CEPTwo clean energy bills remain in the works as the Kansas Legislature moves toward turnaround on Thursday, when most bills need to be passed out of their house of origin.
The Climate + Energy Project (CEP) and other clean energy supporters continue to seek compromise on Senate Bill 347, which would require the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) to utilize the National Standard Practice Manual to determine the appropriate tests to evaluate the cost effectiveness of energy efficiency programs. The bill would also require the KCC to report its progress to the Kansas Legislature next January.
Earlier this month investor-owned utilities along with the KCC testified in opposition of SB 347 at a Senate Utilities Committee hearing. While they all said energy efficiency was good, they told legislators that utilities should not be forced to meet certain targets and ultimately the KCC is the appropriate place to determine if programs are cost effective. We agree, which is why we’re advocating for a transparent and stakeholder-driven process to discover how to lower customer bills with energy efficiency programs.
CEP and other stakeholders continue to work toward solutions that encourage energy efficiency programs for consumers in Kansas, which ranks No. 48 for energy efficiency. These programs also align with the Kansas Energy Efficiency and Investment Act, which the Legislature passed in 2014.
Read more about SB 347 and similar efforts in other states in this article from the Energy News Network.
Clean energy advocates also are working to advance Senate Bill 322, which would revert state law to 2009 regulations that protect Kansas residential distributed generation (DG) from demand charges. This would apply only to investor-owned utilities’ residential solar customers.
In related news, Westar on February 1 filed a rate case with the KCC to add demand charges to residential solar customers with systems installed after October 2015 and raise the service charge by $4 per month for every residential customer. Read more about the Westar rate case in this article from KMUW.
The Climate + Energy Project (CEP) is a non-partisan 501c(3) organization in Hutchinson working to reduce emissions through greater energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy. Located in America’s Heartland, CEP collaborates with diverse partners across the nation to find practical solutions for a clean energy future that provides jobs, prosperity and energy security.