WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Sam Brownback today urged Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius to sign into law a bill which would allow two new coal plants to be built at Sunflower Electric's Holcomb, Kansas, facility. Versions of the bill have passed the Kansas House and Senate, and are headed to a conference committee to reconcile the differences.

"I am very pleased that the Kansas House and Senate acted so resolutely to support the expansion of Sunflower's Holcomb coal-fired power plant," said Brownback. "I am hopeful that Governor Sebelius will sign the final bill into law so that Sunflower can begin construction of the much needed plants."

Last year, Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Rod Bremby did not approve the necessary air permits for the construction of new plants. In response, the Kansas Senate last week passed a bill to allow Sunflower Electric to expand its current facility, located in Holcomb. The Kansas House today passed its version of the bill.

Brownback continued, "It is clear that Secretary Bremby's decision did not have statutory authority and was not in the best interest of Kansas. Expansion of the Sunflower facility would have created 2,000 jobs during construction and an additional 400 permanent jobs and billions of dollars in economic development."

The planned expansion of Sunflower's Holcomb facility would be revolutionary in coal-fired plants. The new coal plants would be part of an integrated bioenergy center that would have significant benefits for the environment. For example, much of the carbon produced by the coal plants would be captured and used to grow algae, which would be crushed to make biodiesel. Ethanol, another renewable fuel, would be produced onsite by using methane gas from livestock facilities.