AFP-Kansas Releases Letter Urging Lawmakers to Support Market-Driven Process for New Energy Projects

Nov 4, 2025 by AFP

TOPEKA, KS – Today, Americans for Prosperity-Kansas (AFP-KS) sent a letter to members of the House and Senate committees on energy and utilities urging them to support a free market approach to new energy projects in Kansas in the 2026 legislative session.

AFP-KS urges Kansas lawmakers against Right of First Refusal (ROFR) laws that block competitive bidding and hand automatic construction rights to incumbent utilities, warning that they threaten to eliminate one of the few proven tools that protect customers from higher costs.

The letter comes as AFP-KS celebrates the completion of a new electric transmission line that will save Kansas taxpayers $27 million thanks to a competitive bidding process for the project.

As electric utility monopolies across the country seek to unfairly boost profits by ending competition for new powerline construction, the millions saved by the new Wolf Creek-Blackberry Transmission line shows that competition works to save money for consumers.

Elizabeth Patton, regional director for Americans for Prosperity in Kansas, gave the following statement:

“When utilities compete for contracts, consumers win. Too often monopoly utilities push for laws that give them unfair, exclusive rights to these powerline construction projects. Preserving open competition in energy infrastructure is the surest way to deliver affordable, reliable power.

“When transmission projects are opened to competitive bidding, developers innovate, costs come down, and customers win. When states hand out no-bid monopolies, ratepayers are stuck footing the bill.”

Background:

AFP-KS was a leading opponent of the recent $128 million electricity rate increase for Evergy, a state-backed energy monopoly, with no input from taxpayers.

Additional examples of cost savings from competitively bid transmission projects cross the central United States:

$14 million saved: Matheson-Redbud Line (Oklahoma) – Competitive bidding produced both a lower overall price and a better engineering design.

$87 million saved: Fairport to Denny Transmission Line (Missouri) – Selected through MISO’s open bidding process, this project came in at less than half the estimated cost, delivering huge savings to ratepayers.

$6 million saved: Reid EHV to IN/KY Border Project – Cost caps and efficiency measures reduced long-term expenses for consumers.