CAMPUS AND AREA
University Daily Kansan, February 23, 1984
Page 8
Wolf Creek
continued from p. 1
ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS already have begin for the areas affected by acid rain. For several years, the rain that has fallen on these areas has been mixed with substantial amounts of sulfuric and nitric acids. The acid has been blamed for polluting lakes, streams, and forests and for killing large numbers of fish and animals.
The problem is so serious in both Canada and the United States that it has become a controversial political issue for both governments. Public anger over acid rain may bring tougher new air pollution laws, and the severity of climate change could how much the melior industry could benefit.
"If acid rain is a large problem and a lot has to be done to stop it, then nuclear energy will become much more competitive, both economically and environmentally," said Frank Graham, vice president of the Atomic Industrial Energy trade association based in Bethesda, Md.
GRAHAM SAID THAT Congress was considering many proposals that sought to resolve the acid rain problem. Those proposals disagree over the amount of money that would be required to rid the skies of the acidic particles. Graham said one proposal called for as little as a million to stop the problems. Another proposed the price at more than 10 times higher, at $99 billion.
Just as the proposals vary in cost, they differ over who should pay for the costs involved in requiring coal-fired plants to generate energy with fewer pollutants.
Steve Skelton/KANSAN
To cut down on emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, coal-fired plants would have to
ACID RAIN: a drawback to coal
Scrubbers are complicated devices built into the smokestacks of the plants. They remove the ash and sulfur dioxide in the gases produced by burning coal, but can cost between $10 to $23 million to install.
NUCLEAR EXPERTS SAY it is only a matter of time before their industry's electricity infrastructure becomes plugged in.
and members from environmental groups don't foresee such an easy nuclear takeover.
"There is probably little chance that the acid rain issue will make nuclear power that much more competitive," said Mari Peterson, a member of the Nuclear Resource Council, a taekwa environmental group.
PETERSON SAID nuclear energy would become financially attractive only if utility companies included smaller plants in their long range plans. She said these plants, which are designed to be small and low cost, be the nuclear industry's only hope for competing with coal any time in the near future.
"They have a long way to go to bring those two to where they are competitive with each other," she said. "The EPA may go for extremely tighter controls on coal plants. But they are pushing for tighter controls on nuclear plants all the time that's going to raise the cost for them, too."
DIRTY AS COAL plants may be, they produce electric electricity. So cheap, in fact, that coal-fired stations currently are squeezing out of the market for making and selling electricity.
Coal plants are bargains mainly because they can be built for about half as much money as
nuclear plants of similar size.
“At the time we conceived it, it seemed like a good idea,” Kramer said. “We were, and still are, reliant on coal. We had two needs at the time: generating capacity and diversity our fuel supply.”
Kramer said KCP&L decided to build a nuclear plant because it met the needs of the company. He said building another coal plant would not have benefited KCP&L.
Tomorrow the Kanan will present the last article in this four-part series. It will examine energy sources the state could pursue in place of nuclear power.
Hearing
continued from p.1
more electricity than is needed. Under the bill, the KCC would then have discretion to adopt a plan for a gradual phase-in of the value of such excess capacity.
"Such an after the fact-phase in will mitigate the initial effect of a one-time rate increase, but not a constant rate increase."
The bill would leave to the KCC's discretion the decision to permanently deny a fair return on investments in portions of the plant that were intended to be temporarily in excess capacity, he said.
He told the committee that if it decided that public policy allowed under some circumstances to phase in to rates the costs of completed facilities, then it should also provide assurances to shareholders that the phase in plans would not deny a reasonable opportunity to earn a fair
ON MONDAY, KG&E proposed a rate plan that would phase in ceilings of building the plant over five years. By the end of that five years, electric rates would increase 95.4 percent.
Haines told the committee that as of December 1982, Kansans owned 17.7 percent of K&E's common stock. He said that the 10.872 percent of K&E's total shareholders about 20 percent of K&E's total shareholders.
STACY OLLLAR JR., pastor of Bristol Hill United Methodist Church in Johnson County, told legislators that rate increases caused by Wolf Creek would cause property taxes to increase to support schools and local governments, which would also have to pay higher electricity rates.
He also said the cost of goods and services would go up "because every business must pass along the cost of doing business to the consumer prices of the goods and services rendered
Ollar said that as those prices went up, the consumer would cut back in electrical usage.
"The utility company must come back requesting higher rate increases and thus reducing the demand."
Testimony was scheduled to continue today, and the committee planned to tour a nuclear site.
BLACK BY HERITAGE . . .
FREEDOM BY KNOWLEDGE.
Ellsworth Black Caucus 1984
Presents
The 7th Annual Soul Food Dinner and Dance Sat., Feb.25,1984
at 6 p.m.
Ellsworth Residents: Free Guests: $4.50
Other KU Hall Residents: Meal Transfer
Funded by the Student Senate Activity Fee
DANCE TO MOTOWN
James Brown
Aretha Franklin
The Supremes
Diana Ross
TONIGHT FREE ADMISSION
Thurs. Feb. 23
Jackson 5
8:30 p.m.
beer and other refreshments will be sold
Burge (Satellite) Union Party Room
$1 DRINKS AND 25c DRAWS
TIL 10:30 P.M.
HAPPY HOUR PRICES TIL CLOSE.
NO COVER CHARGE TONIGHT.
ATTENTION STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
(Funded by the Student Activity Fee)
The Budget forms for the 1984-1985 Spring Budget hearings will be available Feb.20,1984 in the Student Senate Office (B105 Kansas Union)
Budget requests due March 2,1984 4:30 p.m. in the Student Senate Office
Late Budgets will not be accepted For more information contact the Student Senate Office
A 20c Student Loan from Armour.
For those whose thirst for knowledge is exceeded only by your hunger for hot dogs, Armour would like to award the generous stipend above.
(We suggest you put it towards the purchase of Horner's lliad or your next anthropology textbook!)
So, while you're consumed with your studies, we hope you'll use our "grant" to consume some plump, juicy Armour hot dogs!
Available at:
Available at:
RUSTY'S FOOD CENTER — HILLCREST
DILLONS FOODS — 1740 MASSACHUSETTS
FOOD 4 LESS — 2525 IOWA
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