Energy debate, round 2

    The debate over Kansas' energy policy is likely to grab its share of headlines again this year, as Sunflower Electric Power Corp. plans to renew its push for legislative permission to build two coal-fired plants near Holcomb.
    "Of course we don't know how that will play out, because it's not in our hands," Cindy Hertel, communications coordinator for Sunflower, said Tuesday. "It's in their hands."
    She said the project enjoyed widespread legislative support in 2008, and lawmakers came within one vote of overriding the governor's veto of a bill that would have allowed Sunflower to move forward.
    Sunflower sought permission last year to expand its existing operation in Finney County by building two more coal-fired plants, which would provide an additional 1,400 megawatts of generating capacity. The company estimates that a 700-megawatt unit alone would generate enough energy to meet the needs of about 660,000 households.
    The company would ship roughly 86 percent of the energy to its partners, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association of Westminster, Colo., and Golden Spread Electric Cooperative Inc. of Amarillo, Texas. The two companies are helping finance the project.
    Supporters of the $3.8 billion project say it would boost southwest Kansas' economy by creating 1,500 new construction jobs and nearly 250 full-time positions once the plants are up and running.
    Dodge City Mayor Kent Smoll said the project would be good for the region, noting that Garden City, Dodge City and Liberal had all voiced support for it.
    "It's my understanding that it's 50 percent cleaner than what they're doing over there now," he said. "So to sit here and — if you need the baseload and it's cleaner than what we've got, then it's probably better."
    Sunflower's plans encountered a major setback last fall when Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Rod Bremby denied an air quality permit for the project, citing potential carbon dioxide emissions and their impact on the environment. That decision has spawned several legal challenges from Sunflower and its supporters, including a recently filed federal lawsuit.
    The 2008 Legislature responded to Bremby's decision by approving three bills designed to reduce his regulatory authority and allow Sunflower to move forward with the project. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius vetoed all three, and efforts to override her veto ultimately proved unsuccessful.
    Rep. Melvin Neufeld, the outgoing speaker of the Kansas House and a supporter of the Sunflower project, told the Globe that lawmakers had a strong chance of lining up enough votes this year to override the governor's veto.
    Sebelius said last week that she prefers more renewable energy sources such as wind power over coal, according to her office. She also said that Congress and President-elect Barack Obama could render the debate moot by enacting new rules on energy production and carbon dioxide emissions.

Energy debate
    Rep. Pat George said that lawmakers who support the coal-fired plants will have to do a better job this year of addressing environmental concerns and educating Kansans about the benefits of the project.
    "I thought we did a poor job of delivering the message last year because again, these would be the two cleanest plants in the country and maybe the world," said the Dodge City Republican, who supported the project and efforts to override the governor's veto.
    Kansas Sierra Club spokeswoman Stephanie Cole said that lawmakers will likely authorize Sunflower to move ahead with the project, given the company's commitment to winning legislators' approval. But she predicted that the debate would play out the same way as it did in 2008.
    "I do think that they're going to try and they will likely pass legislation," she said. "However, I think that we will have a chance, like we did last year, at upholding the governor's veto if she were to veto any legislation that was passed that was similar to what she vetoed last year."
    Cole said that the environmental advocacy organization is prepared to defend Bremby's and Sebelius' position again this year.
    George acknowledged that the coal-fired plants will be on the Legislature's radar again this year, but he predicted that the state's budget crisis would overshadow every other issue.
    "I would say that coal might rank No. 2 or 3," he said. "But it's like the budget being Mount Everest and coal being Sunflower Mountain or whatever the highest point in Kansas is."
    The Legislature will be searching for ways to plug a hole in the budget that could reach $141 million this year and top $1 billion next year if it isn't addressed.