Judge’s Ruling Puts Holcomb Plant On Hold

A federal judge in Washington has put a
proposed coal-fired power plant in southwest Kansas on hold until
an environmental impact study has been completed.
U.S. District Judge Emmett Sullivan ruled Tuesday that the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service violated
federal law by failing to perform such a study before giving
Sunflower Electric Corp. permission to expand in Holcomb.
RUS must sign off on decisions related to the Sunflower project
because it provided past financial support and oversaw corporate
reorganizations.
Sullivan’s ruling in a lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club forbids
the agency from issuing additional approvals for the plant or
taking any other major federal actions until the environmental
study is complete.
Sunflower officials say it’s too early to know how the ruling
will impact the project.