NEWS IN BRIEF NATURE|Vol 452|27 March 2008

Veto blocks Kansas coal October, he rejected an air-quality permit Sebelius says she would be willing to sign sought by Sunflower Electric Power legislation authorizing one power plant, plants — for now Corporation for the pair of 700-megawatt as long as it is capable of capturing carbon The governor of Kansas, Kathleen Sebelius, plants, the first time a power plant has been emissions for future storage. It should vetoed legislation last week that would have blocked strictly to protect the climate (see also address renewable energy and energy allowed two new coal-fired power plants, Nature 449, 953; 2007). efficiency, she says. citing concerns about global warming. Backers of the bill do not have enough The bill was a response to an earlier votes to override the veto, but the legislative block by the state secretary of health battle is expected to continue. Sunflower has Valuable bacterial and environment, Roderick Bremby. In filed lawsuits challenging the state’s decision. archive destroyed Science debate looking less likely in Philadelphia Researchers are demanding an investigation into the destruction of a large collection Organizers of a potential of bacterial samples, some irreplaceable, science debate between from a lab at the Pittsburgh Veterans Affairs leading US presidential Medical Center in Pennsylvania. The archive, candidates have not given up of nearly 10,000 samples of infectious on hopes for it to take place bacteria, was the result of more than 20 years’ in Philadelphia on 18 April work and included some very rare strains. D. MCNEW/GETTY IMAGES MCNEW/GETTY D. — even though Barack Obama The samples were destroyed after the and Hillary Clinton (pictured) medical centre closed down its special have agreed to participate in pathogens laboratory, headed by Vincent another, non-science debate Yu, in July 2006. Yu and his colleagues were in the city two days earlier. With the Democratic planning to move the samples elsewhere, primary race so tight, the but did not get the chance. stakes are high for the 22 April David Snydman of the Tufts–New Pennsylvania primary. Obama England Medical Center in Boston and has also agreed to a debate in North Carolina on 19 April, before the 6 May primary there. 242 other researchers have signed a petition, Organizer Shawn Otto says that supporters still hope to hold a science debate to raise the profile published in the April issue of Clinical of science and technology issues in the campaign. They hope to hold the debate in Philadelphia’s Infectious Diseases, asking an independent Franklin Institute. review committee to investigate what led to the repository’s destruction.

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