News

Her Dirty Secret

Continued from page 4

"I voted for you in the last election.... However, I am very saddened by your stand on this issue.... It will take very strong leadership from your office to take on the coal lobby. If not you, who? If not now, when?" — Jerry Brown, Salina

"I was your postman about 15 years ago when your family lived on Greenwood in Potwin. I am asking you to intercede in the Holcomb power-plant expansion. I know that you are well aware of the ill effects of the coal power production." — John Baker

The comment period closed in December, but since then, the governor's office has received another 400 e-mails from across the country opposing the plant, Corcoran says. In recent weeks, another 150 letters and e-mails have come from business interests in western Kansas urging the governor to support the expansion.

"This really is a global issue," KDHE spokesman Joe Blubaugh says. "I've seen reports on this from international newspapers. It's really caught the world's eye."

Now that the analysis is done, it's up to Bremby to approve, reject or modify the permit. Blubaugh says the KDHE will give 72 hours' notice before the final announcement.

But that's not the end of what could become a long legal battle. "We're prepared, financially, to go to the mat on this," the Sierra Club's Griffith says.

Sebelius' staffers emphasize that the Sunflower permit is Bremby's decision.

But Griffith says the decision will reflect on the governor. "The governor has the authority, when something is inherently dangerous to Kansas, to say, No, I won't allow it," he says. "It's within the bounds of her office because the KDHE reports to her."

Dean agrees that Sebelius is the one who should be calling the shots on issues of such importance. "She appoints the secretary of Health and Environment, and that secretary is beholden to her," Dean says.

Even House Speaker Neufeld is holding the governor responsible for the KDHE's decision.

"If it's not approved, [that's because] the governor told the KDHE not to approve the pollution permit," Neufeld says. "It's the governor who's going to stop this, if it's going to be stopped, which I certainly hope doesn't happen. That wouldn't be in the best interest of Kansas."

What's a celebrated, bipartisan governor to do? Apparently, keep her mouth shut.

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5