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Evergy wants to hike rates for western Missouri customers. Here's how you can weigh in

A man in an orange shirt holds a peace sign out of the window as he drives away in a bucket truck.
Savannah Hawley-Bates
/
KCUR 89.3
A worker with The Hydaker-Wheatlake Company and Utility Supply and Construction Company, which came to the Kansas City area to help Evergy restore power, drives a bucket truck out to a restoration site.

Evergy is proposing a nearly 14% rate increase starting in January. The public comment period is currently open, and customers can send their feedback before the Missouri Public Service Commission votes.

Evergy Missouri West is proposing a 13.99% increase in its rates starting in January, amounting to over $104 million for the utility provider.

While the rate increase will need to be approved by the Missouri Public Service Commission, the state’s utility regulator, the public can let the commission know how it feels about the rate increases.

Here’s how to use the public comment process to weigh in on the proposed rate hike.

The Public Service Commission already held a series of public hearings across western Missouri to allow Evergy West customers to voice their concerns about the rate increase.

But the public comment period for the case is still open. Commissioners have said during hearings that comments from the public help them craft their decision, and they will sometimes cite those public comments in the case as it moves forward.

How to comment on the Evergy rate hike

If you want to weigh in on the rate increase to the Public Service Commission, there are two ways of doing so.

For both methods be sure to include the case number for the proposed rate increase: No. ER-2024-0189.

You can write a letter to the Public Service Commission detailing your thoughts. The commission’s mailing address is: Missouri Public Service Commission, P.O. Box 360, Jefferson City, MOi 65102.

Or, you can add a comment online through the commission’s electronic filing system.

Follow this link to create an account on the electronic filing system. You’ll need to enter some personal information, like your name and address.

Then, you’ll be sent an email to confirm your account. Once you are logged in, use the “Case e-filings & search” tab to drop in the case number: ER-2024-0189.

Navigate to the top right corner of your screen to the blue button that reads “Consumer Comments.” Then, you’ll click the green button that says “Add New Consumer Comment.”

From there, you’ll put in a bit of personal information and you can add your comment. You can also attach documents to your comment, which can’t be viewed by the public.

Your name and city will appear publicly with your comment.

This story was originally published by The Beacon, a fellow member of the KC Media Collective.

Meg Cunningham is The Beacon’s Missouri Statehouse reporter.
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