Energy

The bill is made up of dozens of policy changes governing how utilities operate in Missouri. Utility companies say they need more power plants to meet expected demand, but critics say the bill will significantly increase costs for customers.

The bill has dozens of policy changes that affect how utility companies are allowed to operate and charge customers in Missouri.

Lee's Summit Republican Sen. Mike Cierpiot's bill would repeal a 1976 ban on charging customers for new power plants as they are built to meets future energy needs. Critics say it’s a cash grab by utilities who will undoubtedly raise rates.

The $7 billion clean-energy project would stretch from Kansas to Indiana, and is designed to bring wind and solar energy to communities across the region. It's scheduled to begin construction this year and be completed in 2028.

Both Evergy and Ameren Missouri asked a Missouri House committee to support legislation that would allow them to charge customers for natural, or methane, gas power plants even before they’re completed, saying the state needs more electrical power.

Kansas leaders from both sides of the aisle stepped inside the $4 billion plant in De Soto to celebrate its imminent opening.

City Manager Brian Platt first announced plans for a solar array at Kansas City International Airport, potentially the largest of its kind in the world, more than two years ago. But little has seemingly happened to move the progress forward.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates Rush Island released 275,000 tons of sulfur dioxide after it was updated without required pollution controls in 2007 and 2010.

Evergy Missouri West wants the Public Service Commission to OK a nearly 14% increase in electric rates, giving the company up to $105 million more in annual revenue. Last year, the company reported $731 million in earnings.

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.

Sedgwick County looked poised to clear the way for the Chisholm Trail solar project. But nearby residents expressed concerns about pollution, pushing regulators to extend a temporary ban on utility-scale solar developments.

The rules will affect new residential construction projects funded by the federal Housing and Rural Development agency. Now, lawmakers are pushing the agency that oversees the nation’s two largest mortgage backers to adopt similar measures.