Kansas says 'no' to big coal-fired power plant

By Bernie Woodall

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Kansas on Thursday joined a growing list of U.S. states that have rejected plans for coal-fired power on concerns over greenhouse gas emissions when it denied permits for two controversial 700-megawatt units.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) rejected the expansion of Sunflower Electric Power Corp's plant, near Holcomb in western Kansas, in a hotly contested debate that spread across the United States.

Attorneys general from eight states including California and New York appealed to the KDHE to reject the permit because it would impact air quality across the country.

"I believe it would be irresponsible to ignore emerging information about the contribution of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to climate change and the potential harm to our environment and health if we do nothing," said Roderick L. Bremby, secretary of the KDHE.

Some Kansas leaders say the nearly $4 billion plant expansion was needed to create jobs and provide energy in the area.

The decision is the latest in a string of rejections for coal-fired power this year, including plants once planned in Texas, Florida, Oklahoma and Minnesota.

Bruce Niles, head of the Sierra Club's national effort to stop coal plants, called the decision a major victory and another sign of growing resistance to coal-fired power plants.

"It's a watershed moment," Niles said. "Kansas joins Florida and California and other states to stake out a clean energy future based on (renewable) resources and rejects coal."