Supporters of two controversial coal power plants proposed for Western Kansas say they hope to pass new legislation this week that could override an expected veto by the governor and allow the $3.6 billion project to move ahead.

The bill would need to pick up seven additional votes to make it veto-proof but a spokesperson for House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, said she was optimistic that the new version would be adopted, probably by Thursday.

“We are very hopeful that this [new] version… will be enough to garner more support,” said Sherrine Jones-Sontag.

Governor Kathleen Sebelius exercised her veto on a similar bill last Friday and her communications director said the new bill, which emerged from a house committee Monday, was not sufficiently different and would likely draw another veto.

The showdown in Kansas has emerged as a key battle over the future of coal-fired power plants in the age of global warming, that is being closely followed nation-wide.

The stakes in the outcome are high for key industry players, such as Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU - News) which is well-positioned to supply the 5-6 million tons of coal that would be needed annually by the proposed plants.

State officials denied permits for the two 700 mega-watt plants last October, citing concerns about global warming, while supporters say there is no other realistic way to meet the state’s growing electricity needs.

State officials said it would be “irresponsible” to ignore carbon dioxide’s role in climate change, and cited the Supreme Court’s landmark decision last April (Massachusetts vs. the Environmental Protection Agency) as the basis for denying permits.

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