[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6360556,"mediaKeyId","2174562-3e6fcaa28171b71489321ed6efb0b7a5","parentId",2174562,"title","KCC urges 60‑day extension for transmission‑line siting deadlines; utilities urge caution on delay","audioSeconds",639,"startMs",2657000,"endMs",3296000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2174562-3e6fcaa28171b71489321ed6efb0b7a5&start=2657&end=3296","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2174562-3e6fcaa28171b71489321ed6efb0b7a5/thumbnail_2657000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6360556/Kansas/KCC-urges-60day-extension-for-transmissionline-siting-deadlines-utilities-urge-caution-on-delay","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6360556-22e33951c338c10e53a457e1ebbdc946/orig.mp4?Expires=1770546405&Signature=my8xpHQljC7hrTqtC3EDrQ8PcuaBaBzYEsQ04ZOV6YoABKIKQG4mq3jVlsollq~cEJhAZnU1yG5epf9Q1hTLW9E0flHa9GQzjNDNdoIbLwvp-HPL7EsB7U7IZ0IX6r0KmQlVJvHODMtqaAI-3PmJVJ9F8sOVXnVBmuBQOO0Fc508Jx1B6W1ygWm48ij91VDlXp3e~UCPynaYJVE6Tm3OoQRhJzMLWj6cfhBEcP3MD8LKLK3kEf7TFVmkeiP3ClXDgvZ4EF9Za4bbIrbcyR7FXIY08Z53OXDEJR0nE4ZfEIWTHdW3eQn53S9-vfEDG1JhEQsMmUajL4g0qF5K2YYK2g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author"," Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications, KS","date","2025-01-30T00:00:00Z","article","Kansas Corporation Commission Deputy Director of the Utilities Division Justin Grady asked the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications to approve House Bill 2040, which would extend the statutory deadline for final orders on high‑voltage transmission‑line siting cases from 120 days to 180 days.

Grady told the committee the commission proposed the change because “120 days ... is just an inadequate period of time” to evaluate projects that can affect landowners for decades and to allow meaningful intervenor participation. He cited a recent siting docket in which notice to affected landowners arrived weeks after the application and a hearing schedule compressed opportunities to file direct testimony and alternative routing proposals.

Why this matters: high‑voltage transmission projects can cross many private properties and are typically planned and built over multiple years. The bill would lengthen an already expedited KCC process, a change proponents say would permit fuller review and more effective engagement by landowners and other parties. Opponents and neutral conferees raised concerns that extending the deadline could delay construction and increase project costs.

Utility witnesses adopted neutral positions but urged caution. Darren Ives, vice president of regulatory affairs at Evergy, told the committee the change could be “a little bit of a solution without an issue,” noting Evergy has not filed under the siting statute in nearly a decade and that utilities typically perform extensive routing work before filing. He recommended either narrower application of the extension or discretion for the commission to grant an extension only for good cause.

Representatives of rural electric cooperatives testified similarly in neutral support for landowner input while warning about the downstream impacts of added delay on project costs. KCC staff described resource constraints for review: Grady said the commission’s transmission‑siting work is performed by two engineers and that the current timelines require reading and analyzing very large applications and producing testimony within weeks.

Committee members asked about alternatives and about whether the extension would be mandatory in every case. Grady said the bill would set a 180‑day deadline but that the commission could still issue an order sooner; he acknowledged flexibility language tied to “good cause” could be considered and said staff could support an optional extension in some circumstances.

Formal introductions and procedural notes recorded during the same committee session included three requested bill drafts (RS filings): Representative McDonald requested 25RS0918 (Blind Information Access Act); Nathaniel Blank introduced RS0355 on mobile home park tenants’ access to telecommunications and video services on behalf of IdeaTek; J.R. Bien introduced 25RS0541 relating to electric transmission line construction and ownership on behalf of ITC Great Plains. The committee opened the hearing on House Bill 2040 and invited additional written and in‑person testimony; no committee vote occurred on HB2040 during the session.

Taper: Committee staff announced upcoming hearings on utilities’ return on equity and on a pole‑attachment bill. Members asked staff and conferees to consider language that would preserve landowner participation while limiting open‑ended delays to project schedules.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications 01/30/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Kansas Corporation Commission Deputy Director Justin Grady asked the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications to approve House Bill 2040, which would extend the statutory deadline for final orders on high‑voltage transmission‑line siting cases from 120 days to 180 days.","taxTitle","Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications, Standing, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Kansas","taxId",18789,"location","Kansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6360561,"K‑State pitches restart of nuclear engineering bachelor’s, highlights microreactors and workforce link to data centers",781,25000,806000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2174562-3e6fcaa28171b71489321ed6efb0b7a5&start=25&end=806","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2174562-3e6fcaa28171b71489321ed6efb0b7a5/thumbnail_25000.jpg","/articles/6360561/Kansas/KState-pitches-restart-of-nuclear-engineering-bachelors-highlights-microreactors-and-workforce-link-to-data-centers","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6360561-bfa2f5ef34af3b3767e41c1dddae99e3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770546405&Signature=B1J98awz1hOiXJRF9KDNbrjj8IOcGG0xWvwL1vne~KcEc2BNjsvdZ-eJBwjrgKmuxUWs9AxELsfYUl8~gxHxDhF1eIEV9by7eql6DioWYIi5LInA~pOVisg1Ohi4oFxLJ5OxEeqxdJ4BBaiPn-T~xNJI1bKJAfhcYuReIJQs8gRfHGNE97nouxsK6iEsJuZ8t63BIwl65aA~y7lUWDFAdNEqu7QaD5rB2LgvN7OZVWV0x~Eeti7QlF7vODXhrAFuVBR21VwU-4b4RP2DCzVr88nRGqox5bHabmaz-o5E7C57BEoHKirx~tw6V4cmHFhr26MFAynSEJ0UvsRJGJ5kSg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kansas State University interim Vice President for Research Hans Coetzee told the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications that K‑State will seek to restart a full undergraduate nuclear engineering degree and modernize its campus reactor to meet growing demand for skilled workers and research capacity.

The presentation outlined why K‑State sees nuclear power — including small modular reactors and microreactors — as part of a strategy to attract data centers and advanced manufacturing that require steady baseload power. “Nuclear is hands down ahead of all the other sources of fuel that we have available to us,” Coetzee said, adding that nuclear’s average annual capacity factor is about 92 percent.

Why this matters: lawmakers asked about workforce, siting and timelines as Kansas considers new generation and transmission to serve economic development. K‑State told the committee the university already operates a research reactor that it uses to train students and conduct federally funded work, and the institution plans curriculum, facility and faculty investments tied to industry partnerships.

K‑State presenters — Coetzee, Dr. Amir Bahaduri (director of the university’s reactor facility) and Dr. Stacy Hutchinson (associate dean for research, College of Engineering) — described program history and specific research. Bahaduri noted that K‑State operated one of the earliest accredited nuclear engineering programs and that the university’s research reactor first attained criticality in the 1960s. He said the reactor is one of roughly 25 research reactors on U.S. campuses and that hands‑on training there produces graduates who enter national labs and industry.

The presenters described near‑term academic and facility steps. K‑State said it will pursue Kansas Board of Regents review this spring to resume a bachelor’s degree, aim for ABET accreditation when ready, and target fall 2025 for initial implementation with first graduates transferring from the existing concentration in 2025–26. Hutchinson said microreactors could be used for rural energy needs, hydrogen production, desalination and paired water‑energy applications in western Kansas.

Committee members pressed on technical and timeline questions. Representative Roth asked the difference between microreactors and small modular reactors; Coetzee responded that microreactors are a class of small modular reactors, typically in the 5–50 megawatt electric range, while small modular reactors can be larger but are generally below roughly 600 megawatt electric. On transportation and spent‑fuel issues, presenters said regulatory and technical work remains: “There’s work to do both technically and also from a regulatory perspective,” Bahaduri said regarding microreactor transport.

K‑State also discussed research and industry links: radiation‑detection work funded by a Nuclear Regulatory Commission research grant, collaborations with national labs and examples of Kansas employers of graduates such as Evergy, Black & Veatch and Radiation Detection Technologies. Coetzee told the committee K‑State recently requested $10,000,000 from federal partners to modernize infrastructure and said a $5,000,000 recurring state investment would help recruit and retain faculty statewide.

The presentation linked nuclear workforce and steady power to economic development. Hutchinson quoted a Microsoft executive visiting campus: “We will put a data center where we have power,” using the phrase to emphasize that predictable baseload generation can attract high‑power facilities. Presenters also discussed advanced designs such as the Natrium sodium‑cooled concept and high‑temperature gas reactors as technologies that can pair with energy storage or industrial heat uses.

The committee did not vote on any action during the presentation. Presenters offered to provide contact information and to follow up with materials if legislators requested further details.

Taper: K‑State said it will pursue internal approvals and external accreditation and asked lawmakers to consider investments that would help the university retain faculty and expand hands‑on training. Several representatives indicated interest in further briefings on siting, workforce pipelines and the university’s facility modernization plans.","Kansas State University researchers told the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications that K‑State plans to restart a bachelor’s in nuclear engineering, is modernizing its research reactor and is positioning the state to supply workforce and research for small modular and microreactor projects and data‑center power needs.","actionData","errors"]

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KCC urges 60‑day extension for transmission‑line siting deadlines; utilities urge caution on delay

K‑State pitches restart of nuclear engineering bachelor’s, highlights microreactors and workforce link to data centers