Missouri’s Energy Future: A Renewed Focus
Now that we are a month removed from the end of the 2011 legislative session, we’re pleased to share some MBEF updates with you.
What happened?
First, a quick reminder: in the final moments of last session, the Missouri General Assembly came closer than ever before to passing nuclear site permit legislation. Final passage would have assured that Missouri maintained options for keeping electric rates low and meeting future demand for energy. The bill would have also enacted the toughest consumer protections against excessive rate increases and it would have led to the creation of thousands of good jobs to boost Missouri’s economy.
Even with strong leadership from Senator Mike Kehoe and Representative Jeanie Riddle, the leadership of the General Assembly failed to push Missouri toward a cleaner, secure and affordable energy future.
Where are we now?
Instead, according to reports, Missouri’s economy still lags, people are desperate for jobs and our unemployment rate remains steady at 9 percent.
Meanwhile, our energy supply continues to come primarily from sources outside our state and our dependence on coal remains around 80%. A recent story in the Chicago Tribune reaffirms our grave concern for the stability of our electric rates and the need for new cleaner power plants like nuclear. It outlines how states with an overreliance on carbon emitting energy sources will likely face dramatic energy rate increases because of looming EPA regulations.
Where do we go from here?
The news is not all bad. Even though jobs are scarce, we still import most of our energy from outside our state and we came up short last session, Missouri is closer than ever before to securing the option for new nuclear power that will preserve low rates and generate clean, secure power for Missourians.
I remain confident and optimistic that the parties involved will continue negotiating so when the General Assembly again has the opportunity to move Missouri’s energy future forward, it is able to take the first step in the form of the site permit legislation.
What can you do?
Stay engaged. Our success last legislative session was entirely due to the unwavering support we received from our members, and we still need your help. We’ll continue to send you updates about the nuclear site bill and Missouri’s energy future, and we hope you’ll continue to check in with us on our website, Facebook and Twitter.
Thank you for your continued support of this important issue. We look forward to working with you to ensure that we secure Missouri’s energy future.
Sincerely,
Irl
