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Missouri, Kansas utilities may use loophole to charge customers for fossil fuel lobbying
KANSAS CITY — Missouri and Kansas residents’ utility bills may be helping to bankroll energy sector lobbying against policies aimed at lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Federal and state rules prohibit utility companies from passing their lobbying costs on to customers through bills. But in both Kansas and Missouri, utilities like Evergy, Ameren and Spire can […]
As Kansas, Missouri keep building wind, some communities look to regulate
FRANKFORT, Kan. — Austin Cline is the third generation to farm his family’s land in Marshall County. His home, added onto many times over, sits at the edge of 1,000 acres where he raises cattle and bales hay. From his driveway, he has a more than 180-degree view of neighbors’ land and native prairie grass. […]
‘I have to go out and beg’: Residents grapple with utility costs as shutoffs resume
Utilites in Kansas and Missouri, including Evergy, resumed shutting off non-paying customers' power after a moratorium during the pandemic.
Missouri eases rules for building CAFOs despite outcry about potential pollution
Missouri regulators on Tuesday eased the rules governing design of massive industrial hog facilities in a move critics claim was meant to help one controversial facility. The state’s Clean Water Commission voted 5-1 to narrow the definition of groundwater in the state’s rules governing construction of “concentrated animal feeding operations” — dense animal raising facilities […]
Missouri lawmakers vote to end EPA-mandated emissions testing near St. Louis
With just hours left in their 2021 session, Missouri lawmakers passed legislation removing several St. Louis area counties from a federally-mandated emissions inspection program, potentially putting millions of dollars in federal funds at risk. But unlike earlier versions of the legislation, proponents won more support by including a clawback: If the federal government imposes sanctions […]
Bill to speed Evergy, Ameren’s move to clean energy wins Missouri legislative approval
Legislation that would allow Missouri utility companies to speed their transition to renewable energy is on its way to Gov. Mike Parson’s desk just a day before the General Assembly’s session ends. The Missouri House voted 146-1 Thursday in favor of a policy — also adopted earlier this year in Kansas — that would allow […]
As KC battled to keep residency requirement for cops, councilwoman pushed repeal
As Kansas City officials were working to block a legislative effort to repeal the city’s residency requirement for police officers, the council’s lone conservative member had other ideas. Councilwoman Heather Hall traveled to Jefferson City last week with the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce, where she met with lawmakers over dinner and meetings at the […]
Anti-Grain Belt legislation could come before Missouri Senate as legislative session wraps
Legislation that would effectively kill the proposed Grain Belt Express transmission line could come up on the floor of the Missouri Senate in the waning days of the legislative session — even though the Senate’s own version of the bill is stuck in committee. Grain Belt, a high-voltage transmission line proposed by Chicago-based Invenergy, would carry […]
Evergy earnings shot up following February cold snap that forced blackouts
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Evergy more than doubled its earnings in the first quarter compared to the beginning of 2020, largely due to the profits it made on sky-high wholesale energy prices during a February cold snap that forced it to cut off power to thousands of customers across the region. The utility, which serves […]
Missouri bill targeting DNR clears House committee, still faces uncertain future
A Missouri House committee advanced a sweeping bill environmentalists say would hamper the state’s ability to enforce clean air and water laws. But several amendment votes could undermine the bill’s prospects in the Senate. The House Emerging Issues Committee voted 7-4 Wednesday in favor of a bill that places various limitations on Missouri’s environmental regulators […]
Less pollution, lower bills: Missouri, Kansas move ahead on utility securitization
Utility providers across Kansas and Missouri may soon be able to retire coal-fired power plants faster as the energy sector accelerates its transition to renewable energy sources. Kansas already passed legislation that allows companies to shutter coal plants, which release considerable amounts of carbon dioxide, without the financial hit that would otherwise come from closing […]
Evergy to shutter Kansas coal plant, speed transition to renewable energy
Evergy, an electric supplier to about 600,000 customers in western Missouri, will retire its coal power plant in Lawrence, Kansas, by the end of 2023, the company announced on Friday. The utility revealed its plan to regulators in a filing with the Missouri Public Service Commission. The “integrated resource plan” lays out Evergy’s next few years […]