Allison Kite

For years, Invenergy has been working through regulatory approvals and acquiring land easements to build the 800-mile high-voltage transmission line, which will carry renewable energy from wind-swept western Kansas across Missouri. The transmission line is expected to have the capacity of roughly four new nuclear power plants.

The Missouri Public Service Commission last week approved Evergy’s request to change the default selection for customers who fail to select one of the company’s four time-of-use pricing plans.

Mayor Quinton Lucas is challenging a November 2022 statewide vote that increased the minimum percentage of its budget Kansas City must spend on its police department. Kansas City is the only major city in the U.S. that doesn’t control its police, so while City Council writes the checks, it can't decide how the funds are spent.

Under an order from the Missouri Public Service Commission, Evergy is expected next month to implement time-of-use pricing, which places a premium on electricity prices at times of high demand. A Missouri state office said it "strongly opposed" the utility's request to make the program voluntary.

Bunge Limited, headquartered in Chesterfield, Missouri, is the world’s largest soybean producer and sells the overwhelming majority of inputs to Brazilian soy farmers. A new report from environmental and human rights group says that the company's practices incentivizes deforestation and illegal land grabbing.

Evergy saw blowback from customers over time-of-use pricing, which places a premium on electricity at times of high demand. Under one of the plans, power used on summer days between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. would be almost four times as expensive as the rest of the day. Now Evergy is requesting permission for customers to opt out.

Records obtained by the Missouri Independent show that, during a software transition in 2021, the Kansas City Police department had been warned of possible technical issues that could lead to false arrests, but a court official said those risks were “ignored.”

The lawsuit paints a picture of a city government that resists releasing public information and takes requests for records as an affront. It also outlines several instances where Kansas City Hall failed to promptly release records or even respond, as they're required to under Missouri law.

State regulators are considering a request from Missouri Prime Beef Packers, which processes more than 3,500 cattle per week near Pleasant Hope, to treat wastewater from its operation using microorganisms and discharge it directly into the Pomme de Terre River.

The utility, which serves 1.6 million customers in Kansas and Missouri, is drawing criticism from environmental groups for keeping open its oldest coal plant. Evergy also said that Kansas City's clean energy goals are “incredibly aggressive” and too expensive.