KANSAS CITY — A special investigation by the Kansas City Star published Sunday reported that after Gov. Mark Parkinson struck a deal to allow a new coal-fired power plant at Holcomb in western Kansas, Kansas Department of Health and Environment regulators basically turned over the permit process to the utility that wants to build it. Using e-mails obtained through Kansas and federal open records law, the Star reported that in many cases, Sunflower Electric executives helped write the permit and crafted responses from the KDHE to public comments about the permit. The Star also reported that Sunflower used the KDHE to limit public input and pushed the state to issue the permit before tough federal greenhouse gas regulations took effect this year. The permit is the subject of federal lawsuits filed by consumer and environmental groups.
Tuesday, June 21, 3 p.m.
