Coal plant debate back in Topeka | Wichitopekington

TOPEKA - Two years after a state regulator rejected plans to build two coal plants in Western Kansas, supporters are back before lawmakers hoping to resurrect the project.

Sunflower Electric Power Corp. and a broad business coalition urged a panel of lawmakers to take away the regulator’s discretion to block environmental permits when they meet all federal requirements. They say the decision was arbitrary and will result in higher electric bills and fewer jobs in Western Kansas.

“We can’t regulate on a whim,” said Sunflower vice president Mark Calcara. “At what point do our freedoms end and tyranny begin?”

State Health and Environment Secretary Rod Bremby denied a permit to Sunflower in 2007 citing the plant’s potential carbon emissions. Carbon isn’t regulated by the state or federal governments, but Bremby rejected the plants anyway because carbon emissions have been identified as a key culprit in global climate change.

Scientists discover world's largest snake in South American jungle - Science and Health Blog - Mirror.co.uk

The snake named Titanoboa cerrejonensis lived around 60 million years ago in hot swamps after the extinction of the dinosaurs.

It grew so big because the world was much hotter then. Scientists estimate temperatures in the rainforest could have been between 30-34C (86-93F), 5C warmer than today.

The discovery is leading scientists to re-think how hot the Earth has been in the past and how animals and plants were able to survive and grow in the intense heat.
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They estimated temperatures would have had to have been 5C hotter.

That would mean tropical rainforests could exist in far hotter temperatures than today, challenging theories that the rainforests cannot tolerate any more global warming.

Dr Jason Head, lead author of a study revealing Titanoboa in the journal Nature, (MUST KEEP) said: "The discovery of Titanoboa challenges our understanding of past climates and environments, as well as the biologicial limitations of the evolution of giant snakes.