rachel@team-arc.com
Kansas City, Kansas– Ten scenarios for a 20 year Integrated Resources Plan (IRP) were presented to the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities (BPU) last night. The IRP should have provided affordable, reliable, least-risk scenarios to help BPU meet energy needs in the years to come. However, with electricity rates rising in the area, Kansas City residents spending nearly double the national average on their electric bills (including UG trash, stormwater and PILOT charges), and nearly a quarter of Kansas City residents living below the poverty line, the plan misses a clear opportunity to address one of the most costly aspects of the local energy landscape: the aging and expensive Nearman Creek coal plant.
The expensive Nearman Creek coal-burning power impacts the energy bill of every Kansas City resident by $40 a month via a flat operating fee. The coal plant is used less than half the time, but nevertheless costs every Kansas City household nearly $500 a year just to keep it afloat.
“To comply with federal regulations and reduce customer rates, BPU should invest in cheap clean energy, close Nearman Creek before 2030, take advantage of federal incentives, and remove Unified Government taxes from the bill to reduce prices for low income customers. KCK families and businesses are being asked to subsidize this polluting coal plant with hundreds of dollars on our bills every year – and its costs will keep going up,” said Ty Gorman, Sierra Club Senior Campaign Organizing Strategist. “It’s time for the BPU and the Unified Government to take leadership and tackle the problem of Nearman Creek instead of passing the buck to the public. We fully intend to speak up in the coming months to ensure that any plans about our energy future include meaningful public participation to reduce BPU bills for our energy burdened customers, close the Nearman money pit and focus on cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable energy sources.”
During last night’s working session, the BPU Board voted to extend the comment period for at least a month after the full IRP report is released in late September. Local residents, businesses and organizations are able to provide input on the plan and its direction by emailing irp@bpu.org or contacting your elected board member.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.