Although the Kansas Senate had approved a bill to repeal the state's renewable portfolio standard (RPS) on Tuesday, the state House of Representatives later rejected the proposed legislation in a 77-42 vote on Wednesday. The RPS requires the state's utilities to source 20% of their electricity from renewable energy resources by 2020.
According to an Associated Press report, legislators who supported repealing the RPS claimed the mandate is uncalled for and leads to higher electricity prices, while other lawmakers argued that the RPS helps boost the state's economy.
The conservative group Americans for Prosperity had been lobbying for an RPS repeal, having run a slew of television attack ads against the renewables mandate in the state. This is not the first time Kansas' RPS has come under fire from the group or state legislators. However, a legislative effort in 2013 to weaken the RPS ultimately failed.
