To the editor:

Research shows that most Kansans are worried about the climate crisis and they support requiring utilities to generate more renewable energy. Why isn’t Evergy listening to their customers? Kansas is a state with great potential for wind and solar energy. However, Evergy is not taking advantage of this opportunity.

In a recently released report and utility tracker, The Dirty Truth About Utility Climate Pledges, the Sierra Club grades 50 utilities and their 79 operating companies that remain the most invested in coal and gas generation. Evergy and its subsidiaries scored at the bottom of the report. This demonstrates a lack of any substantive commitment to clean energy and addressing the climate crisis.

It’s disappointing that despite Evergy’s so-called Sustainability Transformation Plan and previous progress on their renewable portfolio, the utility intends to keep Kansas on the path of burning coal and fossil gas for many years to come.

The Sierra Club report shows the catastrophic consequences of maintaining the status quo and Kansas utilities being unprepared to meet the renewed emphasis on cutting carbon emissions, ensuring clean air and water.

Can we count on our Kansas utilities to make real commitments, not vague promises, and take meaningful action, which will create new dynamic industries and millions of jobs to revitalize our state?

Kathleen Harned,

Lawrence