Find Bill
Find Your Legislator
Legislative Deadlines
Dec. 14, 2024
RSS Feed Permanent URL -A +A

Minutes for HB2228 - Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications

Short Title

Increasing the capacity limitation of the total amount of net-metered generation systems that may operate within the service territory of an investor-owned electric utility and removing the load-size limitations on customers' net-metered systems.

Minutes Content for Tue, Feb 7, 2023

Chairperson Delperdang opened the hearing on HB2228.

Nick Myers provided an overview of the bill.(Attachment1). Mr. Myers responded to questions from committee members.

Chair recognized proponents for in person testimony as follows:

Jessica Lucas, Clean Energy Business Council, (Attachment2) testified in support of the bill.  Ms. Lucas said the HB2228 would be an immediate tool for ratepayers to access as a cost savings measure. Ms. Lucas believes consumers don't get to choose our utility provider but do have a choice to save energy.

Mark Horst, King Solar (Attachment3) testified in support of the bill. He said the bill in regards to Renewable Energy, particularly solar panels would help stable design criteria, stable compensation for energy and equal access for all Kansans.

Michelle Milburn, Stanion Electric (Attachment4) testified in support of the bill. Ms. Milburn said the bill would be an opportunity to eliminate the expiration date, extend net metering to all utility energy providers, defining sizing standards and valuing export generation at an equitable rate.

Andrew Clark, AC Customs (Attachment5) testified in support of the bill. He said it's time to get more competitive on consumer electric rates to build up small towns instead of running off new business and closing up old businesses, It's time for a change.

Malcolm Proudfit, Good Energy Solutions (Attachment6) testified in support of the bill. Mr. Proudfit said as a business owner and economist, solar presents savings to individual owners.  Kansas has lagged behind when it comes to net metering policy and has created an environment that constricts solar growth in the state.

Paul Snider, Kansans for Lower Electric Rates (Attachment7); testified in support of the bill. He said Kansas has high electric rates. It is time to update our net metering policies to keep pace with Consumer trends and desires.

Robert Rosenberg, Flint Hills Renewable Energy & Efficiency Co. (Attachment8) testified in support of the bill. Mr. Rosenberg said raising the 1% cap of net metering would be crucial for incorporating rooftop solar in the grid and would put Kansas in line with most surrounding states.

Zack Pistora, Kansas Sierra Club (Attachment9); testified in support of the bill. He said improving Kansas' net metering policy would offer a better payback value for excess energy and Kansans deserve a better policy to help solar growth and lessen electric rates.

The conferees responded to questions from committee members.

Proponents- Written Only testimony as follows:

Chair recognized neutral for in person testimony as follows

Patrick Orr, CURB (Attachment27) testified as neutral on the bill.  He said the bill would amend several Kansas statutes pertaining to net metering associated with customer-generators and would provide for more favorable terms for retail electric customers who choose to offset their electric utility bills with renewable energy.

Leo Haynos, Kansas Corporation Commission (Attachment28) testified as neutral on the bill.  He said the bill would expand coops net metering rules and would address some of the potential unintended consequences that could accompany the expansion.

Chair recognized opponents for in person testimony as follows

Doug Shepherd, Kansas Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Attachment29) testified as an opponent of the bill. Mr. Shepherd said HB2228 would impinge upon a cooperatives statutory right to self-regulate rates and rate structures under the direction of a member-elected board of trustees. Cooperatives operate at cost. This is a key point of the cooperative business model with no profit built into rates.

Mark Scheibe, Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative (Attachment30) testified as an opponent of the bill. He said the proposed changes to net metering would limit our ability to help protect their members from predatory installers, increase subsidization and would create costly infrastructure challenges in the states rural areas.

Michael Volker, Brown-Atchison Electric Cooperative and Doniphan Electric Cooperative (Attachment31) testified as an opponent of the bill.  Mr. Volker said the coops are small, rural spread out over a large area with higher costs on average as one would expect for rural utility. HB2228 would encourage inefficient and regressive distributed generation, not renewable energy.

Scott Ayres, Sedgwick County Electric Cooperative (Attachment32) testified as an opponent of the bill.  He said they have solar companies coming from all over the U.S. to install solar arrays in Kansas, most companies main objective is to install the largest solar system they can sell to our members and not the best investment for our member.

Kimberly Gencur Svaty, Kansas Municipal Utilities (Attachment33) testified as an opponent of the bill.  Ms. Svaty said net metering can benefit customers by reducing some of their utility bills, however net metering also presents significant challenges both operationally and economically. She supports renewable energy but opposes bringing municipal utilities under the state net metering mandate.

Jeff Martin, Evergy (Attachment34) testified as an opponent to the bill.  Mr. Martin believes the bill wiould raise rates and shift cost from their lowest income customers to more affluent customers. Net metering is one of the most difficult topics that a utility in any state faces. Mr. Martin believes there are reasonable changes that could be looked at, but not this bill.

Whitney Damron, Liberty Utilities (Attachment35) testified as an opponent to the bill.  Mr. Damron believes the current law works as evidenced by the continued growth of the solar industry in Kansas and sees no reason to change current law.

The conferees responded to questions from the committee members.

Opponent - Written Only testimony as follows:

Chairperson Delperdang closed the hearing on HB2228.