New study names Evergy among worst large utility groups on climate policy
A new study by the UK-based nonprofit climate policy think tank Influence Map has found that local utility giant Evergy opposes climate protection measures that align with the Paris Climate Accords.
The study finds that both Kansas and Missouri are “at a high risk of climate policy obstruction by their largest utilities.”
Robin Ganahl, chair of Kansas City’s Climate Protection Steering Committee, shared the study on Twitter on Thursday. “This report ranks @evergypower as one of the worst utilities in the US in terms of opposing recent climate policy & supporting anti-climate policy at the state level,” she wrote. “This report labels them as ‘misaligned’ w/Paris Agreement.”
Ganahl’s committee is in charge of shaping the Climate Protection and Resiliency Plan, a piece of climate legislation intended to help Kansas City achieve net zero carbon emissions by the year 2040. The plan will be finalized and presented to the City Council in the coming months.
‘Laggard’ on climate progress
The recent study, which compared the 25 largest energy utilities in the country, classifies Evergy as a “laggard” on climate progress. It awarded the company a 49% score on its alignment with the Paris Climate Agreement, ranking it in 18th place out of 25.
“Unlike their peers, these utilities have opposed climate-related policies and/or supported anti-climate measures in recent years,” the study wrote about groups with a score below 50%.
The study notes that Evergy representatives were present at a 2019 “training camp” hosted by Edison Electric Institute on “how to run campaigns against clean energy issues, including fossil gas bans, net metering, and renewable energy portfolio standards.”
Staying out of climate policy discussions
Evergy, which supplies electricity to most Kansas City homes, also received an 11% “Engagement Intensity” score, the lowest of any group in the study. This ranking indicates that it does not often take strategic measures to influence climate policy.
The study found no evidence that Evergy lobbied the federal government over the climate provisions of the Build Back Better plan, while most other major utilities did. Researchers concluded that while Evergy holds negative positions on climate progress, it doesn’t pressure policymakers to adopt its positions as much as other utilities do.
When contacted for a comment, Evergy referred The Star to the Edison Electric Institute, which hosted the training on opposing clean energy policy.
“America’s investor-owned electric companies are world leaders in reducing carbon emissions,” replied EEI spokesperson Brian Reil. “We find the overly simplistic approach this piece takes to evaluating the complex path to a carbon-free future to be laughable. Our industry is highly regulated and is subject to strict reliability standards, two key dynamics that are entirely absent from this piece.”
Do you have more questions about climate policy in Kansas City and beyond? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
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