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Global warming is a real and significant threat to people all over our planet. Unfortunately, some of our political leaders are behaving as if the energy choices we make today will have no consequences whatsoever in the future.

Case in point: the proposal to build two giant new pulverized coal power plants in Finney County in western Kansas. The proposed expansion of the Holcomb station will make it one of the largest coal-fired plants in the United States, set to emit an estimated 14 million tons of CO2 annually -- the equivalent of 2.8 million cars. Those emissions would then be "locked in" for the entire operating life of the plant -- typically at least 50 to 75 years.

CO2 is not the only air pollutant that Kansans should worry about. While the electricity from these plants will be exported to the west, noxious pollution from the plants (including particulate matter, mercury, and sulfur dioxide) will follow prevailing winds to the east, and rain down on the population of Kansas and Missouri.

There's just no need for such a massive, coal-burning facility in a state that is blessed with tremendous alternative energy potential. Development of non-polluting energy sources such as wind and solar will create good jobs for Kansans, help the rural economy as land is leased for wind turbines or solar panels, and makes far more sense than locking in huge emissions of greenhouse gases for decades to come.

Tell Governor Sebelius to reject Sunflower Electric's proposal to build massive new coal plants in western Kansas.