More Benefits of the Consumer Protections in the Site Permit Bill
According to an article in January 26th’s Tampa Bay Times, ratepayers in Florida are now on the hook for more than a billion dollars in costs for the construction of a nuclear plant – even though the plant may not be constructed.
Legislation pending in Missouri’s legislature would protect us from exactly this type of situation. The nuclear site permit bill stipulates that only the cost of securing the site permit may be recovered from ratepayers. In fact, it even doubles the budget of the Office of Public Counsel (OPC) to ensure that it provides the type of oversight necessary to ensure that this never happens in our state.
Moreover, it requires that the utility reimburse any costs to consumers – with interest – if the plant is not constructed. And finally, even though Missouri’s law only deals with the permitting process, our bill sets a hard cap to make sure its cost is less than two dollars a year for an average residential rate payer.
We believe it is critical to plan now to secure our state’s affordable, reliable and clean energy future. Our power plants are getting older, and constructing a second nuclear power plant in Missouri would bring abundant, clean power – and thousands of jobs – to our state. But without the nuclear site permit bill, additional nuclear power will not be an option. We must preserve this option.
