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Posted on Thu, Jan. 03, 2008
By KAREN DILLON and DAVID KLEPPER
The Kansas City Star
Kansas Voters Agree with Decision to Block Construction of Coal Plants, Poll Says
Kansas voters by a 2-to-1 ratio agree with the decision by the state to block construction of two coal plants in western Kansas, according to a poll released Thursday.
The poll by Cooper and Secrest Associates, a Democratic political consulting firm, found that the 62 percent margin of support was less in western Kansas, but still a majority - 51 percent, while 40 percent disagreed and 9 percent weren't sure.
Although some legislators questioned the poll, its findings give the first public snapshot of where Kansans stand on the divisive coal plant issue. The poll also showed three out of four likely voters support expanded use of wind energy.
The poll was done mainly for research.
"We did not intend to initially make the poll public," said Nancy Jackson, head of the Lawrence-based Climate and Energy Project, a nonprofit, nonpartisan project sponsored by The Land Institute near Salina. "We found (the responses) striking and surprising. We thought it was worthy of sharing publicly."
Senate President Steve Morris, a Hugoton Republican whose district includes Holcomb, where the plants were to be built, discounted the poll's major finding. He said energy policy, climate change and the various economic and environmental aspects of the coal plant decision don't make for easy yes-no poll questions.
"I just can't imagine that would be an accurate poll," he said. "Virtually everyone I've talked to has been concerned about the decision."
Morris noted that The Land Institute opposed the Holcomb project.
"The Land Institute has always been on the forefront of environmental activism in this state," Morris said.
But Alan Secrest, who owns the Washington-based polling company, said the questions that were posed were fair and balanced.
"We went out of our way to articulate both sides often using language made by both supporters and opponents," Secrest said.
The Land Institute was founded in 1976 by Wes Jackson, who is a pioneer in the international sustainable agriculture movement.
The controversy over the proposed power plants reached a critical point in October when the Kansas Department of Health and Environment rejected a permit that would have allowed Sunflower Electric Power Corp. to build two 700-megawatt plants.
Department Secretary Roderick Bremby blocked the proposed coal plants because of concerns over the impact of carbon dioxide emissions on global warming. But Sunflower is fighting the decision and some legislators have vowed to tackle the issue this session.
Sunflower officials were critical of the poll, suggesting it was done to influence legislators.
The poll "will not dissuade us and our many supporters throughout the state from pursuing policies that allow the Holcomb Station expansion to occur," said Steve Miller, Sunflower spokesman. "We would hope that The Land Institute would recognize Sunflower Electric Power Corporation's long-standing commitment to developing renewable energy resources."
State Rep. Rob Olson, an Olathe Republican and the vice chairman of the House Energy and Utilities Committee, said Thursday he suspected the poll was worded in a way to support the institute's position. If the poll results are legitimate, he said, it means the public doesn't know enough about the realities of coal and wind.
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The poll
Cooper and Secrest Associates polled 1,007 likely voters, including an oversampling of 400 from the 1st Congressional District, where the coal plants would have been located. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
The question: "As you may have heard, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment recently REJECTED a permit to allow Sunflower Electric Power to build two new coal burning electricity-generating plants near Holcomb, in western Kansas. The state denied permission to build these plants because the plants would produce up to 11 million tons of carbon dioxide each year, which the state says will have an adverse effect on our environment and health, and will contribute to climate change known as global warming. Opponents of this decision claim it is an arbitrary one, since other carbon dioxide-producing businesses have not been similarly regulated, that it is a decision based on shaky scientific claims, and one that will have a negative economic impact on the state. What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with the state's decision to block construction of these two, new coal burning electricity plants? Would that be strongly (AGREE/DISAGREE) or somewhat (AGREE/DISAGREE)?"
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@ For information on global warming, visit the Our Changing Climate page at KansasCity.com.
To reach Karen Dillon, call 816-234-4430 or send e-mail to kdillon@kcstar.com. To reach David Klepper, call 1-785-354-1388 or send e-mail to dklepper@kcstar.com.
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