There are those who want policies at the local, state, and federal level to move America away from coal, even though it is one of this country’s most abundant resources. But taking coal out of our energy portfolio would be irresponsible.

Sunflower Electric Power Company began its Holcomb Expansion Project in Kansas because no new baseload electricity generation had been added in the state for nearly three decades. Yet for those who want to block coal-based power plant construction projects like this, they threaten the reliability of our electricity as well as the families and job creators that depend on that energy

Watch this video from just over a year ago where I talked with then-Sunflower CEO Earl Watkins and Kansas State Sen. Karin Brownlee, both of whom emphasized the importance of coal’s role in baseload power and keeping the lights on when other sources of energy are less reliable: