Our View: Practical energy plan
In today’s charged political environment, one of the rarest of rare events occurred this past Thursday. Politicians from both sides of the political aisle and representatives of all Missouri’s electric utilities stood in solidarity on the lawn of the governor’s mansion behind not just one, but two common causes: energy and jobs.
It didn’t get a lot of coverage, and if you aren’t a news junkie you probably didn’t even notice it. But if it comes to fruition, you will most certainly feel its effects for years to come.
Gov. Jay Nixon’s announcement that Westinghouse Electric Company had partnered with Ameren Missouri to bring the development and manufacturing of Westinghouse’s small modular nuclear reactors brings a bit of good news in a sea of ever-swelling bad news regarding higher energy prices and dwindling supply.
Westinghouse will apply next month for Department of Energy cost-share investment funds that would allow plans to proceed for construction of the first small modular nuclear reactor at Ameren’s Callaway site. Additional units made in and shipped from Missouri would go out to customers around the globe.
The argument can be made in regard to DOE’s original goal of American energy independence, it has been, in practice, just one long list of “mission fail.” The political climate hasn’t exactly helped.
The question then remains as to just where the dollars already allocated will flow and for what purpose will they flow?
We believe that spurring safe, economical, close to load power generation, while at the same time creating tens of thousands of good paying, stable jobs is a far better use of taxpayer funds than throwing hundreds of millions at politically connected Solyndras.
Or in Nixon’s words from Thursday:
“This investment is a once-in-a-generation opportunity that could spark a next-generation manufacturing industry in Missouri.”
Now those are words all generations can get behind. We applaud Nixon, Westinghouse, Ameren and the remaining utilities — including Joplin’s own Empire District — for joining forces on a practical energy plan for all Missourians.
-Editorial Board
