Storage is key to a strong healthy energy future. Wyandotte County deserves responsible investment.

The East Side Energy Storage project in Wyandotte County can generate the exact grid flexibility and affordability we so sorely need, our columnists write. (3D rendering illustration by Getty Images)

Kansas communities are showing up for commonsense energy storage solutions. So why are local leaders rejecting them?

For 20 years now, energy leaders in Kansas have been dreaming: If only battery storage was technologically ready and affordable, it could be the bridge we need to make the most of clean energy and secure the low-cost, reliable power that our communities deserve. Now, we’re there.

Storage has never been safer or more reliable, and East Side Energy Storage, a project that can generate the exact grid flexibility and affordability we so sorely need, is knocking at our door. The opportunity is right in front of us, and Wyandotte County risks missing out.

Despite overwhelming community support, the Wyandotte County Unified Governments Planning and Zoning Commission voted not to recommend East Side Energy Storage. More than 40 Kansans from diverse backgrounds, including residents neighboring the project and union representatives from IBEW and AFL-CIO, showed up at the meeting in support of the project.

They gave up their valuable time to advocate for a strong clean energy future, and their voices were silenced and overridden without any real explanation. They were given no opportunity to make their voices heard through public comment, and despite a show of hands proving that the vast majority of those in the room wanted to bring the many benefits of this project home to Wyandotte County, and against the advice of staff who spent months evaluating the details, the committee voted to not recommend the project to the commission.

Why? Commissioners Duane Beth and Jim Ernst pushed for denial based on the project not matching the “neighborhood’s character,” overriding actual neighbors’ wishes.

Meanwhile, Accelergen has made a commitment to pay its fair share of local property taxes, even if the Kansas Legislature passes a law that would let them off the hook. That means more than $27 million in much-needed revenue for Wyandotte County. That directly drives a better quality of life for residents by resourcing schools, roads, and first responders. These benefits are why Kansans are showing up in force to support this project: They can see this project will create opportunities for Wyandotte families alongside cleaner air and reliable power.

Our neighbors down in Texas have seen firsthand just how much of a difference battery storage can make as our communities face unprecedented challenges from extreme weather and rising demand.

In a single winter storm, Winter Storm Heather in 2024, energy storage delivered Texas an estimated $750 million in market savings, according to the comptroller, while keeping key infrastructure running and the grid reliable. Just this January, during Winter Storm Fern, storage stayed strong under brutal conditions, keeping the lights on and averting disastrous system-wide outages.

Storage also shows up when communities are feeling the heat, helping to avoid grid failure and price spikes during record-setting temperatures. Safety incidents are vanishingly rare, and state-of-the-art containment technology and close coordination with first responders ensures the community is well-protected. When it comes to health, energy storage’s emissions-free power reliability can help alleviate the burdens of air pollution from fossil fuels and industrial toxins our communities have lived with for far too long.

East Side Energy Storage still has a path forward; fear and misinformation don’t have to get the final say. The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City Board of Commissioners can still make a different choice, securing a strong clean energy future.

Dorothy Barnett leads the Climate + Energy Project. Ty Gorman has been the Kansas Beyond Coal campaign representative with the Sierra Club since 2020. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.