TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican Governor Sam Brownback has announced a proposal for ending a renewable energy requirement for Kansas utilities. The proposal he outlined Monday embodies an agreement between wind energy companies and critics of the green energy rule. The plan is designed to end an ongoing debate over a 2009 law that requires wind or other renewable sources to account for 20 percent of a utility's capacity for generating electricity by 2020. The proposal converts the mandate into a goal. But legislators would not pursue a new tax on electricity generated from renewable resources. Lawmakers also would rewrite laws dealing with property taxes on renewable energy projects. Brownback and groups on both sides said the plan would bring stability to the business climate for wind energy companies.
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