In Congress: Rep. Waxman ousts Rep. Dingell as Chair of House Energy Committee (CSMonitor). Could be very significant development for the future of federal carbon regulation. Readers may recall that last spring during the Kansas coal controversy Waxman also effectively halted future financing of coal-fired electric plants by the Rural Utilities Service.
Sunflower Electric spends over $1 million on legal challenges to KDHE decision to deny air permits for proposed coal plants (Harris News). (Legal challenges doesn’t include legislative lobbying expenses, I don’t think, right?)
From the Sunflower spokeswoman (Clare Gustin):
Gustin said rural electric cooperative customers in central and western Kansas would also receive $750 million in benefits from the project. That’s because of development and rental fees, as well as economies of scale that result from having a larger Holcomb complex, she said.
“The $1.13 million is a cost of gaining the $750 million benefit for ratepayers in central and western Kansas,” Gustin said.
The Sierra Club spokeswoman (Stephanie Cole) notes “that the utility itself acknowledges that the bill for building the plants continues to rise.”
In its lawsuit, Sunflower claims that the projected costs of constructing the plants have gone up by more than 60 percent in the last two years. Sunflower expects construction costs to continue to rapidly escalate, the filing states.
“If Sunflower does not obtain the permit necessary to authorize construction of the Power Plants in the very near future, the cost of construction may well increase to the point that the Project cannot be financed at all,” the company’s lawsuit states.
— Maril Hazlett, www.climateandenergy.org
