1. Why doesn’t the Climate Protection Steering Committee (CPSC)’s definitions for clean electricity and clean energy include natural gas or renewable natural gas?

Though natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel, it is not clean energy. Based on the U.S. Department of Energy’s website, clean energy sources include solar, wind, water, geothermal, bioenergy, and nuclear. However, there is an action included in the mid and long-term strategies section of the Implementation Plan to “Develop Renewable Natural Gas Resources for Strategic Uses” (pg. 93). Since there were no details in Spire’s Net-Zero carbon emissions by 2050 pledge, the strategy was moved here to evaluate for its applicability to KCMO’s path to Net Zero as more details are made available.

While renewable natural gas, which is methane collected from landfills or animal waste, may be viable for limited applications near sources of methane, like powering landfill trucks, it is expensive, and it is still methane, a potent greenhouse gas the IPCC says we must reduce by 30% by 2030.

2. If the US EPA led, federal interagency Committee on Indoor Air Quality, which is responsible for residential indoor air quality and asthma, has not identified natural gas cooking emissions as an important issue concerning asthma and respiratory issues why does the Climate Plan include it?

The EPA IAQ website lists fuel burning from combustion appliances at the top of its list for indoor air pollution sources.

The American Medical Association passed a resolution in June 2022: “Informing Physicians, Health Care Providers, and the Public that Cooking with a Gas Stove Increases Household Air Pollution and the Risk of Childhood Asthma D-135.964” This resolution states: “Our AMA: (1) recognizes the association between the use of gas stoves, indoor nitrogen dioxide levels and asthma; (2) will inform its members and, to the extent possible, health care providers, the public, and relevant organizations that use of a gas stove increases household air pollution and the risk of childhood asthma and asthma severity; which can be mitigated by reducing the use of the gas cooking stove, using adequate ventilation, and/or using an appropriate air filter; and (3) will advocate for innovative programs to assist with mitigation of cost to encourage the transition from gas stoves to electric stoves in an equitable manner.”

3. If the majority of the power generated from our city and state is generated by coal, why didn’t the consultant include a climate impact analysis that compared coal vs natural gas-powered generation?

Resolution No. 200005 states that the City will reduce emissions from electricity use by 100% by 2030, so coal generation will need to be phased out during this period and electricity use emissions will be zero. The model shows this goal being met through a combination of energy supply strategies as shown below (pgs. 20-21 of the Mitigation Scenario Analysis Methodology).

• E-1: Increase the percentage of renewable energy in the utility grid mix
  • 70% of grid delivered electricity will be carbon-free in 2030
• E-2: Expand neighborhood and commercial renewable energy generation
  • 110 MW of additional solar installed
• E-4: Purchase Utility-Scale Renewable Energy
  • 2.2 billion kWh purchased from virtual PPAs or other contracting arrangements
• This goal was used as the basis for analysis of building and vehicle electrification efforts.

Evergy has already been working for years to create a cleaner grid and, based on their estimates of generation types based on their most current Integrated Resource Plan, only 7% of electricity will be generated through coal by our 2040 deadline. 

4. When you keep saying, “the people that we talked to” “the community constituents” - I don’t see that any of my constituents in the northland were invited to participate. I would like to see what your sphere was that you invited, who was included, and how they got included so that they could give you information. Because I think we breathe the same air north of the river as we do south of the river, and I think we should be included. We were talking about inclusion and how important it is. I just want to make sure we are all talking about that.

Information on the Climate Plan Strategy Sessions was sent to council specifically before each session, as well as being advertised on various city Social Media platforms and amplified through interested stakeholders. KCMO staff sent notifications of the sessions to Northland Neighborhoods, and Markus Smith sent to NNI directly. In addition, everyone who registered to be part of the Comprehensive Plan process on the KC Playbook site, received newsletters about the time and location of climate plan meetings. There are approximately 330 people registered from the northland on the Playbook Site.

In addition to city-wide engagement two northland specific workshops were held (one virtually and one in person) with 35 participants, with more than 121 strategy ideas identified. Key themes from these workshops are on page 17 of the Equity-Centered Engagement Plan summary. There were also at least 3 one-on-one or small group conversations with northland residents through our climate justice worker outreach. A summary of discussion themes from northland residents from these engagements and city-wide efforts can be found on pgs. 104-111 of the plan document.

In addition to the outreach above, Lara Isch, Sustainability Manager presented virtually to NNI on September 15th and at the 1st District Problem Solving Session on October 5th, 2021. Andy Savastino, Chief Environmental Officer presented at a Northland Neighborhood Roundtable on April 20th,, 2022 to discuss what was in the plan with neighborhood leaders. We also held an in-person strategy session at the Chamber of Commerce where we specifically invited members of the Kansas City Industrial Council and the Green Business Network.

5. The restaurants are hugely dependent, in Kansas City, upon natural gas. Every single BBQ grill in BBQ city uses natural gas. Tell me how you are okay with them all going out of business if they have to adopt your plan? Have they been part of any of your constituents’ groups as you have been talking to people and what did they say to you?

The team met with several restaurateurs about the plan. The topic of a natural gas ban/forced adoption was not a key theme as this was not (and is not) proposed with this plan. During the draft plan review, we did have some comments from restaurants and homeowners regarding natural gas. Most of those comments were about the removal of natural gas as a fuel source option for them. Our response to these comments was to inform them about the Missouri law that prohibits natural gas bans. These responses are noted in the Engagement Summary.

Restaurants were identified as key partners in helping address food waste, food equity, and community-building. One of the ideas that came up in our Waste & Materials Topic Area Session was a voluntary green business/restaurant program/certification sticker to alert consumers to climate-friendly practices.

Additional outreach would be needed to determine potential incentives that would make voluntary electrification an appealing option for restaurants.

6. I appreciate that you are offering all these great rebates and all those types of things, but the one thing I haven’t seen is how much more money does it really cost me to create those and add those into my home? With the rebate I am still paying more money. We have a million people that are mad this week about affordable housing and we are talking about this which to me seems very counter-intuitive.

Energy efficiency retrofits on existing homes (B-2 Improve the efficiency, affordability, and durability of homes) projected to save almost $1 billion dollars in utility costs (pg.6 of the Mitigation Scenario Analysis Methodology). While the cost effectiveness of retrofitting existing homes is variable based on existing and installed systems, the net effect is lower and more stable utility bills for residents along with more comfortable and healthy homes. For new construction, the ROI on all-electric, high-efficiency construction is 10-13%, which will also have the effect of lowering utility costs for residents.

The Plan does not force anyone to make changes to their homes. We expect most people will not change out their appliances until they need to be replaced. It does appear the federal rebate will cover the full cost of the average heat pump installation in Kansas City, according to Committee member Bill Griffith who is a local building energy expert. We want to be sure that people who do need to replace heating or cooling equipment soon are aware of the rebates and can make an informed decision based on all factors.

7. I haven’t heard what Evergy and Spire say about it? I would like them to have a seat at the table to be able to answer where they are and what they are doing and what their thoughts are on this too.

Evergy and Spire have had a seat at the table throughout the entire process. Evergy itself has a staff member which was appointed to the CPSC by Mayor Lucas (this member opted to abstain from several committee votes because of a desire to remain impartial). With Spire, CPSC leadership reached out to them and had a meeting to hear from them and address their concerns.

Beyond those elements, both utilities have participated in all aspects of public engagement which have been available throughout the development of this plan. That includes:

• Public meetings for the CPSC committee as well as public meetings organized by OEQ and Brendle
• Comment periods for various drafts of the plan (during which they submitted detailed comments through the public portal and emailed comments to city staff)
• A utility-specific discussion organized by Councilwoman Robinson

Both utilities have also had ample opportunity to reach out to individual members of the council, the city manager, and the mayor to share their thoughts on the plan. They have conveyed to us that they agree with the vast majority of the plan, and the CPSC has considered the concerns they have raised on parts where there was disagreement.

8. We are getting mobs of people concerned about affordable housing. Part of the affordability of housing is utility costs. What’s going to happen to the rate payers if this plan is adopted? I need to know how it’s going to affect utility costs for individual ratepayers, particularly low-income levels. Because, if we price them out of homes, we haven’t helped anything.

Independent analysis submitted to the Missouri Public Service Commission by the Council for the New Energy Economic estimates ratepayers in Evergy’s Missouri territory would save $1.3 billion between now and 2040 if they retired all their coal plants between 2023 and 2030 and replaced them with mostly wind, solar and storage. Evergy spends about $500 million purchasing coal every year. Ultimately, rates are decided by the Public Service Commission, that’s why the plan includes participating in Public Service Commission proceedings.

Low income families could face higher gas bills as households begin to go all electric. That is likely to happen with or without the CPRP, especially with the new federal rebates available for electric heat pumps and induction stoves. That’s why assisting low income households to ensure they don’t get left behind is a key equity focus of this plan and why the plan recommends an equitable building decarbonization program.

More info on heat pumps: No one will be required to install a heat pump in their home or business if they don’t want to. But we want to help people understand the cost savings potential and climate advantages of installing heat pumps. A heat pump with an HSPF of 10 or more will save money on the winter heating bill when compared to a 65%, 80%, and even a 95% AFUE furnace. How do we know this? The IRA anticipates consumers could save $1800 on their household budget by going electric. The Lawrence Berkeley Labs study funded by NREL shows heat pump savings in MO using 2019 natural gas prices vs the 65 and 80% furnaces. With the new reality of natural gas prices and demand from Europe even the 95% furnace loses out against heat pump savings. The heat pump will be more efficient than the air conditioning unit it is replacing (heat pumps replace the air conditioner NOT the furnace-the furnace simply becomes the auxiliary heat source when the temperature outside gets down to 5-10 degrees). Third, the York calculator (seerenergysavings.com) shows significant savings using a heat pump vs. a gas furnace.

Finally, natural gas prices can fluctuate month to month making it difficult to budget, but electric rates only go up when there is a rate case every 3-4 years.

9. Can you address this plan vs policy? There is policy that this council does not have the authority to act on it. Could you thread the needle for us so that we are clear where we are adopting this that it is just a plan and that there is subsequent policy - some in which the Missouri utilities commission has to weigh in on. Can you speak to that?

In adopting this plan, the City Council is only adopting a framework and recommendations for policy steps which have been identified as critical to addressing climate change for the city. Each of the recommendations within would be a subsequent step for the council to consider, detail, adopt, and implement. One way to consider it is this: We all know what we want for dinner (a sustainable future for KCMO), but we need ingredients and instructions on how to make the meal (the CPRP).

Due to the 2021 passage of Bill HB734 in the state legislature, it is illegal for Kansas City to ban the use of any fuel source, including natural gas, except in municipal buildings. The plan complies with state law and does not include policy recommendations to ban natural gas from non-municipal buildings. The City can encourage, but not require, the community to replace gas appliances with modern electric versions. In policy terms, the City should look at its current energy efficiency programs, ensure they are still aligned with the goals of the climate plan, and make adjustments if necessary. The City should also come up with a plan to decarbonize municipal facilities and avoid installing new gas-powered equipment wherever possible.