green energy

Large data centers are coming to Missouri, and they need a lot of power. Right now, there aren't regulations governing how they will use energy, so Evergy and Ameren is working to develop new rules.

Evergy announced last year its intent to build two gas plants in Kansas and one in Missouri, as well as one solar plant in each state. The projects are expected to cost more than $2.75 billion.

The majority of St. Louis' electricity comes from coal, which emits a lot of climate-warming greenhouse gases. To meet its climate goals, Mastercard is building its own solar field next to its O'Fallon data center.

The U.S. Department of Energy said it canceled a loan guarantee for the transmission project, which would transport wind energy generated in Kansas to Missouri and other Midwest states, because it was not a responsible use of taxpayer money. Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley had advocated for the cancellation.

In states without policies to drive renewable energy, power prices could surge as federal tax incentives for clean energy disappear, according to the think tank Energy Innovation. The firm expects rates to rise by at least 39% in Missouri and 30% in Kansas.

Port KC has outsourced its lawn service needs to a herd of goats for the third year. They work for food while improving the environment, chewing away invasive brush and clearing the space for walkers and joggers.

Farmers, nonprofits and state agencies received almost $3 billion in grants from the Inflation Reduction Act in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. But recent federal funding freezes have recipients concerned they won’t end up receiving money.

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.

Several city projects that received federal funding are in limbo after a slew of executive orders targeting clean energy and diversity efforts.

In August, Planned Parenthood opened a clinic in Pittsburgh, Kansas — just five miles from the Missouri border. But workers don't expect demand at the clinic to decline after Missouri voted to lift it's current abortion ban. Plus: Midwest builders are using wood in a new, climate-friendly way to construct high rises.

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.

As part of its sweeping green infrastructure plan, Kansas City is transitioning to LED streetlights. The new bulbs are more efficient, last longer and reduce carbon emissions. But environmentalists say that the real solution to reducing carbon pollution is to shut down the coal-fired power plant that provides energy to Kansas City.