This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, July 10, 2009 - Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon will be joined by a rare bipartisan crowd of allies on Monday when he holds news conferences in Kansas City and St. Joseph to ceremonially sign the Missouri Energy Efficiency Investment Act.
The Act will allow electric companies to charge their customers a fee to help finance programs to encourage energy efficiency, such as offering free programmable thermostats or providing inducements to companies who cut back on electricity during peak times.
State officials say the added fee, presumably imposed on all or most electricity users in Missouri, will save money in the long run because a lower demand for power will mean that utility companies won't have to spend as much money on new plants or to purchase power from other utilities.
The bill had been backed by utilities, businesses and some environmental groups. Its chief sponsor was state Sen. Brad Lager, R-Maryville. Nixon and GOP legislative leaders had praised the bill during the session.
Those in attendance are scheduled to include representatives of Kansas City Power & Light, which coincidentally gave a $10,000 campaign donation to the governor earlier this month at a Kansas City fundraiser.
According to the Missouri Ethics Commission's Web site, the donation was among three $10,000 contributions that the governor received on July 6, presumably at the same Kansas City event. The other donors included the Kansas City engineering firm of Burns & McDonnell, which has done business with the utility, and Donald Dalton of Wright City.
Earlier this year, the utility gave $25,000 to Nixon, a Democrat, and $5,000 to Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, a Republican.
