By David Klepper on primebuzz.kcstar.com

TOPEKA | Kansas would join most other states in requiring utilities to generate a percentage of their power from wind and solar sources under legislation in the Kansas House.

The proposal would require power companies to derive 10 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2010, and 20 percent by 2020. Most utilities have agreed to meet the 2010 goal as part of a voluntary deal with Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

The legislation would be a mandate. More than half of all states, including Missouri, already have similar rules in place. Officials from Westar and Kansas City Power and Light have signed on to the bill.

The bill, HB 2127, would also give citizens credit against their electric bills if they operate personal wind turbines or solar panels. It would also impose tougher energy efficiency standards for new or refitted state buildings.

Most environmental groups laud the ideas, which were the subject of a hearing in the House energy committee Tuesday. The renewable mandate is overdue, they say, and will not only encourage renewable energy but the jobs required to create it.

Nancy Jackson, director of the Climate and Energy Project, cites economic studies predicting the state could create thousands of new jobs by harnessing the state’s wind.

“We’re talking about a substantial economic impact here,” she said.

The House energy committee must endorse the bill before it hits the House floor for a vote.

Typically, utilities shy away from mandates as they almost invariably add to the cost of doing business. But lobbyists and officials from several utilities told lawmakers they’re on board.

“We believe it’s pretty aggressive but we’re prepared to meet it,” said Mark Schreiber, director of government affairs for Westar Energy. To meet the 2010 goal of 10 percent renewables, Westar will have to nearly double its investment in wind farms, he said.

The state’s Citizen Utility Ratepayer Board and some lawmakers argue that the cost of meeting the mandate could drive up electric bills.

And at least one, Rep. Don Myers, a Derby Republican, questioned the need for the legislation in the first place. He cited studies showing a renewable requirement (called a Renewable Portfolio Standard or RPS) could boost power bills by 10 percent a year.

“Why are we doing it, is it necessary and what about the cost?” he said. “… Why an RPS, especially since utilities are voluntarily taking on wind energy?”

Myers joked that if the state wants to help the economy through mandates, it should mandate the purchase of Cessna airplanes.

Environmental groups and other lawmakers, however, say the price of power is going up anyway. By making wind and solar power a bigger part of the mix, the state could actually stabilize energy costs if federal action and increased competition make coal and natural gas even more expensive.

Last year, similar legislation was tied to the fate of two proposed coal plants in Western Kansas. Lawmakers hoping to overturn the rejection of the coal plants by a state regulator added the green provisions (the RPS, the incentives for household renewables and the energy efficiency standards) in the hopes of winning votes from environmentally minded lawmakers. The ploy failed, and so did both the coal plants and the green provisions.

This year, they’re standalone proposals, and Rep. Tom Sloan, a Lawrence Republican, thinks that’s progress.

“I think a majority (of lawmakers) recognize that times have changed,” he said. “The public is interested in this. The new administration is interested. It’s a balanced approach that promotes reliability, affordability and accountability.”