KANSAS CITY, MO – Tomorrow, community members will gather at 5 p.m. outside the Gregg/Klice Community Center (1600 E 17th Terrace) for a rally, then head inside to testify before the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) during the official hearing scheduled for 6 p.m.
Their goal: stop Spire Missouri Inc., (a natural gas monopoly in Missouri) from jacking up gas bills for 600,000 customers across the state.
What Spire is demanding
- 15 % average jump in residential rates
- $290 million in additional annual revenue, only $54 million of which is tied to legally-mandated safety upgrades.
Why Community Members Call It A Corporate Money Grab
Sunrise KC blasted the billionaire corporation, saying Spire “wants to keep making millions off of gas so they can give their executives bonuses every year by squeezing working people for every cent they can get, while simultaneously polluting our communities and environment.” The youth-led climate group urges residents to “pull up to a public hearing to tell the commission that we deserve better—and not fossil-fuel greed.”
A coalition email sent by Community Creating Opportunity blasted to neighborhood leaders and faith networks drives the point home:
“There are two key action steps to stop Spire’s 15 % rate hike. Kansas Citians must come together and do both, or struggling workers and families will be pushed further into the pit of poverty. And that ain’t right!”
The company has a history of extractive, pollutive, harmful and bullying practices. A 2022 federal court found Spire’s $287 million St. Louis pipeline was “self-dealing at the expense of captive gas customers.” Then, when that pipeline was nearly shut down because of public pushback, Spire blasted customers with warnings they might “not have heat,” a tactic state regulators later said “created unnecessary panic and confusion.”
The Community’s Two-pronged Fight Plan
- Show up and testify at Sunrise KC Rally
- Rally: 5 p.m. Wednesday outside Gregg/Klice.
- PSC public hearing: sign-in begins inside at 6 p.m.; speak your piece directly to commissioners weighing the case.
- Flood the PSC inbox
- Email comments referencing Case No. GR-2025-0107 to pscinfo@psc.mo.gov.
- Tell regulators your current winter bills—often $200–$600, according to the CCO email—already break the bank.
The Bigger Picture
Spire pocketed record profits in recent years while funneling shareholder dividends and executive pay. Meanwhile, Kansas City families shoulder some of the highest energy burdens in the Midwest. Advocates say the 15 % spike would deepen racial and economic inequity: every extra dollar going to Spire is a dollar not spent on food, medicine, or rent.
The company Spire (SR) has a market capitalization or net worth of $4.44 billion as of May 30, 2025, according to Stock Analysis. This represents a 24.39% increase in market cap over the past year. The company’s enterprise value is $9.07 billion, according to Stock Analysis
Sunrise KC frames the showdown as part of a larger fossil-fuel fight: “We deserve better—and NOT fossil fuel greed.” The group hosted a testimony-writing workshop Monday “so folks can step into THEIR power and testify,” pushing a digital RSVP at bit.ly/stopspire.
What happens next
- Virtual comment window stays open until the PSC’s evidentiary hearings in Jefferson City (Aug. 4-13).
- Commissioners will issue a ruling by late October. If approved, new rates hit bills this winter—right when gas costs already spike.
How to get involved right now
| Action | Details |
|---|---|
| Rally & testify | Wed., June 4 — Rally 5 p.m., testimony 6 p.m.Gregg/Klice Community Center, 1600 E 17th Terrace |
| Email PSC | Subject line: “Reject Spire’s 15 % hike — Case No. GR-2025-0107”Send to pscinfo@psc.mo.gov |
| Spread the word | Share Sunrise KC graphics (“Spire Profits, We Pay the Price”) and the CCO flyer reading “NOT ONE CENT MORE — Stop Spire’s Rate Hike!” with friends, neighbors, and on social media |
The Bottom line is this: Spire’s profit grab lands squarely on Black, Brown, and working-class households already squeezed by skyrocketing rents and food prices. Tomorrow, Kansas City has a chance to look the utility’s executives in the eye and say what Sunrise KC has been shouting all week: Not one cent more. See you at 5.
