Topeka ? About 100 people braved the chill Saturday to turn up the political heat against a proposed coal-burning power plant in western Kansas.

“Kansas should be a leader in new technology, such as wind, and not be a part of the problem,” said Nicole Reiz, a senior at Kansas University and president of KU Environs.

Reiz and other speakers said the proposal by Sunflower Electric Power Corp. to build three 700-megawatt coal-fired plants in Holcomb would harm the environment for generations, contribute to global warming and disrupt the economy.

They want the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to deny the permits needed for the project and for Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to declare a moratorium on new coal-fired plants.

“We will not accept business as usual anymore. We are drawing a line in the sand,” said Bill Griffith, chairman of the Kansas chapter of the Sierra Club.

Griffith said the carbon dioxide emitted by the plants would be “the largest new source of greenhouse gases in the United States.”

Those attending also complained that the plant would use up valuable water from the Ogallala aquifer and increase dependence on fossil fuels that is contributing to destructive climate changes.

“We are not simply witnessing the changes to the Earth, we are causing them,” said Margaret Thomas, a founding member of the Sanctuary Sustainable Coalition, which represents religious groups dedicated to solving environmental problems.

She said folks who opposed the plant must work to help the economy of western Kansas by promoting wind energy and other renewable options.

Others echoed those sentiments.

“Let’s get talking about alternative energy and implementing it,” said Cliff Smedley, a former resident of Grant County in southwest Kansas.

Linda Weinmaster, of Lawrence, spoke against the plant because she said it will increase emissions of mercury, a highly toxic metal that she blames for her 15-year-old son’s autism.

“We have got to eliminate mercury in all its forms,” she said.

After the rally, those attending marched around the Capitol carrying signs that read “Stop the Coal Rush” and “The Answer is Blowing in the Wind.”

So far, Sebelius has declined to get involved in the Sunflower decision and issue a moratorium on coal-fired plants.

“Governor Sebelius is considering all options as we seek to balance energy development and conservation in our state,” said her spokeswoman, Nicole Corcoran. “At this point, we’re still gathering information, but I can tell you Governor Sebelius is looking at all possibilities closely.”

Last week, KDHE extended the public comment period on Sunflower’s proposal through Dec. 15.

Steve Miller, a spokesman for Sunflower, said the project should be approved because it complies with all laws and regulations.

“I don’t have any reason to think we have anything to worry about as long as we are following the law,” Miller said.

Of the rally, he said he was thankful he lived in the United States where “we can all share our opinions with our friends and neighbors. Everyone has the right to assemble.”

Sunflower has stated that it can keep mercury emissions to current levels with new technology in its proposed plants and older plants.

Sunflower also says that the project will be an economic boon to the region, and that its drawdowns from the aquifer would be a small fraction of what is used for agricultural irrigation.

Many at the rally complained that the project would do little for Kansas because 90 percent of the energy would be sold through partnerships out of state. But Sunflower says that the plants themselves will provide needed jobs that will benefit the area.