Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a wide-reaching utility bill into law Wednesday.
The legislation changes a range of policies related to how utilities operate and bill customers in the state.
"With this legislation, Missouri is well-positioned to attract new industry, support job growth, and maintain affordable, reliable energy for our citizens," Kehoe said in a statement. "This is about powering Missouri for Missourians and not relying on other states and countries to produce our power.”
A group of detractors spoke out against the law in Jefferson City soon after the governor signed it, saying it will make utilities significantly more expensive for customers and worsen climate change by favoring energy sources that lead to greenhouse gas emissions.
Consumers Council of Missouri Executive Director Sandra Padgett said the law will increase household utility bills by more than $1,000 a year.
“This bill is nothing more than a profit-driven package that benefits utilities at the expense of hard-working Missouri families,” Padgett said.
The bill allows utilities to charge customers for power plants as they are being built, rather than after they are complete. It also requires utilities to replace retiring power plants with a similar-size energy source that can immediately be turned on, which renewable energy advocates say could cut out wind and solar.
Sierra Club of Missouri chapter President Gretchen Waddell Barwick said the law will increase utility costs and pollution.
“It allows utilities to force Missourians to funnel money into risky business ventures like untried, expensive nuclear reactors and to invest in expensive fossil fuel infrastructure that won't even be available for us to use until 2030,” Waddell Barwick said.
The bill includes changes that will protect consumers by expanding the window of time when utilities cannot disconnect service when it is especially hot or cold outside. It also increases funding to an office that represents the public during hearings related to utilities.
