Latest news with #RudiKeller
Yahoo
10-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
4 The People: Missouri redistricting, Jackson County recall and more
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Texas Democrats fled the state to avoid voting on new Congressional maps, as the White House pressures bright red states to redraw the maps to pick up seats and maintain the majority. ? The Missouri Independent's Rudi Keller has been covering the developments and joins us to share his insights. Read more Politics stories from FOX4 Then joins to update us on new stadiums and a recall election now scheduled for . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Looking ahead to Missouri special session, Show Me Sports Investment Act
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Missouri General Assembly's special session reconvenes Monday, and it's the House side of the rotunda's turn in Jefferson City. The state Senate passed a trio of bills last week, one providing a plan to fund up to half of stadium projects for the Chiefs or Royals or Cardinals in St. Louis. The Missouri State House will consider the Show Me Sports Investment Act. The stadium funding bill sets the framework for the Royals and the Chiefs to pay back some of the costs for new and renovated venues. Construction bonds would be paid back using tax money generated at the stadiums and would cover up to 50% of the cost to build it. The teams would have to qualify to have access to that money. The stadiums would need to be built for football or baseball, have more than 30,000 seats, and cost at least half a billion dollars. On Sunday, Rudi Keller, the deputy editor of the Missouri Independent, discussed what could happen as the special session continues this week. Kansas City superheroes assemble behind local child battling cancer 'A member of the House budget Committee who will consider the spending bill on Tuesday said there is an assumption the House will pass this, and that's correct. I also talked to the Chair of the House Budget Committee earlier today, and it turns out he's not going to be demanding anything new. So as long as there aren't serious demands that endanger the bill from the House, much as the way demands from Senators resulted in a change to the call, I'm anticipating this will go relatively smoothly this week,' Keller said on 4 The People. The stadium funding bill does not have the words 'Royals' or 'Chiefs' in it, but a big reason for the calling of this special session was to find a way to keep both teams in the state and counter the plans of Kansas lawmakers. Nearly a year ago, the Kansas legislature approved a bill to utilize STAR bonds to cover stadium construction costs. The deadline for that bill is coming up at the end of June. 'If Kansas believes that we could really be in the conversation, you could see some limited extension,' said Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson. 'The way the law is written, it could be extended for up to a year. I don't see that happening.' You can watch the full conversation with Masterson and Keller here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
4 The People: What to expect next in Missouri special session
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Missouri General Assembly's special session is halfway home. The Senate got a through after . Next up it's on to the House. Rudi Keller, deputy editor of the Missouri Independent, joins FOX4 to talk about how the session got to this point and what to expect in the next week. Meantime, no special session for Kansas lawmakers, who passed a STAR Bonds stadium package last year. See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri Senate President Ty Masterson joins FOX4 with his observations on the Missouri package from a Kansas perspective, and with a deadline looming on the STAR Bonds package, when the dust might settle for both states. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill loosening rules for Missouri electric rates speeding toward passage
State Sen. Mike Cierpiot, a Republican from Lee's Summit, on Monday presents his bill allowing utilities to charge customers for power plants while they are under construction to the House Utilities Committee. (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent) A bill changing how utility rates are set won overwhelming approval in a Missouri House committee Monday after a hearing where backers said it is vital to the state's economy and opponents said it would soak consumers with higher costs. The proposal to repeal a 1976 law passed by initiative petition that prohibits companies from charging for power plants under construction but not yet operating has already passed the state Senate. Following the 17-4 vote Monday in the House Utilities Committee, it could go directly to Gov. Mike Kehoe if nothing is changed during the upcoming debate in the full House. The legislation would allow companies to seek rate increases for 'construction work in progress,' or CWIP, with a specific allowance for new generating plants that burn natural gas and an allowance in another section for any generating plant that is an approved resource plan. The initiative that passed the 1976 law was launched by people upset over rate hikes allowed for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Callaway County. The bill repeals the ban for 10 years and allows the Public Service Commission to extend it for another 10. State Sen. Mike Cierpiot, the Republican from Lee's Summit who is sponsoring the bill, said he doubts the new CWIP allowance would be used for a new nuclear power plant. 'I was asked to have nuclear CWIP this bill, and I actually don't think that's a horrible idea, but I think it's kind of 15 years off before we actually start deploying those,' Cierpiot said. Massive utility legislation expected to boost Missouri power generation — and energy bills In the Monday vote, two of the committee's seven Democratic members supported the legislation along with 15 of 16 Republicans, while three Democrats and one Republican were opposed. During two hours of testimony, opponents argued the CWIP provisions, when coupled with other allowances for utilities to seek more from customers, would add as much as $1,100 a year to residential electric bills. 'This bill is not designed to benefit Missourians,' said Gretchen Barwick, director of the Missouri chapter of the Sierra Club. 'It's designed to provide corporate welfare to monopoly utilities.' Representatives of utilities and the Public Service Commission said growing power demands mean new generation plants will be built in the Midwest. Passing the law allowing the charge for construction of new plants will be an incentive to build in Missouri, they said. Large industrial users of electricity will locate plants where power is plentiful, said Jason Klindt, senior director of external affairs at Evergy. The bill includes requirements that large users pay a rate that is not subsidized by residential users, he said, arguing that will spread the cost out and result in lower overall rates for everyone. Evergy is the major power provider for western Missouri. It is building two new gas-fired power plants in Kansas. The company would like to build in Missouri as well, Klindt said. 'We look forward, frankly, to announcing new power plants if we can get this bill across the finish line,' he said. The bill would apply to investor-owned utilities regulated by the PSC. The commission has no control over rates for municipal power companies or rural electric cooperatives. The bill would also allow all utilities regulated by the commission — water, gas and sewer along with electricity — to seek rates based on what the bill calls a 'future test year.' Currently, rates are set after the PSC examines the actual costs incurred to deliver service and determines if each expense was prudent and necessary. In a future test year scenario, the utility would outline what it expects to spend and the costs would be pre-approved by the PSC. There are some aspects of the bill intended to benefit consumers. The Office of Public Counsel, which represents the interests of ratepayers in utility cases, would receive dedicated funding for the first time from an assessment on utility revenues. There are changes to the rule blocking shutoffs for non-payment during hot and cold months as well as provisions requiring the commission to account for any federal tax savings by adjusting rates. The bill would also allow the PSC to order electric utilities to repay customers for construction work in progress charges if the plant does not go into service. The time is now for CWIP because of a rapidly escalating demand for power, said Rich Germinder, policy and strategic initiatives advisor to the PSC. The rapid increase in the number of electric vehicles and the construction of power-hungry data centers is helping drive up demand. 'Everyone was caught unprepared for the demands of the increased load growth that we're seeing,' Germinder said. Opponents of the bill said the items intended to help consumers won't offset the additional costs. All three of Missouri's major electric suppliers are before the commission seeking rate increases. Evergy is seeking a rate increase to boost revenues by 14%, Ameren, which serves eastern Missouri, is seeking a rate increase of nearly 16% and the Empire District Electric Company, which serves many smaller communities doing business as Liberty, wants regulators to increase its revenue by nearly 30%. The CWIP and future test year provisions will just add to the additional costs consumers already face, opponents said. If this legislation passes, it will be the most costly and expensive legislation ever passed by the Missouri legislature,' said Diana Plescia, attorney for the Missouri Industrial Energy Consumers, a consortium of 14 major manufacturers. The legislation will increase rates by an additional 40- to 80%, she said, making it too expensive to attract new investment. 'The damage to our economic base in Missouri will be real,' Plescia said 'And I say this in terms of both the jobs that will be lost and the jobs that will never come.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill loosening rules for Missouri electric rates speeding toward passage
State Sen. Mike Cierpiot, a Republican from Lee's Summit, on Monday presents his bill allowing utilities to charge customers for power plants while they are under construction to the House Utilities Committee. (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent) A bill changing how utility rates are set won overwhelming approval in a Missouri House committee Monday after a hearing where backers said it is vital to the state's economy and opponents said it would soak consumers with higher costs. The proposal to repeal a 1976 law passed by initiative petition that prohibits companies from charging for power plants under construction but not yet operating has already passed the state Senate. Following the 17-4 vote Monday in the House Utilities Committee, it could go directly to Gov. Mike Kehoe if nothing is changed during the upcoming debate in the full House. The legislation would allow companies to seek rate increases for 'construction work in progress,' or CWIP, with a specific allowance for new generating plants that burn natural gas and an allowance in another section for any generating plant that is an approved resource plan. The initiative that passed the 1976 law was launched by people upset over rate hikes allowed for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Callaway County. The bill repeals the ban for 10 years and allows the Public Service Commission to extend it for another 10. State Sen. Mike Cierpiot, the Republican from Lee's Summit who is sponsoring the bill, said he doubts the new CWIP allowance would be used for a new nuclear power plant. 'I was asked to have nuclear CWIP this bill, and I actually don't think that's a horrible idea, but I think it's kind of 15 years off before we actually start deploying those,' Cierpiot said. Massive utility legislation expected to boost Missouri power generation — and energy bills In the Monday vote, two of the committee's seven Democratic members supported the legislation along with 15 of 16 Republicans, while three Democrats and one Republican were opposed. During two hours of testimony, opponents argued the CWIP provisions, when coupled with other allowances for utilities to seek more from customers, would add as much as $1,100 a year to residential electric bills. 'This bill is not designed to benefit Missourians,' said Gretchen Barwick, director of the Missouri chapter of the Sierra Club. 'It's designed to provide corporate welfare to monopoly utilities.' Representatives of utilities and the Public Service Commission said growing power demands mean new generation plants will be built in the Midwest. Passing the law allowing the charge for construction of new plants will be an incentive to build in Missouri, they said. Large industrial users of electricity will locate plants where power is plentiful, said Jason Klindt, senior director of external affairs at Evergy. The bill includes requirements that large users pay a rate that is not subsidized by residential users, he said, arguing that will spread the cost out and result in lower overall rates for everyone. Evergy is the major power provider for western Missouri. It is building two new gas-fired power plants in Kansas. The company would like to build in Missouri as well, Klindt said. 'We look forward, frankly, to announcing new power plants if we can get this bill across the finish line,' he said. The bill would apply to investor-owned utilities regulated by the PSC. The commission has no control over rates for municipal power companies or rural electric cooperatives. The bill would also allow all utilities regulated by the commission — water, gas and sewer along with electricity — to seek rates based on what the bill calls a 'future test year.' Currently, rates are set after the PSC examines the actual costs incurred to deliver service and determines if each expense was prudent and necessary. In a future test year scenario, the utility would outline what it expects to spend and the costs would be pre-approved by the PSC. There are some aspects of the bill intended to benefit consumers. The Office of Public Counsel, which represents the interests of ratepayers in utility cases, would receive dedicated funding for the first time from an assessment on utility revenues. There are changes to the rule blocking shutoffs for non-payment during hot and cold months as well as provisions requiring the commission to account for any federal tax savings by adjusting rates. The bill would also allow the PSC to order electric utilities to repay customers for construction work in progress charges if the plant does not go into service. The time is now for CWIP because of a rapidly escalating demand for power, said Rich Germinder, policy and strategic initiatives advisor to the PSC. The rapid increase in the number of electric vehicles and the construction of power-hungry data centers is helping drive up demand. 'Everyone was caught unprepared for the demands of the increased load growth that we're seeing,' Germinder said. Opponents of the bill said the items intended to help consumers won't offset the additional costs. All three of Missouri's major electric suppliers are before the commission seeking rate increases. Evergy is seeking a rate increase to boost revenues by 14%, Ameren, which serves eastern Missouri, is seeking a rate increase of nearly 16% and the Empire District Electric Company, which serves many smaller communities doing business as Liberty, wants regulators to increase its revenue by nearly 30%. The CWIP and future test year provisions will just add to the additional costs consumers already face, opponents said. If this legislation passes, it will be the most costly and expensive legislation ever passed by the Missouri legislature,' said Diana Plescia, attorney for the Missouri Industrial Energy Consumers, a consortium of 14 major manufacturers. The legislation will increase rates by an additional 40- to 80%, she said, making it too expensive to attract new investment. 'The damage to our economic base in Missouri will be real,' Plescia said 'And I say this in terms of both the jobs that will be lost and the jobs that will never come.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
