The Empire District Electric Company (NYSE:EDE) announced today that it has filed a request with the Kansas Corporation Commission to implement an Environmental Cost Recovery Rider for costs associated with new environmental facilities installed at its Asbury generating unit.

If approved by the Commission, the rider would result in an increase of approximately $3.67 a month for Kansas customers using 1,000 kilowatt-hours of energy. Empire has requested an effective date of March 1, 2015, for the recovery rider. Empire has approximately 9,700 customers in Kansas.

In making the announcement, Brad Beecher, president and CEO, stated, “We are seeking this increase in rates to begin recovery of the costs we have incurred to comply with environmental rules and regulations issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that govern the continued operation of our Asbury generating unit. The environmental improvements we have made at Asbury will allow us to continue to provide reliable service to our customers with a balanced mix of resources.”

Based in Joplin, Missouri, The Empire District Electric Company (NYSE: EDE) is an investor-owned, regulated utility providing electric, natural gas (through its wholly owned subsidiary The Empire District Gas Company), and water service, with approximately 217,000 customers in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. A subsidiary of the Company also provides fiber optic services. For more information regarding Empire, visit www.empiredistrict.com.

Certain matters discussed in this press release are “forward-looking statements” intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements address future plans, objectives, expectations, earnings, and events or conditions concerning various matters. Actual results in each case could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements, by reason of the factors noted in the Company’s filings with the SEC, including the most recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q.