Kansas Coal Plants - Sample Comments

Prepared by the Kansas Chapter, Sierra Club - 8-28-06

Short Form
The debate about global warming is over. Global warming is going to gravely affect the lives of our children and grandchildren. It makes no sense whatsoever to keep burning more coal under these circumstances especially when Kansas has substantial resources for substituting renewable energy.

The huge coal plants proposed for Kansas are using an older technology that makes capture of the carbon dioxide greenhouse gases impractical, and we will be stuck with them for 50-75 years. In addition the potential exists to greatly increase the amount of mercury put into the air in Kansas.

Along with the development of the state's renewable energy resources, we need a crash program for energy conservation. Studies have shown that saving energy is cheaper than building new electricity generating facilities.

Long form
Some 3000 MW of new coal fired power plants have been proposed for Kansas. In addition to tens of millions of tons of greenhouse gases, these plants will be emitting thousands of tons of dangerous fine particulate and smog producing pollutants. Worse, the potential exists to greatly increase the amount of mercury put into the air in Kansas.

For example, Sunflower Electric has applied for a permit for three new boilers totaling 1980 megawatts at their existing Holcomb, Kansas, site. The Holcomb coal burning complex would be the largest west of the Mississippi River. Under EPA's new Mercury Rule, Sunflower can choose to buy credits from other utilities when these plants start up instead of capturing the mercury. This would cause mercury emissions from Kansas coal plants to increase about 60% over current levels.

Since most mercury falls out in rain, much of this mercury will travel to eastern, especially northeastern Kansas and points beyond, adding to already high levels in water bodies and fish. The USEPA recently stated that one in six women of childbearing age in the US already has blood mercury levels that could be harmful to a fetus.

This is a very serious matter, and we are asking KDHE to support a bill in the legislature that would require 90% capture. We know this is feasible because Sunflower has conducted tests at their existing boiler at Holcomb. Other states are instituting similar requirements. This is the only way that we can ensure that Sunflower will do the right thing for Kansas.

Also the Sunflower boilers will emit about 13 million tons per year of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. It will be the largest new source of carbon dioxide in the country. Sunflower will be using conventional, pulverized coal burning technology which makes sequestration of CO2 prohibitively expensive. A new coal gasification technology is just now being introduced by other utilities that is supposed to make sequestration more practical.

Two of the three new boilers at Holcomb will supply power to Colorado, not Kansas. The need for this new power is not proven, but instead depends on future growth in demand for electricity that could be satisfied by the development of alternative energy resources. Burning coal will become very expensive when Congress begins to regulate carbon dioxide.

We are aware that carbon dioxide is currently unregulated. But leadership is about much more than sitting around enforcing regulations. Global warming is expected to significantly reduce soil moisture levels in Kansas which will lead to crop failures and more rapid depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer. The health and welfare of our children and grandchildren is at stake. We expect KDHE and the Governor to show strong leadership on global warming by adding their voices to the rising chorus of concern from millions of Americans nationwide. Congress needs to address the global warming problem immediately!

We are also asking the Governor to put a hold on issuing any permits for new coal plants until she sets up and hears recommendations from a blue ribbon panel of experts on the impacts of all these proposed new coal plants on Kansas. This would be similar to when she set up the Wind and Prairie Task Force to consider the impacts of large scale wind farms on the Flint Hills.