GPACE’s Scott Allegrucci misleads again

by Bob Weeks on April 2, 2009

In the energy debate in Kansas, sometimes facts are hard to come by. Especially when green energy advocates mislead others about facts they must be aware of.

An example is GPACE Director Scott Allegrucci’s comments from Clean Energy Day, a post which holds his remarks before a crowd in Topeka.

In his remarks, Allegrucci uses imagery of a western Kansas desert to mislead listeners about the water usage of coal-fired power plants. These plants do use water. Quite a bit, in fact.

But Allegrucci must be aware — if has any interest in being intellectually honest — that the power plant has to purchase water rights for the water it will use. That water, if not used by the power plant, would very likely be used in agriculture. Those agricultural products — mostly corn to be turned into beef and ethanol — would in turn likely be exported from Kansas.

But instead, Allegrucci speaks of Colorado and Texas utilities who “get to use our water.” And this: “We suggest it would be cheaper and cleaner to put Kansans to work building a pipeline to Colorado if we’re just going to give them our water.”

This intellectually dishonest debate does nothing to increase understanding of the issues Kansas faces.

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Tagged as: Environment, GPACE, Great Plains Alliance for Clean Energy, Kansas state government

{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

1 LonnythePlumber April 2, 2009 at 11:16 am: Thanks for your observations. Facts against emotional statements are often to grasp. Your more balanced viewpoints help understand the energy issue.

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