posted in the Wichita Eagle on 16 July 2008

In recent weeks, sensible questions have been raised about the Kansas Energy and Environmental Policy advisory group, chaired by Cessna CEO Jack Pelton. Though I cannot speak for the group, as a citizen appointee I would like to provide a glimpse into KEEP's goals, process and product.

In the executive order that created it, KEEP is charged to develop recommendations to the governor "to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in Kansas, recognizing Kansas' interests in continued growth, economic development and energy security."

Twenty-five states have conducted similar processes, and Kansas joins a group of 11 states doing so now. The good news: Regardless of where you stand on climate change, most of what can be done to manage that risk provides real benefits in terms of energy independence and security.

KEEP's process itself is open and transparent. All Kansans are invited to attend meetings, join work group conference calls, and examine all documents. Complete information is available at the Web site www.ksclimatechange.us, where public comment is encouraged.

Work groups include appointed members, plus additional experts and citizens. Each group starts with a large catalog of options that other states have considered and employed. We then add to that list, amend it and ultimately recommend solutions that make sense for Kansas.

The Energy Supply work group on which I serve is examining numerous options for further study. These include advanced coal, new nuclear energy and enhanced oil recovery, as well as wind, solar, biomass and landfill gas recovery. Incentives for carbon capture and for transmission system upgrades will be considered as well. Surely work group participants and other Kansans will add to the list.

Ultimately, KEEP's product -- what it does or does not recommend -- depends entirely on the deliberations and analysis of the diverse group of Kansans appointed, including the Kansas Chamber of Commerce's Amy Blankenbiller, Kansas Farm Bureau's Steven Baccus, Kansas Electric Cooperatives' Stuart Lowry, United Steelworkers' Emil Ramirez, Kansas State University Extension's Bruce Snead and the Sierra Club's Yvonne Cather.

From this participant's perspective, the process provides a welcome forum for data collection and democratic deliberation. I hope many Kansans will speak up early and often. And I trust that those who do so will be civil, respectful and mindful of our charge, in the fine Kansas tradition of Dwight Eisenhower. Eisenhower's words, upon leaving the presidency in 1961, remind us of what is at stake:

"As we peer into society's future, we -- you and I, and our government -- must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering for our own ease and convenience the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow."

Nancy Jackson is executive director of the Climate & Energy Project and the Land Institute in Salina.