In a monumental victory last Thursday, the Kansas Department of Health rejected a permit to build two 700-megawatt coal plants near Holcomb, Kansas due to global warming emissions. Roderick L. Bremby, Secretary of the department stated that "it would be irresponsible to ignore emerging information about the contribution of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to climate change and the potential harm to our environment and health if we do nothing." He also cited the Supreme Court ruling earlier this year in Massachusetts vs. EPA, in which the court found that the EPA could regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant under the Clean Air Act.
Thanks in large part to the Sierra Club's efforts to rally public support and file two lawsuits against the project, this is a huge success for Kansas and the entire nation. But the events in Kansas are only the beginning of a growing movement against coal and other dirty forms of energy production. Ranchers, farmers, teachers and countless other Americans are taking up the cause throughout the country, calling for clean, renewable energy sources in their states.
Learn more about the hazards of coal, and take action to urge your Senators and Representative to pass forward-thinking energy legislation this fall that will reduce our dependence on dirty fossil fuels.
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