell said.  “The center was to include a biodiesel and an ethanol plant; an anaerobic digester, a dairy farm, and a microalgae reactor that would have utilized carbon dioxide from the power plants.  This would have made the expansion nearly carbon neutral. However, this denial could keep the center from being built.”

House Speaker Melvin Neufeld (R-Ingalls) said basing the denial on the carbon dioxide concerns could have negative consequences on other industries in our state.

“Kansas feedlots and heavy industry as well as other power plants, including ethanol plants produce carbon dioxide.  Does the Sebelius administration plan to regulate them as well,” Speaker Neufeld asked.  “If carbon dioxide is truly a substantial danger, one plant in Kansas that could be carbon neutral won’t solve the problem when countries like Indonesia plan to build 40 coal-fired power plants in the next two years.”

Neufeld emphasized again the denial will have a long term negative impact on the state’s economy.

“Not only do we lose the $3.6 billion expansion investment but those hundreds of jobs won’t happen, other companies considering expansion in Kansas may see us as an unfriendly place to do business and tens of thousands of Kansans now face the very real possibility of higher electric bills,” Neufeld said.

House Majority Leader Ray Merrick (R-Stilwell) warned if Kansas continues to refuse to allow baseload power expansion to happen in our state, we could soon be experiencing the power brownouts that happen in other states like California.

“The North American Electric Reliability Council warned last year that power plants and transmission lines are not being built fast enough to meet demands,” Majority Leader Merrick said.  “The Holcomb expansion would have helped fill the void that can only be met with new baseload generation -- the energy needed to be available at all times to power homes, industry, hospitals and schools in Kansas.”

Sunflower Electric Power Corporation is a regional wholesale power supplier that owns and operates gas and coal-fired generating plants and a 1,200-mile transmission system for the needs of its six member cooperatives, which serve 118,000 people spread throughout a 21,000 square mile area in western Kansas. Sunflower also provides power to regional utilities in western Kansas and in ten states.

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