Dozens of 105-foot-tall Evergy poles in residential front yards of a low-income Wichita neighborhood inspired passage Wednesday by the Kansas House of an amendment expanding regulatory oversight of transmission line siting decisions in urban areas.
The 2018 project initiated by Westar Energy, which now operates as Evergy, sidestepped requests to place the double-deck poles elsewhere. Critics alleged the massive metal poles damaged their property values and would have never appeared in yards of wealthy homeowners. Westar subsequently apologized and donated $1.2 million to a community fund.
Rep. Gail Finney, D-Wichita, urged House colleagues to expand authority of the Kansas Corporation Commission to regulate placement of transmission lines in cities. It would require the KCC to take into account population density, location and aesthetics in siting decisions.
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)
