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Concerned Citizens of Platte County, Inc. (CCPC)

April, 2007 Newsletter

Contents





Iatan Power Plant Agreement - Win for Company and Community!



3/20/07 - KCP&L, Concerned Citizens of Platte County (CCPC) and Sierra Club signed a groundbreaking agreement to settle differences about KCP&L's new 850 MW coal-burning power plant at Iatan, MO. In return for dismissal of all legal actions so the Iatan project may move forward, KCP&L has agreed to the following:

- Reduced pollution levels at their Iatan, MO and LaCygne, KS power complexes

- Offset of 100% of the global warming gas from the new Iatan plant with more wind, more energy efficiency and other measures

- A net metering program for KCP&L customers

- Collaboration with the groups on legislation and regulation in both Missouri and Kansas to encourage reduced energy usage

- A study to determine the best future use of KCP&L's oldest power station - Montrose

- Community investment to support KCMO's Climate Protection Plan, better pollution monitoring in the region, drinking water upgrades for the City of Weston, and improved traffic flows near Iatan.

- A goal of reducing KCP&L's carbon dioxide emissions by 20% from 2006 levels by 2020.

CCPC gratefully acknowledges Sierra Club, Great River's Environmental Law Center, Washington University's Environmental Law Clinic, and the many hundreds of citizens that took the time to become involved to help us make a difference.

CAFO Bill Heard in the Senate





4/3/07 - SB 364 was heard on the Senate Floor, but no vote was taken. Opponents dragged out the discussion until leadership decided to recess and move on to more important legislation. We view this as positive for now but will need to continue to watch for movement until the end of the session in May.

Coal Plants dropping like flys



Kansas City, KS's public utility, BPU, has stated that their proposed coal-burning power plant may be on hold due to allegations of Clean Air Act violations. The utility may have made major updates to their power plants without improving pollutions controls. Westar, a Topeka based utility, shelved a new coal plant in favor of wind. TXU, the largest utility in Texas, was bought out and reduced the number of proposed plants from 11 to 3 due to objections from not just environmentalists, but businesses and conservative mayors in Texas.





Events



Clean Energy Show - Thanks to all the vendors and to everyone that helped make this event a success. We had fantastic attendance and will do this event again next year!

Earth Fair -Apr 7- Shawnee Mission East High School- 10am-3pm - 75th and Mission Road

Hear the Jazz, Support the Earth - April 11 - Fundraiser for Sierra Club/Great Rivers Law. Jazz great Bobby Watson will perform. Join us for this celebration of the KCP&L agreement. Contact me at s.brown@netzero.net for more info.

National Day of Climate Action - Apr 14 - Southmoreland Park - 1-3pm - http://www.climateactionkc.org/

Kansas City EarthFest - Apr 21 - Shawnee Mission Park-10am-2pm - www.bridgingthegap.org

Platte County Green Build Initiative - Update



The first committee meeting on March 20 went well with 24 in attendance. The builders are getting questions about green buildings from their customers and are interested in more information. Public education about the advantages of energy efficiency will be a part of this initiative. We discussed incentives, testing for efficiency and looked at a draft ordinance. The committee will meet monthly (dates tbd) with a final ordinance proposal within 6-8 months. The meetings are open to the public. Contact me at s.brown@netzero.net if you would like to attend.

Headlines



Taming Fossil Fuels, Chief executives of America's largest automobile companies - General Motors, Ford, Chrysler and Toyota North America - pledged to support mandatory caps on carbon emissions, as long as the caps covered all sectors of the economy, 3/17/07, NY Times

Junk food with a conscience, Burger King will no longer use meat from animals raised on Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), 4/1/07, Idaho Mountain Express

Justices say EPA has power to act on harmful gases, The Supreme Court's ruling that the Clean Air Act expressly authorizes the E.P.A. to regulate carbon dioxide emissions was a strong rebuke to the Bush administration, 4/3/07,NY Times

Supreme Court rules with Environmentalists against Coal Burning Power Firms, 4/3/07, http://www.stoel.com:80/showarticle.aspx?Show=2250

Missouri Legislation



New bill tracking page http://www.movotesconservation.org/Home.aspx?ContentID=103

Renewables - SB 154 -Sen. Graham - Renewable Electricity Act - Would require utilities to obtain a certain percentage of power from renewable sources like wind. Vote Yes.

SB 54 - Sen. Koster - Would set renewable energy goals for utilities. Vote No.

HB 1062 - Rep. Holsman - New companion bill in House. Vote No - goals are unenforceable.

Net Metering - HB 869- Rep. Holsman - Easy Connection Act - Requires electric utilities to provide true Net Metering in MO. Customers who generate their own electric power with wind and solar would be credited for any excess power they provide back to the utility at the same rate that they purchase power from the utility. It would also ensure easier grid connection for solar and wind systems.

SB 674 - Sen. Bray - New companion bill in the Senate. Vote Yes on both.

CAFO - SB 364 -Sen. Koster - Would take away the rights of counties to enact local health ordinances to protect their citizens from the negative impacts of Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). Vote No.

Please call your reps: http://www.senate.mo.gov/llookup/leg_lookup.aspx.

Does your group need a speaker?



Let us know if your group would like to hear the inside story about the KCP&L/Sierra Club/CCPC agreement. Contact us at s.brown@netzero.net for a request.

I hope you enjoyed this newsletter - e-mail me if you wish to unsubscribe or if you have comments - s.brown@netzero.net. Visit our website at www.ccpcmo.org for more info.

I will have a new e-mail address soon - sbrown816@gmail.com.

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