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Published online 24 October 2007 | Nature 449, 953 (2007) | doi:10.1038/449953a
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Air permit blocks Kansas coal plants
Global-warming concerns halt construction of power stations.
Sunflower Electric Power Corporation had the documents in order for its plans to build a pair of 700-megawatt coal-fired power plants in Kansas, and all of the technical requirements had been met. A key state official acknowledged this last week, but refused to grant the company an air-quality permit because of concerns about global warming.
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The US Supreme Court judgement ruled that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the authority to regulate carbon dioxide in automobile emissions.Extending this argument to coal-fired power stations led to the confrontation between Sunflower Electric Corporation and the State of Kansas. The case is likely to be a trend-setter. Not with-standing the scientific argument on the role of carbon dioxide and other green-house gases on global warming, the issue the stake is the possible ban on coal power which provides about 50 % of electricity to the power-hungry nation. Developing countries which struggle to meet their basic power requirements will not have the luxury of initiating any steps as a follow-up of the US example.China builds on an average about two coal-fired power stations a week. It has reportedly allowed setting up illegal coal-fired power stations with a total capacity of 120,000MW. How can such a coutry follow any drastic measure? Dr Patrick More, Ex Green Guru and currently a leader of a few nuclear advocacy group recently quoted the study by the Ontario Ministry of Energy, which found a relationship between increased air pollution due to coal-fired electricity generation and up to 668 premature deaths, 928 hospital admissions, 1,100 emergency room visits and 333,660 minor illnesses such as headaches, coughing and other respiratory symptoms, per year. Contribution of Coal-fired power station to climate change is controversial;apparently not so its contribution as polluting agents which has direct impact on the health and well being of populations residing near them. It is ironical that no petitioner brought coal-fired power station as a major polluter to the notice of judicial scrutiny. K.S.Parthasarathy Ph.D
Unfortunately this is modern science gone political and totally wild. It is plainly obvious that emission theory (CO2) in regards to Global Climate Change is totally incorrect. It is a fantasy based on no science at all... or even worse, since Big Oil has been pushing all attention away from the ubiquitous micron layer of petroleum oil covering all the oceans/waters of the world. NASA is aware of this layer, as is the marine micro-layer biologists, and the oil has been identified as coming from petroleum, and its ubiquitous presence on the oceans is well document. However it seems the world is overlooking a terminal condition. Life itself will go extinct if no action is taken NOW. The layer of oil is inhibiting water evaporation into the atmosphere. All the climatic observations such as drought, melting ice sheets, the Arctic loss, not melting Antarctic, hot days (due to loss of cloud cover), mega bush fires, increase in ice clouds, loss of rain clouds, declining fish stocks and rapidly heating oceans are all consistent with the effects due to a membrane upon the seas.... and in fact totally negate any emission (CO2) forcings. Researchers are uncovering many fatal digressions from emission theory. see omegafour.com To deny a power station a permit based upon false science is unlawful. I agree, coal fired power stations are dirty... and need to be phased out but there has to be an alternative.