A bill overwhelmingly passed by the Kansas Legislature and signed by Gov. Laura Kelly allows investor-owned utility companies to issue ratepayer-backed bonds to retire expensive power plants and transition to alternatives, such as wind or solar power. The bonds also enable utility companies to deal with price shocks on natural gas from February's cold snap.
Paul Johnson, a public interest advocate who has followed energy policy at the Capitol for years, and Zach Pistora of the Kansas Sierra Club, dive into securitization — a subject that affects everyone's wallet and Kansas energy and environmental policy — with senior reporter Tim Carpenter.