A southwest Kansas community college has lost a nearly $2 million federal grant because of delays in state approval for two new coal-fired power plants proposed by Sunflower Electric Power Corp.

Garden City Community College officials said they were told Monday morning to return the Department of Labor grant that would have trained workers to help build the plants. The same day, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius — who vetoed three bills last year that would have allowed the $3.6 billion project to go forward — was announced as President Barack Obama’s nominee for secretary of health and human services.

“I’m very disappointed,” GCCC president Carol Ballantyne said. “We worked hard to get the grant and had been working hard to get them to hold off until the decision was made. But the roller coaster in Topeka, with the veto and no veto override … it’s just been a roller coaster.”

Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Roderick Bremby refused in October 2007 to issue Sunflower Electric Power Corp. a needed air quality permit for the plants. He cited concerns about potential carbon dioxide emissions, and Sebelius agreed with him.

Supporters last year couldn’t muster enough support to override the governor’s vetoes.

The House on Friday approved another measure that would allow construction of the plants, but it was five votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to override another promised veto.

House Speaker Mike O’Neal said he wishes the Labor Department would have waited a little longer before pulling the grant.

“It’s an example of opportunities that continue to be lost in delaying these types of projects from moving forward,” O’Neal said. “These types of losses we’re aware of, but there also are losses we’ll never know that we were even in line for because of the regulatory uncertainty we have.”

Senate President Steve Morris, a Hugoton Republican, said he was disappointed that the governor’s “shortsightedness” had cost the college $2 million that it could have used to improve the region’s economy.

“It’s really ironic to me that we’re talking about the stimulus package and they take back money that would allow us to stimulate our part of the state,” Morris said. “It makes no sense.”

He said a Senate measure allowing the plants was passed out of committee on Monday and will be taken up on the Senate floor either late this week or early next.