Recently, Republican leaders of the Kansas Legislature expressed concerns that the decision by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) to deny an air-quality permit for two new coal burning plants would have negative consequences for other businesses and industries. These concerns are unfounded and inaccurate.

First, KDHE has no intent and no authority to regulate any industry outside the permitting process. While the denial of this permit is extremely disappointing to some, the circumstances presented by this application are unique, given the projected levels of new carbon emissions.

Second, Secretary Rod Bremby has indicated that no permit pending in the agency causes this level of concern about "the health of Kansans or the environment" which is his statutory responsibility to review. In fact, the 11 million new tons of CO2 projected to be emitted each year from this project are more than the combined emissions of all the permits in operation approved by KDHE over the past five years. Kansas joins more than a dozen states in the past 18 months, including Oklahoma, Florida and Texas, to say ‘no' to building new coal plants.

The proposed coal-fired plant would emit 25 times more CO2 every year than the largest ethanol plant in our state. Therefore, to characterize the ethanol industry as threatened by this decision is inaccurate, and frankly, irresponsible. There is simply no comparison between the coal-fired and ethanol plants.

Furthermore, the statement that this decision will hamper the construction of new electrical transmission lines is also not true. Earlier this week the Southwest Power Pool approved two new transmission projects in Western and Central Kansas. These new transmission lines will help Kansas harness our abundant wind potential and serve as a catalyst for alternative energy sources in the future.

We are eager for new business opportunities and new jobs in Kansas and are pleased to have a recovering economy with opportunities for new industries to emerge. In addition to harnessing our enormous potential for wind energy, there is great promise in the proposed bioenergy center and carbon capture projects. While the technology has not yet been successful to eliminate large amounts of carbon emissions, additional research and experimentation are essential. We are hopeful that Kansas can be at the forefront of these efforts.

We can continue to grow and make strategic decisions that maximize our natural assets and minimize our current and future liabilities. In the past five years we've seen tens of thousands of Kansans go back to work, maintained a unemployment level below the national average and steered our budget clear of a billion dollar debt -- all without drastically deepening our carbon footprint.

We will continue to work to bring new jobs to all areas in Kansas while protecting the health and safety of our citizens. It is the job we have done in Kansas for the last five years and will continue throughout this administration.