Utilites, like defense contractors, are not eager to cut costs

30 states and the District of Columbia have RPS, Renewable Portfolio Standards, which encourage or in some states mandate utilities to increase the percentage of energy from fossil fuel to a renewable -  solar, wind, digester, geothermal, hydro.  13 states have tried within the last year to revoke or weaken these, all failed.  During the last few days I have written 20 letters to legislators in Kansas, asking them to abandon their attempt here.  Yesterday the GOP controlled state Senate defeated the effort, the lower house pulled their bill rather than send it to vote.  Is it a breather, or will they trash the attempt?   For me, a temporary victory.  I actually changed one vote, through a series of contacts one Repub told me I had changed his mind.  One victory at a time.

Those pushing to abandon this mandate say wind raises electric bills. But filings with the utility rate board show the opposite, the newly installed wind farms are the lowest price energy they have now.  Look, if your a utility and the rate board lets you profit 12% on your monopoly business, do you want your cost to go down?  Hell no!  If their expense goes down, the rates are eventually forced down.  Every million saved from lower energy sources is $120,000 less profit.