Nuclear Site Permit Bill Clears First Hurdle
MEDIA RELEASE
Kim Carlos – 816-550-1782
kim@moenergyfuture.com
Nuclear Site Permit Bill Clears First Hurdle
House Bill 124 Passes Utility Committee by 21-2 Vote
February 22, 2011 (Jefferson City, Missouri) – House Bill 124, a bill that would enable Missouri’s electric service providers to obtain a site permit for a new nuclear plant in Callaway County from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, was adopted today by the House Utility Committee by a vote of 21-2. The bill, sponsored by Representative Jeannie Riddle (R-Mokane), now moves on for consideration by the full House.
“Nuclear power may very well be Missouri’s best bet for keeping electric rates down in the long term,” said Irl Scissors, executive director of Missourians for a Balanced Energy Future, a nonprofit organization supporting the bill. “And a new nuclear plant would create thousands of new jobs in Missouri. Today’s committee vote will enable Missouri to keep this important option on the table.”
“We have the opportunity now to control our energy future,” said Representative Riddle today in committee. Riddle’s bill would enable Missouri’s electric service providers to obtain a site permit for a new nuclear plant from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The cost for the permit would be less than $2 per year for the typical residential ratepayer – an amount supporters argue is worth the investment in Missouri’s energy future.
HB 124 enjoys broad bipartisan support. But two big industrial corporations — Noranda Aluminum and Anheuser Busch – still are trying to rally opposition to the bill in the Senate. They are demanding that the legislation be amended to include an additional fee that would be added to electric, gas and water bills to pay for more staff in the state Office of Public Counsel, which is part of the Public Service Commission.
Currently, 80 percent of Missouri’s power is provided by an aging fleet of coal-fired power plants, which are the target of more stringent federal regulations. These regulations will drive up the cost of energy produced from coal. Furthermore, demand for electricity is expected to increase in Missouri by about 25 percent over the next 20 years. It is essential that Missouri plans now to meet future demand.
Under the terms of the bill, the cost of the site permit could not be recovered by electric companies until after the permit is granted, which would be sometime after 2014. And the costs could only be recovered if the Public Service Commission determines that the funds were spent prudently and wisely.
The legislation will now go before the full House for a vote. A date for that vote has not yet been scheduled.
About Missourians for a Balanced Energy Future (MBEF): MBEF is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization comprised of small and large businesses, labor, farmers, associations, trade groups and Missouri citizens, who understand that securing Missouri’s reliable energy sources for tomorrow means making common sense decisions today. www.moenergyfuture.org.
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