01-23-08 Update:

Commentary:

Some interesting developments were announced in the local newspaper on January 22. The headline in the paper reads that the coal plant under construction west of Goodland is working to become "green"! While at first glance this appears to be a good thing, and many people reading that headline will believe the investors are thinking of doing only the best for residents of Sherman county. However, there is likely another slant to that article which folks should consider.

First, the article mentions that burning other things instead of coal will reduce carbon emissions in order to be more "environmentally friendly". Finally the investors admit that there will be unfriendly emissions from this plant!! No one seemed to be concerned about that in the past, because everyone was told that emission controls were supposed to be in place to make this one of the cleanest coal plants in the country. So why now is there a sudden interest in reducing carbon emissions? Of course, the ever present positive slant presented to the local community is that by burning cardboard, tire chips (will burning tires really be "green"?), biowaste and possibly municipal trash, that this facility will also be helping our landfill situation by removing solid waste. Thank you so much for thinking of us! Those of us near the plant cannot wait to experience what burning biowaste and tires smells like!

Actually, for over two years many of us have been wondering just how the plant would be getting it's coal. There are currently no plans for the railroad to build a spur to the plant, and the high price of diesel fuel to power the semiload after semiload of coal trucks has always been thought (by those of us opposing the plant) to be unrealistic in the first place. It seems to us that the investors have finally, after two years, realized that it is simply not feasible to bring in truckloads of coal given the high price of diesel fuel. So how do you get around that? You tell everyone you won't burn coal after all, and you will burn all waste within a 60-mile radius...of course, all of this is in an effort to reduce those nasty carbon emissions which were never supposed to be a problem in the first place!

Another interesting item in the paper is that many of us apparently have misconceptions about coal plants. They really don't harm the environment, nor do they use a lot of water. In fact, this plant will use so little water that the plant could run with water supplied through an ordinary garden hose!

The fact is, burning coal DOES harm the environment, which is why Governor Sebelius recently denounced coal plants and stated that Kansas can do better, and why some presidential candidates are calling for a moritorium on new coal plants. See the articles in the main window for more information. It is also why the Kansas Department of Health and Environment refused to issue two air quality permits for the proposed generation plants near Holcomb. Who are we trying to kid? And when it comes to using water, it is not the coal plant which would be of concern, but the ethanol plant. If the ethanol plant did not use much water, then why were water rights gobbled up from nearby owners in hush-hush deals just before the plant was announced. I know for a fact this occurred because a local acquaintance participated in one of the deals and was told not to say anything. The ethanol facility, when complete, will place a serious drain on the local aquifer. But according to a statement from the local bank last year, "what good does water do if it sits in the ground"! Meanwhile, farmers in eastern Colorado are no longer allowed to irrigate because Kansas has sued for water rights. Apparently the feeling is that, even though it has been established that there is a diminishing supply of underground water in NW Kansas, we might as well draw a few million more gallons each day out of it to run the new ethanol plant.

Back on October 23rd, the newspaper announced that the original wind energy project from January 2005 would finally become a reality. Within 2 months after the concrete cured, the wind farm would be up. Apparently, the concrete has not cured. It is three months later with no hint of a wind farm anywhere. Another empty promise. Actually, that is the one bright light which makes sense in this entire project, using wind energy. Too bad the only facility which would not produce pollution is having a difficult time getting off the ground.

It was also announced back in October that the 6 1/2 miles of power lines from the plant into the city would begin construction within 2-4 weeks. It is now three months down the road and there is no hint of power lines. I guess we'll see what happens once the weather turns warmer and the ground thaws.

One last item is that the folks promoting the plant in 2005 promised hundreds of new jobs, increased property rentals, increased school enrollment and a boost to the local economy. So why is it that there is now talk of closing one of the elementary schools in the next year or two because of continued declining enrollment, and there is talk that several more local businesses will be shutting their doors soon. It was also announced that there would be 60-100 new jobs in the area as a result. Check your old newspapers to read how each time the energy center officials speak, the number of new jobs promised gets smaller and smaller.

Think about all those promises made to the local community to sell this project back in 2005. It seems many people apparently bought into the hype. Fortunately, there are some of us who never did. Records indicate that First National Bank has loaned $7 million dollars to the investors, and has itself invested an additional $3 million dollars (see the link under Goodland Energy Center). Just think of the possibilities if that money would have been used for something other than a chemical plant west of town. There are hundreds of thousands of dollars driving right past Goodland every day on Interstate 70. Development of businesses along exit 17 and exit 19 could potentially draw outside dollars into the local economy and provide jobs for the area...all without polluting the environment!