Some of the important improvements in Kansas were signed into law last year by Governor Mark Parkinson. A rule requiring a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and a rule providing for "net metering" were some of the biggies. You can read about these at www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm.
This week I attended the Kansas Energy Conference at the Wichita Hyatt along with 500 other attendees. The Kansas Energy Office sponsored the event and discussed many of their programs for businesses and residential energy efficiency programs. These can be found by linking to the Efficiency Kansas website at www.efficiencykansas.com/ .
Also, this week the Lieutenant Governor Troy Findley released a report about Kansas Energy policies. It is a good read and details information about eleven state agencies that have a say in energy policies. This is probably one of the most comprehensive reports I have seen on energy requirements in Kansas. Check out the report at governor.ks.gov/files/2010_Energy_Report.pdf.
The City of Wichita is doing its own part to improve its operational energy efficiency and to improve the community's energy efficiency through a Department of Energy Block Grant. Some of these projects include:
- A new 2.6 mile bicycle pathway is being built to connect other Wichita bike paths in north east Wichita; which will result in 35 miles of continuous cycling infrastructure and prevent 5.6 million pounds of greenhouse gases over the project's 25 year lifespan;
- Synchronization of 412 traffic lights throughout Wichita reducing greenhouse gas emissions and alleviating traffice congestion by reducing the time that vehicles are forced to idle at stops;
- Launch the Wichita Visioneering Environmental Sustainability Alliance, a regional public-private partnership to promote sustainability including community energy efficiency and improving local air quality; and
- Education of the community regarding energy efficiency through developement of a new website www.greenwichita.org and conduting an annual Energy and Sustainability Conference and Fair.
Check out the flyer about the City projects at the following link at energyblockgrants.org/success-stories/ and scroll down to the Wichita flyer which is #14.
Update regarding Wichita's 2011 Regional Energy and Sustainability Summit and Fair:
Wichita and its many partners/sponsors are working hard to finalize details regarding the upcoming 2011 Regional Energy and Sustainability Summit and Fair that will be held January 28th and 29th at the WSU Hughes Metroplex. The event schedule and registration details are expected to be out by the end of October.
The January 28th Summit event is planned for business, industry, and government representatives that will include speakers and a vendor exhibit. There will be a registration requirement and fee for the day long event that will include a catered lunch. Registration will be available on this www.greenwichita.org site at the end of October.
The January 20th Fair event is planned for the regional community and will feature energy efficiency and sustainability demonstrations along with a vendor exhibit. Energy and sustainability prizes will be awarded to the first 200 attending the Fair on Saturday, January 29th. There will be a box luncheon for the first 100 at the Saturday event and reservations may be made on this www.greenwichita.org site at the end of October.