Fueling the Kansas Economy

Proven Nuclear Reserves

During the 1960s, interest in nuclear fuel was heightened by the expanding demand for electricity in the southwest, environmental concerns and legislation directed at stack emissions from coal plants and the fact that nuclear fuel was being touted as cheaper. Kansas Gas and Electric decided to proceed with nuclear power and add to the diversity of fuels in its energy mix. In 1985, Wolf Creek was declared officially "on line" when the first commercial electricity was generated. Wolf Creek Generating Station, near Burlington, Kansas is a Westinghouse nuclear reactor producing more than 1,200,000 kilowatts of electricity. This is enough energy for 800,000 Kansas homes.

Proven Coal Reserves

Jeffrey Energy Center is a coal-fired power plant near St. Marys, Kansas. This Westar plant has a maximum rated energy center output of 2400 megawatts. Jeffery came into operation during the late 1970s in the wake of an energy crisis created by a quadrupling of world oil prices. It's inauguration in 1978 was heralded with a visit by Vice President Walter Mondale, a liberal democrat, praising its use of domestic coal reserves at a time when many power stations were still using imported oil.

La Cygne Generating Station consists of cofiring old railroad ties from the Kansas City Southern Railroad system and blended coal. The Westar Energy plant is located 65 miles south of Kansas City. The center’s energy output is nearly 700 megawatts and came into operation during the late 1970s in the wake of an energy crisis created by world oil prices. Proven Oil and Gas Reserves

Significant heavy oil reserves lie along a corridor that extends along the Kansas-Missouri border and covers an area of nearly 8,000 sq miles. Heavy oil reserves in Missouri alone total nearly 2 billion barrels with an additional 100,000,000 bbl in Kansas and 500,000,000 bbl in Oklahoma. Kansas produces almost as much energy as it consumes. Theoretically, it's one of the few states that could be self-sustaining with respect to energy resources.

The value of oil and gas produced annually by Kansas amounts to $2 billion - nearly equal to the value of Kansas crops. Kansas has 44,000 producing oil wells and 18,000 natural gas wells. The Hugoton-Panhandle field, running from southwest Kansas into Oklahoma and Texas, is the Western Hemisphere's largest natural gas field. States surrounding Kansas such as Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, all have significant oil and gas reserves.

Proven Wind Reserves

Gray County Wind Farm is located near the city of Montezuma in southwestern Kansas. This wind farm can generate up to 110 megawatts of power, enough for 33,000 households. The Central Plains Wind Farm will be a 99 MW project in Wichita County. The Flat Ridge Wind Farm is a proposed 100 MW wind-powered electric generating project to be located in Barber County, Kansas.

Reality

The reality is that Kansas needs to invest in its God-given natural resources. We have squandered many opportunities in the name of environmentalism. Make no mistake, as the son of an engineering geologist and land management expert I embrace good stewardship of our land. Man can and will exist on this earth as good stewards if we follow moral and Christian principals.

But Kansas has been given a special gift in our natural resources. The problem is that non-fact based science and political correctness has limited our abilities. State and national leaders simply must embrace our energy opportunities. Kansas needs another nuclear reactor. We are a leader in coal and gas reserves and should build more generating stations and plants. We are a leader in oil reserves and close to many states that lead in oil reserves. What Kansas needs and what our country needs are more refineries and Kansas could provide them. Finally, Kansas is most certainly known for its wind, let’s continue to harness its power. Power that farmers recognized 100 years ago.

Because of political correctness, unethical research, and environmental fear mongering we have not build reactors or refineries in the US in over two decades. Instead, we have subjugated our talents, Entrepreneurism, and capitalistic drive and have become just a consumer in energy, not a provider. We rely on Middle Eastern and South American resources as the main provider’s for our energy use. We enrich Islamo-fascist instead of Kansans and American companies.

The next time you fuel up or turn up your thermostat think about the money flying out of your state and country and into the tank of a Mercedes with Saudi plates.