Topeka — Some Lawrence officials have expressed concern that the ascension of western Kansan Melvin Neufeld to the most powerful position in the state House could mean problems for Lawrence, especially in light of a move by the City Commission opposing the construction of a huge coal-burning power plant in Neufeld's area.
But Neufeld, who was elected speaker of the House this week by the Republican caucus, said Wednesday there's nothing to fear.
"The biggest problem with that kind of thinking is that I'm actually a Kansan. Thinking too small is not something that I want to be guilty of.
"What this is about is the best policy for the state of Kansas. We will promote good policy," Neufeld said in an interview.
But while Neufeld, a conservative Republican, said he has no ill feelings toward the Lawrence City Commission, he is an adamant supporter of the proposal by Sunflower Electric Power Corp. to build three 700-megawatt plants next to its existing 360-megawatt plant in Holcomb, which is about 45 miles west of his hometown of Ingalls in southwest Kansas.
"You'd have to be a little goofy not to support it," Neufeld said, because the proposal would include modern technology that will be more efficient and cleaner burning.
"We're already out there on some days where the air purity coming out of the stack is cleaner than the ambient coming in," he said.
Commission opposes project
Opponents disagree, saying the plant will be the largest new source of greenhouse gas in the country.
Last month, the Lawrence City Commission voted 3-2 to send a letter asking the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to deny the permit for the project and for Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to place a moratorium on additional coal-fired power plants until a feasibility study is conducted on the potential of renewable energy sources. The permit is still under review.
At the time, commissioners who were opposed to the letter warned there could be a political price to pay for it in Topeka. West Kansas legislators and many chamber leaders from the area support the project, saying it will provide jobs to a rural part of the area that is struggling economically.
The commission's action prompted an angry comment from Sunflower spokesman Steve Miller, who said he would push for a western Kansas boycott of Lawrence. He later apologized.
Lawrence has right
Mayor Mike Amyx was one of those who said the commission's opposition could produce political obstacles in the future.
On Tuesday, however, he said that while he had "great respect" for the Legislature, the city had a right to comment on the issue.
"There may be a difference of opinion on it, but the letter has been sent," Amyx said. "The commission decided this was important enough to make our views known."
Many of those opposed to the plant say that Sunflower has overstated the economic benefit of the project because most of the electricity it will produce will be sold out of state. And they have said working toward renewable sources, such as wind energy, would in the long run provide more economic development in west Kansas.
Mike Rundle, who was the commissioner who spurred the commission to write the letter to KDHE, said he hoped the letter wouldn't hurt Lawrence in the Legislature.
"I would hope that legislators would look at the good of the whole state and support what will help the entire state the most," he said. "This one coal plant, in my opinion, is second in line behind wind energy in helping the state as a whole."
Commissioner Boog Highberger, who voted to send the letter, also is an employee of KDHE. He received a legal opinion from city staff that he didn't need to abstain from the issue because his job at KDHE isn't directly related to the permit application.
"The city supports economic development in the western part of the state. But I believe economic development in any part of the state should be done in a sustainable way," Highberger said.
Neufeld at odds
As a conservative and former chairman of the House budget committee, Neufeld often has been at odds with Lawrence legislators over state spending, school finance and higher education.
But lawmakers said they hoped that wouldn't affect his performance in his new role as speaker when the session starts Jan. 8.
Rep. Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, said outgoing House Speaker Doug Mays, also a conservative Republican, "was always fair to the Democrats in the House. I would hope that Melvin will continue that."
Republicans outnumber Democrats in the House 78-47, but Democrats are sometimes able to secure majorities by teaming up with moderate Republicans.
Comments
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merrill (anonymous) says…
Our city commission cannot make decisions for fear of what legislators will think.
gontek (anonymous) says…
Coal fired powerplants are much cleaner than 5 or 10 years ago because of EPA regulations and huge advances in FGD, or flue gas desulphurization technology. Every existing coal fired plant in the US using bitumous or lignite is schuled to undergo retrofit for FGD and any new plant I guarantee will include it, leading to essentially zero emmissions of sulphur dioxide, mercuty, etc. Due to EPA fines it is financially cheaper to retrofit or install the FGD systems than pay for the emmissions.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
"We're already out there on some days where the air purity coming out of the stack is cleaner than the ambient coming in,"
Need any further evidence about how clueless and/or deluded this guy is?
Jackalope (anonymous) says…
Oops. Are the chickens coming home to roost?
Jackalope (anonymous) says…
"Our city commission cannot make decisions for fear of what legislators will think."
Well, if one is want to tread on thin ice, one should at least know how deep the water is.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
Well, Jackalope, before you turn this into a war between western and eastern Kansas, perhaps you should first check out how many people live in the west, and how many in the east, and remind yourself that that determines who has the most seats in the legislature.
commuter (anonymous) says…
Yes that is true but who hold the committe chairman posts now? People from Western Kansas and conservatives.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
But if they start trying to wage a war against the east, they won't have those chairmanships for very long.
conservative (anonymous) says…
And don't forget, even though there are more in Eastern Kansas, Lawrence is still a small island of liberalism in this state. Don't believe for a moment it's East vs West. It's Lawrence versus the rest.
Jackalope (anonymous) says…
Johnson County is a liberal's worst nightmare, not Gray County.
werekoala (anonymous) says…
As "progressive" as I sometimes am, this whole letter thing seems really stupid when I look up north of Lawrence and see the plume rising from our very own local coal power plant.
Tend to your own house before you tell your neighbor how to run his.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
"Johnson County is a liberal's worst nightmare, not Gray County."
Johnson County has just as much to lose from these coal plants as anybody else-- don't expect them to join your war on Lawrence.
"Tend to your own house before you tell your neighbor how to run his."
If this were just about the neighbor running his own house, you might have a point. This is about a neighbor wanting to ruin the whole neighborhood (with the neighborhood being the world.)
Just because there is a long-existing coal plant near Lawrence which should be shut down ASAP doesn't mean that new plants should be allowed to be built in W. Kansas.
snowWI (anonymous) says…
The coal plant in Lawrence will be taken off-line in the coming years because it is close to 50 years old already. The existing coal plants run about 50-75 years before they are de-commisioned.
Even if the proposed Holcomb plants followed the EPA regulations on mercury, there would still be mercury emissions. The EPA regulations are not strict enough, that is why many states are suing the EPA demanding stricter regulations on mercury.
Climate change is now a reality, and Kansas does not need to emit any more GHGs than what is necessary. The potential regulation of CO2 is now being debated in the Supreme Court. The technology that would be used at the Holcomb plants is still pulverized coal. This technology is outdated. The 14 million tons of CO2 produced every year is unacceptable. Develop the transmission line infrastructure for wind energy across Western Kansas NOW, before its too late. Spread the wind farms in many rural counties. This will provide needed jobs in many western kansas counties.
mike_blur (Mike Blur) says…
This is just slightly off topic. or maybe it's not.
Can anyone explain to me why, when traveling to and from Lawrence on Hwy 24, why I see 200-car long coal trains crossing each other headed in opposite directions? Maybe I don't know my lignite from anthracite, or whatever, but by viewing the crossing coal trains, I can't help but think there is some kind of scam perpetrated by the coal industry.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
The ones going south are full. The ones going north are empty.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
If you ever spend much time near the UP tracks in N. Lawrence, you get a "feel" for the difference.
The north-bound, empty trains are noisier, but the full, south-bound trains cause more of a "seismic" sensation.
BigDog (anonymous) says…
"But if they start trying to wage a war against the east, they won't have those chairmanships for very long."
Chairmanships and memberships on committees are determined by the House Speaker.
KUDB99 (anonymous) says…
What we should put in western Kansas are 3 or 4 Nuclear "Breeder" reactors. Take the useable spent fuel from existing reactors and burn it even more to produce power. France gets 60% of their total power from nuclear energy and they use breeder reactors to help get rid of the waste. Think of the economic devolpment and the environmentally safe ramifications.
Now I know that it's difficult to think of nuclear as environmentally sound, but it is much less polluting that carbon based fossil fuel plants. There would be nuclear waste traveling through the state, but if it's secured, it can be handled easily. And it is no more or less dangerous than toxic chemicals that travel our rails everyday.
snowWI (anonymous) says…
"We're already out there on some days where the air purity coming out of the stack is cleaner than the ambient coming in"
Melvin Neufeld probably also thinks the same way as James Inhofe from Oklahoma about global warming too.
Sorry Melvin, but coal plants will never be clean or safe for the environment. The plants would emit 14 million tons of carbon dioxide, mercury, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxides. Your lies are rather amusing.
Baille (anonymous) says…
Careful with going against Melvin, folks. He may call your spouse and attempt to destroy your family by spreading unsubstantiated gossip and salacious innuendo.
tony88 (anonymous) says…
Yeah, Baille... good defense of the destructive power plant...
Lyndilou (anonymous) says…
Wow liberals will never cease to amaze me. They are more concerned with the environment than the well being of their fellow man.
The heart of the matter is that this new plant will creat jobs. Jobs that are vitally important to the economy of Western Kansas.
Don't get me wrong I'm all for cleaner burning fuels and renewable energy. Some say wind farms are the way to go, and yes speaking from experiance (I was born and raised in Holcomb) it can get very windy, but I can see a letter from the commisson and liberals complaing that the blades from the windmills are a danger to local birds and an eye sore. Make up your minds. You complain about the high cost of energy but won't let us do anything about it.
With technology today and strick regulations the new Sunflower power plant will be one of the cleanest burning in the nation. I wonder if we can say the same thing about the one north of Lawrence.
tony88 (anonymous) says…
"They are more concerned with the environment than the well being of their fellow man."
Yeah... who will be thinking about their fellow man when that environment becames incapable of supporting human life because of the extent to which we have destroyed it.
tony88 (anonymous) says…
"but I can see a letter from the commisson and liberals complaing that the blades from the windmills are a danger to local birds and an eye sore. Make up your minds."
You can "see" it? You have no idea. Of course they would support wind power. "Make up your minds." You just move from your hypothetical situation of a letter from the commission complaining about wind plants, to assuming that that situation is a reality? C'mon.
BigDog (anonymous) says…
Tony - It isn't such a hypothetical. Some of the same environmentalists who don't want these power plants also complained about placing windmills in the Flint Hills because they would ruin the look of the Flint Hills.
I am not crazy about these plants either but we can't have it both ways. If we wanna use solar and wind power, then they need to be placed where they will be most effective.
75x55 (anonymous) says…
Tell ya what - I'll fully support any wind farm proposal in Kansas.... right after the Kennedy's let them build that one off Cape Cod.
Wind farms - cannot imagine what the maintenance costs alone would be for such dynamic systems.
budwhysir (anonymous) says…
dont worry, be happy.
what does a wind farm do on days when we dont have wind????????
does solar power work durning a cloudy day??????
i have seen smoke from coal plants and some days it looks like a nice cloud rising in the sky. very pretty against the rising sun and a fluffy white blanke of snow.
tony88 (anonymous) says…
"what does a wind farm do on days when we dont have wind????????
does solar power work durning a cloudy day??????"
That is why a network of wind and solar is necessary. You know, like the Grid we have now. If the network were distributed throughout the nation and decentralized, those places that may be cloudy one day will draw power from the other areas around the nation. Also, excess power generated by solar and wind can be stored in batteries. When the wind or sun is not active, the charged batteries provide the power.
budwhysir (anonymous) says…
dont batteries have lead in them?? not sure I would want the possibility of lead leaching into the soil. I have heard that we have to sell excess power from wind generation back to the current grid.
What is the cost of wind generation. Sound interesting but I am unsure of the battery system. Is it large and is there any possibility of ground contamination from these so called batteries.
i am all for advanced technology and i love to learn something new every day. I find network systems to be complex and they can sometimes be politicaly driven.
Just some thoughts
snowWI (anonymous) says…
Everyone keeps talking about the coal plant north of Lawrence. This plant was built in the 1950s! It will be taken off-line in the coming years.
It is now 2006 and wind energy is now competitive with other forms of energy when if you include the health risks and climate change risks associated with coal plants. I believe that there is someone on the Sebelius staff that is trying to develop plans to build more transmission lines in Kansas. This would lead to more opportunities to build wind farms in many more rural counties in Kansas. Large scale wind farms would help economic development in many rural counties.
budwhysir (anonymous) says…
dont forget about the coal plant north of lawrence that was built in the 50s these plants are only designed to last about 50 years.
snowWI (anonymous) says…
Yet another example of the Bush Administration catering to the big industries, and rolling back environmental regulations.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines...
snowWI (anonymous) says…
Senator Barbara Boxer will take over the Senate Environment and Public Works committee. This position has been held by Senator James Inhofe from Oklahoma.
This is a big shift in control because Senator Inhofe does not believe in global warming, or scientists...
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/...
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
"Chairmanships and memberships on committees are determined by the House Speaker."
Yea, but any Speaker who appoints chairmanships to those using them to wage a political and economic war against eastern Kansas will not be speaker for long.
"they use breeder reactors to help get rid of the waste."
There is NO getting rid of nuclear waste. Once the uranium ore has been mined from the ground, the waste is permanently ours and subsequent generations' pretty much forever.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
Lead-acid batteries aren't the only way to store energy from wind or solar. From wind especially, compressed air and pumping water into hydroelectric holding ponds are two possibilities.
notwhatyouthink (anonymous) says…
Long live the Peoples Republic of Lawrence.
As for wind energy. Part of east Kansas has already opposed it. Remember the Sunflower Army Amunition plant. Johnson County quickly shot down a proposal for a wind farm there. Most of east Kansas would rather have a plant out west then in their back yard.
budwhysir (anonymous) says…
Is there any safe ways to contain energy after it is generated from wind stations?
I mean like any way except batteries. I hate to trade air polution for possible ground contamination from possible battery leakage. I am not sure about compressed air but this would be the same as an air compressor. I have one of those but it has an electric motor on it so I assume I need electricity to run it.
budwhysir (anonymous) says…
Why do we refer to them as wind farms??
We should promote them as wind manufacturing generation centers or efws (enviromental safe wind stations.)
something interesting
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
"I have one of those but it has an electric motor on it so I assume I need electricity to run it."
I guess you need to do some research on what creates compressed air.
Katara (anonymous) says…
"I guess you need to do some research on what creates compressed air."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hey, jabotb! Pull my finger. :D
budwhysir (anonymous) says…
actualy bozo, I am very aware of how to create compressed air. Unless they pay you to manualy move the cylinder up and down we need a machine to do this.
My air compressor has an electric motor on it. My view point is that when I need compressed air, all I want to do is plug my electric motor into the wall socket and get some compressed air.
While I am not a compressor expert, I am always willing to learn more every day.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
You have a compressor cylinder that is driven by an electric motor. Replace the electric motor with a wind-driven unit to run the compressor cylinder, and you have a device that stores the wind energy for later use, either with pneumatic tools and machines (washing machines, coffee grinders, food processors, vacuum cleaners, etc.), or to power a turbine for generation of electricity (to run your teevee and computer, etc.)
Or, you could use the wind turbine to pump water into a reservoir. The water could then be released from the reservoir at whatever rate required to run hydroelectric turbines for electrical generation or as a source of kinetic energy (see pneumatic above.)
purplesage (anonymous) says…
Many years ago, the same controversy erupted in norhtern Arizona over coal-fired plants on the Navajo Reservation near Page. By the 1990's it was theorized that the San Franscisco Peaks would be no longer visible at Flagstaff. They are visible today and will continue to be so; at least a power plant won't be the cause if they vanish!
Power plants are like Wal-Mart Super Centers; nobody wants one in their neighborhood but they all go there anyway. We all use the electricity generated by these plants and they have to be built somewhere. BTW - isn't that a coal fired plant on the NW edge of Lawrence, providing good jobs for the area???
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
"They are visible today and will continue to be so; at least a power plant won't be the cause if they vanish!"
CO2 and many of the other pollutants emitted by a coal-burning plant are invisible. Your point is irrelevant.
"Power plants are like Wal-Mart Super Centers; nobody wants one in their neighborhood but they all go there anyway."
No, they aren't. The pollutants emitted have both regional and world-wide effects. Their location is somewhat irrelevant, as is your point.
budwhysir (anonymous) says…
Yes I see how this would work. It would require modification. Sounds like we would need alot of new equipment. I believe what we have is a way to capture air that can be used to generate electricity thru a hydroelectric turbine.
budwhysir (anonymous) says…
i would not compare power plants to walmart. i see that they are in two different types of business. power plants sell what we need, walmart sells what we want.
in todays world, what we want overrides what we need. we can polute the city with our wants but we must protect it from our needs.
snowWI (anonymous) says…
The balance of power in the congress has shifted to the Democrats. (Senator Barbara Boxer will take over the Senate Environment and Public Works committee. This position has been held by Senator James Inhofe from Oklahoma. This is a big shift in control because Senator Inhofe does not believe in global warming, or scientists)
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/hom...
States should decide where there electricity comes from, and not be responsible for providing "cheap" electricity to other states. The tri-state electricity coop takes advantage of states like Kansas that have fewer environmental regulations.
budwhysir (anonymous) says…
snow, lets not go to global warming.
We are already trying to figure out how we are going to turn wind into electricity and I am so confused.
And to top it off, I have to do a comparison of walmart and coal power plants.
To much work for a weekend.
budwhysir (anonymous) says…
I believe they should sell electricity at Walmart. This would be a good product and we could have a roll back on the prices every week.
Imagine, you could pick up a shirt, socks, gallon of milk, some flowers, a mower, and about 300 kilowats of electricity all in the same place.
Then while leaving in your suv that gets 3 miles to the gallon you could pay $4.95 a gal. for gas and spend all of your min. wage paycheck in one stop. If Walmart guilt houses, we would have nothing to worry about
budwhysir (anonymous) says…
Everyone may have an interest in this. I just watched an article talking about the electric vampires in the average house. These are electric products that actualy draw electricity while they are off. Off is now a standy mode for electronics.
Computers draw a large amount of electricity while on standby.
How will we be able to capture enough wind to keep all of our computers running.
ASBESTOS (anonymous) says…
"Commissioner Boog Highberger, who voted to send the letter, also is an employee of KDHE. He received a legal opinion from city staff that he didn't need to abstain from the issue because his job at KDHE isn't directly related to the permit application."
True, but the Booger IS legal Counsel for KDHE and if this goes to court guess whom is involved? That is right the BOoger!
He should be disbarred for this. Certianly at the least he should hav abstained.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
Come on, asbestos. Can't you put your vendetta against all things KDHE aside for 2 seconds? His job has absolutely nothing to do with considering this application by Sunflower for the power plants, so any possible court challenge by Sunflower based on this letter will go absolutely nowhere.
budwhysir (anonymous) says…
Bozo, you may have overlooked my idea, do you think that Walmart should be selling electricity??
Another idea I had was if wal mart was in the coal business we could let them sell coal to the powerplant here in town. The new walmart has been approved and would be close enough to supply our power plant