Topeka ? Eight state attorneys general on Friday asked Kansas to reject Sunflower Electric Power Corp.’s proposal to build three coal-fired plants in western Kansas, saying carbon dioxide emissions from the project would contribute to destructive climate change.

“We encourage Kansas to explore alternatives that will allow Kansas to satisfy its needs for energy without exacerbating global warming,” the officials said in a letter to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Steve Miller, a spokesman for Hays-based Sunflower Electric, said he disagreed with the position of the eight states, but that they were entitled to submit their remarks.

Miller said probably the best way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions would be to focus on improving pollution controls on plants in foreign countries.

The states opposed to Sunflower Electric’s proposal are California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. The Lawrence City Commission has also filed a letter in opposition.

Sunflower wants to build three 700-megawatt plants next to its existing 360-megawatt plant in Holcomb. Two of the plants will be owned by Denver-based Tri-State Generation and Transmission, which will sell electricity to its cooperatives in Colorado.

The plan has prompted hundreds of responses to KDHE, which will decide whether to grant a permit for the project.

Environmentalists and religious groups have opposed the plant proposal, saying the reliance on burning coal will add to greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Sunflower has said the project is needed to keep up with demand for electricity, and it will be much cleaner-burning than older plants. Many western Kansas communities and officials have supported the proposal.

The opposing states said the plant would pump 15.4 million tons of carbon dioxide into the air annually, which would cancel out emission-control measures adopted by California and northeastern states.

“Climate change is the single greatest environmental challenge facing the world today,” the attorneys general said.

The officials urged KDHE to reject Sunflower’s plan or require the company to use new technologies that reduce emissions and improve efficiency.

The letter was sent on the final day for public comment in the matter.

KDHE has not said when it would decide whether to grant a permit for the plants.

“There is no set requirement on how long the review period can take,” said KDHE spokesman Joe Blubaugh. “We want to be very thorough.”