Staff told commissioners EPA rules require a program and an inventory plan by 2027; the city has identified roughly 500 public lead service lines and continues to seek private‑side information from homeowners, which creates uncertainty for costs and scheduling.

KCC utilities division director Justin Grady told commissioners SPP recorded a 58,127 MW summer peak in 2026 and highlighted rapid load growth: about 9.6 GW of signed network service agreements and ~10 GW in study, with much larger multi-year forecasts that have moved forward in planning scenarios.

Justin Grady told commissioners that SPP staff and the board approved reevaluations of termination points for proposed 765 kV projects — changes intended to cut transmission miles and adjusted production costs while responding to new firm service agreements. He presented candidate corridors for 765 kV lines in the 2026 ITP and warned routes and notices-to-construct remain subject to revision.

The Senate Committee on Utilities advanced Senate Bill 380 after adopting an amendment requiring a 2031 legislative review; the bill prohibits utilities from including new fast EV charging stations in the rate base, requires nondiscriminatory rates, and preserves exclusions for preexisting and employee/fleet chargers.

At a Jan. 29 Senate committee hearing on Senate Bill 439, utilities and broadband providers urged a uniform 30‑day notice/approval process and a capped fee to reduce costly delays, while Union Pacific, BNSF and a rail workers’ union warned the measure could undermine FRA safety standards and railroad property rights; the committee did not vote on the bill.

The Kansas House Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications voted to untable and pass out a second substitute for HB 2435 that would expand the Gas System Reliability Surcharge (GSRS) to include growth-related capital and raise the residential cap to $1.35; proponents said it reduces regulatory lag while opponents warned it shifts speculative risk and will raise bills between rate cases.

At a Jan. 26 hearing, supporters said House Bill 24 35 would reduce regulatory lag and spur investment; Kansas Corporation Commission staff, consumer advocates and ratepayer groups warned the bill’s interim recovery mechanism could add surcharges and lacks sufficient limits or sunset protections.

Justin Grady, director of the KCC Utilities Division, briefed the Committee about Kansas electric affordability, Evergy’s new large-load power service tariff (for customers >75 MW), the unanimous Evergy rate-case settlement of $128 million (~$8.47/month), and KCC approval of two combined-cycle plants and a 159 MW solar facility; he said protections (minimum contracts, heavy demand charges, collateral) are designed to protect existing captive customers.

Justin Grady told legislators the Southwest Power Pool’s 2025 Integrated Transmission Plan initially proposed about $18.1 billion of projects and was trimmed to $8.5 billion of notices-to-construct after stakeholder engagement; he cited SPP modeling that showed demand growth (a 25% increase in MWh by 2030 and up to a 33% increase by 2034 in the base reliability model) and warned of serious load-shed risk without timely transmission investment.

Justin Grady, director of the Kansas Corporation Commission Utilities Division, briefed the Joint Committee on Kansas Security about NERC critical‑infrastructure updates (supply‑chain risk, virtualization and low‑impact cyber systems), the KCC’s cybersecurity tracking, and Southwest Power Pool’s expedited resource adequacy steps to address looming

Senators discuss balancing utility surveillance needs with Kansans' privacy rights.

Evergy seeks rate increase to ensure corporate growth aligns with existing customer protection.

Senate Bill 92 extends Kansas Corporation Commission's siting application deadline from 120 to 180 days.