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STOP THE COAL PLANTS!!

Dear Sierra Club Member,

HB 2711 and SB 515 (same bill) were introduced on Wednesday, Jan 30.  These bills could pave the way for the two coal-fired plants in Western KS to be built.  Legislators are promoting the bill as a "win-win" situation that would address energy and environmental needs.  THIS IS NOT THE CASE.

The bill would not appropriately address greenhouse gasses and is essentially a giveaway for the coal industry.  It's being pushed through so fast we must react NOW!  Can you contact your representatives and tell them to vote NO on HB 2711 & SB 515?  A vote could take place as early as next week. 

This bill would regress on all of the progress KS made when the coal plants were denied.  We were being applauded by the nation and this global warming acceleration bill would have KS being mocked by the nation.  Please look over the attached summary for arguments against the bill and talking points.  This is a very significant issue for the environment, the economy and the future of our children and grandchildren.  PLEASE - let your legislators know you're watching them and how you want them to vote on HB 2711 & SB 515 (NO!)

MORE INFORMATION:
Summary of HB 2411, the Global Warming Acceleration Bill

This proposed bill is a nothing but a sweetheart deal for Sunflower and the coal lobby. This special deal, crafted in secret with coal industry lobbyists, and now poised to be rushed through the Kansas legislature, would increase the state's total global warming emissions more than 10 percent, and threatens to make Kansas the coal capital of the Nation. The bill would also ensure that Kansas will fall even further behind the dozens of other states that are moving beyond coal, embracing technical innovation, clean energy and family-supporting jobs, and doing their part to solve global warming, the greatest threat to our Nation's peace and prosperity. This bill, if enacted, will be held up by our children as they ask in disbelief: "You did what in the face of scientists warnings about global warming?"

The Bill Was Crafted In Secret With Coal Industry Lobbyists

  • This bill was crafted in secret between legislators and coal industry lobbyists and now the bill's sponsors are trying to rush this bill through without an honest and open process. This 37-page bill is filled with numerous changes to state law that will affect Kansans statewide, has unknown fiscal impacts, yet the bill's sponsors are providing less than four hours for public testimony next week during work hours, when most people (except full-time lobbyists) cannot get to Topeka. At a minimum, the public should have more time - at least as much time as Sunflower's lobbyists have had over the past weeks - to review and critique this bill.

The Bill Would Be the First State Legislation to Accelerate Global Warming And Undo 2007 Gains

  • This bill would undo the one major step Kansas took in 2007 to limit global warming pollution. Last year as many other states moved forward to limit global warming pollution from coal plants, autos and other sources, Governor Sebelius rejected the Sunflower coal plant, the nation's largest proposed new source of global warming pollution. This came at a time as other states were also rejecting coal plants because of the global warming threats, including Florida , Oklahoma , and Washington . Nationwide, 31 coal plants were rejected or abandoned in 2007.
  • This bill would undo Kansas ' only major contribution to solving global warming to date and allow the massive Sunflower coal plant to proceed. The Sunflower coal plant would emit more than 10,000,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually for 50 years. Kansas ' total 2007 global warming emissions topped 101 million metric tons (MtCO2e). No other state is proposing to reinstate previously-rejected plans for new coal plants and increase global warming pollution. In fact, outside of Kansas many utilities are turning against coal plants because of costs and environmental concerns. According to the Edison Electric Institute, in the 3 rd Quarter 2007 over 10,000 megawatts of new electric generation were proposed by investor-owned utilities, but no coal.
  • Not only would this bill allow the nation's largest new source of global warming pollution to move forward, it would also extend a welcome mat to other coal plant developers who have had their plants rejected in other states. Under this bill Kansas could become the coal plant capital of the Midwest .

The Bill Would Require the State to Issue A Permit, Even if the Pollution Would Cause Imminent Harm

  • Section 30(t) (2) is a particularly insidious provision long sought after by the polluter lobby. Existing state law, K.S.A. 65-3012, has provided the Kansas Health Department with the authority to deny a permit if a proposed project would threaten human health or the environment. This is the provision the Department relied on to reject the Sunflower coal plant. This bill strips the Health Department Secretary of that authority and requires the state to issue a permit even if the Secretary determined that the proposed project would threaten Kansans' health.

The Bill Puts Kansans' Health In the Hands of Bush Administration.

  • The Bush Administration has the worst environmental record of any Presidency in history, and has been roundly chastised by Democrats and Republicans alike. Most recent, Republicans, including Senator McCain, and Governors Crist, Pawlenty, and Schwarzenegger, have criticized the Administration's refusal to address global warming pollution. Yet this bill turns over environmental protection in Kansas to the Bush Administration.
  • This bill (section (t)(1)(A)) prohibits the State of Kansas from regulating global warming pollution unless the federal government acts first. It prevents the State from taking action where the federal government has failed to act.  Even though the United States Supreme Court told the Bush Administration that it was obligated to regulate carbon dioxide, the US EPA has refused to take action and under this bill Kansas would be prohibited from acting.
  • For example, this bill prohibits Kansas from adopting the same clean car standards already adopted or proposed in 28 other states. If you trust the Bush Administration to protect your health and environment in Kansas better than local officials in Kansas , this bill is for you.

The Carbon "Offsets In This Bill Are a Farce

  • The bill alleges to require carbon "offsets" for new coal plants and implies that these offsets will help reduce global warming pollution in Kansas . This is false. This bill represents the worst type of legislation - its authors declare that it is written to fix a problem when in fact it is written to exacerbate the problem. These "offset" provisions are designed so broadly as to allow business as usual for Sunflower and the coal lobby. The bill simply gives credits for spending money - struggling ratepayer's money - without any accountability. Here are some, but by no means all, of the worst examples:
  • The bill gives two tons of "credit" for every ton of carbon dioxide captured using chilled ammonia and other technologies at a coal plant. But the bill does not require that any captured carbon dioxide is safely disposed of and does not contribute to global warming. There is such a carbon capture facility being tested at the We Energies' Pleasant Prairie coal plant in Wisconsin - it simply vents any captured carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. Section 12 (a)(1)(2)(A).
  • The bill gives a one and a half ton credit for wind projects constructed in Kansas anytime in the past seven years, i.e. gives credit for prior actions and does nothing to cut current global warming emissions. Section 12 (a)(1).
  • The bill allows a one ton credit for every dollar spent on educating the public about energy conservation (including outside of KS), without any accountability requirements to ensure that such education actually achieve reductions in global warming pollution. Section 12 (d).
  • The bill allows a ton of "credit" for each dollar spent on research projects to develop new technology to capture carbon, even if the research "did not result in the development of successful technology." Section 12 (c).

This Bill Will Ensure Kansas Continues to Lag Far Behind Other States

  • Aside from the Governor's bold action in 2007 to stand up for Kansans' health and reject the Sunflower coal plant, Kansas is falling further and further behind the rest of the country as dozens of other states are promoting clean energy, creating green-collar jobs, and solving global warming. Other states are adopting standards for clean cars, renewable energy standards, and carbon trading programs. This bill does none of that and would set Kansas even further back nationwide. Compare what other states are doing:
  • Global Warming Action Plans - 35 states have developed and adopted, or are currently working on state action plans to curb global warming pollution. Not Kansas .
  • Clean Cars - 28 states have adopted or are proposing to adopt clean car standards that curb global warming emissions. Not Kansas
  • Clean, Renewable Energy Standards - 21 states have renewable energy standards to boost investment in clean, renewable energy and create green-collar jobs. Not Kansas .
  • Carbon Trading - 21 states are working on regional carbon trading programs. To her great credit, Governor Sebelius has stepped forward and signed the Midwest Governors Greenhouse Gas Accord along with other Midwest Governors. But the Governor can't implement this accord without action by the Kansas Legislature. This bill does not even mention the Midwest Governors' Accord or provide any authority for the state to move forward and work with its neighbors to implement the Accord.

This Special Interest Bill Flies In the Face of Kansans' Support For Clean Energy

In poll after poll, Kansans have demonstrated they support strong action to promote clean energy, build green collar jobs, combat global warming and moving beyond increasing the state's current over reliance on dirty coal plants. Yet this bill forces the state to approve any and all coal plants and does nothing to promote clean energy and help residents and business save energy and cut energy costs.

Governor Schwarzenegger offered this warning to politicians who go along with the coal lobby and pretend the public does not care about global warming: "Your political base will melt away as surely as the polar ice caps -- I can guarantee you of that," Schwarzenegger said. "You will become a political penguin on a smaller and smaller ice floe, drifting out to sea. Goodbye, my little friend."

This Bill Does NOT Recognize the Vast Wind Resources In Kansas

Kansas has the third largest wind resources in the nation. This bill does not recognize this potential, and would create an avenue for more coal plants to be built in Kansas - inhibiting the development of wind. Kansans will miss out on prosperous economic benefits if this happens. In addition, Kansas ' opportunity to be a leader in the development of renewable energy will be lost and we will become a contributing factor to global warming. There is certainly no need to continue using Wyoming 's coal when we could be using Kansas ' wind!