Here’s the press release from the Governor’s office (which should be available soon on the Governor’s website):
Governor vetoes bill with same elements of the last; remains committed to seeking common sense compromise
Veto message for House Substitute for Senate Bill 148 from Governor Kathleen Sebelius:
“Legislators who promote the expansion of coal-fired plants in Kansas made a strategic decision with SB 148. Rather than working toward a compromise solution or having any conversation about energy policy, this bill was drafted behind closed doors. It contains the same onerous elements of the previous bill that I vetoed; and again, these are elements I cannot accept and will not support.
“I am still hopeful we can have meaningful discussions about a true compromise; rather than being sent the same bill in disguise yet again.
“This maneuver has done nothing to address the issues at hand – developing comprehensive energy policy, providing base-load energy power for Western Kansas, implementing carbon mitigation strategies and capitalizing on our incredible assets for additional wind power. Furthermore, putting the regulatory permitting process into the hands of a Legislature whose membership changes every two years would set a dangerous precedent and result in real regulatory uncertainty.
“President Bush has announced a new goal for stopping the growth of greenhouse gas emissions, and recognized that the power sector must make significant efforts to achieve that goal. Since the most likely way to achieve this goal is through a cap and trade system, which would, in effect, tax carbon, it would be unfair to Kansans, for our utilities to build coal fired plants for other states until we can evaluate the costs of those plants for Kansas tax payers and rate payers.
“We must remember the decisions we make today have a huge impact on Kansans for generations to come. The challenges before us can and should be met through a common sense solution.
“Pursuant to Article 2, Section 14 of the Constitution of the State of Kansas, I veto House Substitute for Senate Bill 148.”
With this action, Sebelius has signed 91 bills this legislative session and vetoed two.
CEP: What does this all mean?
Now there are two major bills currently before the legislature, SB 327 and SB 148. Both have now been vetoed by Governor Sebelius. The veto on SB 327 has been overridden by the Senate, and now awaits an attempted override by the House. SB 148 will now go back to the legislature where override votes will be considered in both the Senate and the House.
The legislature is currently on break and returns on April 30th for the veto session.
Check back for more legislative updates as the situation unfolds! Also, if you need to know more, check out CEP’s FAQs on the Kansas Coal Controversy.
— Eileen Horn, www.climateandenergy.org
CEP Wind Week: Wind energy projects- beautiful or intrusive? One artist’s perspective.
April 17, 2008
The newest wind energy project in Kansas, Smoky Hills, is located 20 miles west of Salina along I-70. The 56 turbines that make up Phase I of the project will produce clean energy for 30,000 Kansas homes per year, and their highly visible location (just north of I-70 and easily seen from the highway) has allowed many Kansans to see a wind energy project up close for the first time. Jason Becker, an artist from Colwich, Kansas visited the project recently, and has shared his photos with CEP.
He also shared some of his impressions of the experience:
“Growing up and having lived in Kansas my whole life, I am on a first name basis with the wind. I would like to say the wind and I are friends, but as a person who enjoys being outdoors as much as possible, I know the downside to any, otherwise pleasant day outside…is that darn old wind. However, I am well aware that wind has its upside, and so decided to check it out on a calm, beautiful evening in mid March. I took a trip out to the Smoky Hill Wind Project near Lincoln to see the wind turbines up close and personal.
I have for a few years now seen flat bed tractor-trailer rigs going up and down the interstate carrying individual blades, each barely hanging off the end of its long trailer, but it wasn’t until that day in March that I had actually seen one in action…up close at least. They aren’t hard to spot, you can see them from nearly twenty miles away on a clear day, but seeing them at a stone’s throw is an all together different experience.
They are remarkably quiet, peaceful things, and aesthetically far more pleasing than I had ever given them credit for. They tower over you like a quiet giant, but are far less threatening. The very faint ‘woosh, woosh, woosh’ of the blades is almost hypnotic in its rhythm. As I stood beneath one of the towers, I was overcome with a sense that I was seeing something very special, very important. 
There are those who will inevitably criticize them as being an eyesore, breaking up the landscape, and destroying a beautiful view. I see their point, I really do. However, as someone who lives in the shadow of a coal fired power plant I would trade my present view for turbines any day.
Each of these turbines was not only enjoyable to look at and hear the rhythm of, but is, more importantly, freeing each of us from a fossil fuel-dependent future. I realize this might sound sappy, over-the-top perhaps, but in the long run I believe that others will feel the same way. With wind energy, ingenuity meets opportunity, and Kansas stands poised to reap the benefits.
To those who wish to argue against wind turbines, I would encourage each to go see what they are all about, up close. Not only are they, for a lack of a better word, “cool” to look at, but they also symbolize what is possible for sustainable energy in our great state. Wind is something we are good at, and we should foster and nurture the technology, and the process for years to come.
So, wind and I are sure to still have our quarrels- especially when it puts a damper on an otherwise perfect day at the lake, but I think I’ll cut him some slack from now on. He’s doing as much for Kansas at the moment as most of us…and doesn’t even mind working nights.” -Jason Becker
Jason’s perspective is one among many.
Clearly, the issue of the aesthetic impact of wind energy is one that each of us will decide personally.
Have you visited a wind project lately? Want to share your thoughts with CEP?
Email us at: info@climateandenergy.org.
We’ll post a sample of the responses at the end of Wind Week!
Interested in reading more about the aesthetic impact of wind energy? Check out this recently-released report by the National Academy of Sciences, “Environmental Impacts of Wind Energy Projects.”
-Eileen Horn, www.climateandenergy.org
Other offerings in CEP’s Wind Week so far:
Wind power and human health
Photo essay, Smoky Hills Wind Farm
What you need to know to get started on wind energy
Colby Wind Summit
Wind in the News
