TOPEKA, KS  - Today, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) announced it would accept public comment on an addendum to the air emission source construction permit issued to Sunflower Electric Power Corporation in 2010 for its proposed Holcomb coal-fired power plant in western Kansas. In October 2013, the Kansas Supreme Court  rejectedan initial permit granted by KDHE because it failed to meet U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), among other issues.

In response to today's news, Holly Bender, Deputy Director of the Sierra Club Beyond Coal campaign, issued the following statement:

"Sunflower's weak addendum to the proposed Holcomb coal plant's permit does little to right all that was wrong with its original permit. The addendum does not adequately outline how the Holcomb plant would be able to operate without releasing toxic levels of mercury, lung-damaging sulfur dioxide, and other pollutants.

"At a time when every state is finding ways to cut carbon emissions from power plants, KDHE is giving Sunflower every opportunity to build a boondoggle coal plant that will release a glut of carbon into the atmosphere daily. Tri-State Generation in Colorado is the plant's only buyer, and even Tri-State said it doesn't need Holcomb's dirty power.

"This addendum is just another slick maneuver from Sunflower to try to avoid complying with new and vital carbon standards on new coal-fired power plants. The clean energy economy grows every day in Kansas, making it easier to leave the dirty Holcomb coal plant in the dust."

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