Secretary to lecture about climate change

Lecture part of University Lecture Series on climate change

By Rustin Dodd

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

The Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Roderick Bremby, will lecture about climate change at 7 tonight in the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics. But Bremby may not be able to comment on the issue that has brought him the most attention.

Bremby, who was appointed to his current position by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, gained national recognition this past October because of his decision to reject a plan to build two coal plants in Holcomb.

With Bremby’s decision, the department became the first government agency to cite carbon dioxide emissions as the reason for rejecting the construction of a coal plant.

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CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

The department’s decision ignited a statewide debate about the future of coal, and in mid-February, the Kansas Senate and House of Representatives passed two new bills that would give the Holcomb coal plants a state emissions permit. The bills are currently in a House-Senate conference committee, but many suspect that Sebelius, who called the bills “unacceptable,” will veto any bill that isn’t significantly altered.

Bremby, considered an ally by many Kansas environmentalists, said he could not comment on some aspects of the Holcomb legislation.

“I really can’t talk much about the case itself, but I can revisit comments that have already been a part of public record,” Bremby said. “It’ll be a tightrope walk.”

Brian Sifton, a Kansas City, Mo., senior and coordinator for KU Environs, said Bremby’s decision was important for KU environmentalists.

“It was a break from the status quo,” Sifton said.

Sifton said KU Environs, a student organization designed to promote awareness of environmental issues, had been paying close attention to the Holcomb legislation.

“Everyone wants to know what he’s going to say about it,” Sifton said.

Bremby said his lecture would address climate change at the local level and how the department made its decisions.

“Climate change is an issue that we need to deal with,” Bremby said. “Whether we deal with it nationally or we deal with it locally, I think fundamentally it will require each of us to takes some steps to do what we can to limit our greenhouse gases.”

Bremby’s lecture is the second in the University Lecture Series. The series is being co-sponsored by the KU Honors Program and The Commons — a partnership among the Biodiversity Institute, the Hall Center for the Humanities, and the Spencer Museum of Art.

Sarah Crawford-Parker, assistant director of the KU Honors Program, said the lecture series was created to tackle the climate change issue creatively.

“When you’re dealing with something like climate change, it’s a complicated issue,” Crawford-Parker said. “There’s no one answer.”

On Feb. 12, Nate Brunsell, assistant professor of geography, spoke on climate change. The series will feature three more lecturers after Bremby. William Pizer, a senior fellow for Resources for the Future, will lecture on March 26; Andrew Torrance, associate professor of law, will speak on April 9; and photographer Terry Evans will lecture on April 16.

Crawford-Parker said they expect a large turnout for Bremby.

“It’s essential that these type of opportunities exist on college campuses. It provides an opportunity for discussion and exploration,” Bremby said.

— Edited by Patrick De Oliveira

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