About a month ago Eli reported on attempts to force construction of coal powered electrical generating plants in Kansas. The KS Department of Health and the Environment had refused to issue a permit and Sunflower Electric was trying to get the legislature to over-ride. The leg performed to spec, but the governor, Kathleen Sebelius vetoed. Yesterday, the House failed to beat back the veto and 80 - 45 vote (needed were 84). One of the Republican members who voted to uphold the veto Pat Colloton, said that here constituents won her over
“I’m amazed at how well-educated many Kansans are on issues about the environment and energy,” she said.
http://www.kansasenergy.org/renewable_issues.htm discusses the current state of energy in Kansas. The current battle is quite understandable, given that they have neither net-metering nor Renewable Portfolio Standards nor any green pricing, despite occasional attempts at passing laws.
ReplyDeleteAs Peter Darbee, CEO of PG&E said: if PUCs incent efficiency, that's what utilities work on. If not, don't expect anything to change. He also said that replacing 28 of 35 senior PG&E executives helped...
Kansas *ought* to be building windmills like crazy, given that one can still farm most (95-98%) of the land, the installation jobs would be spread around the state, and the windfarm rental would get paid to lots of farm families.
Note that the votes in favor of veto were less than the last time.
@John M,
ReplyDeleteWhich PG&E is this?
--Adjunct in Stats, lurking in my corner, sharing Eli's opinion of university administrators
www.pge.com , i.e., NorCal.
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