March 2009 Construction Work in Progress
The following position was voted on and ratified by the JCRC Council by a vote of 16 in favor, 0 opposed and 6 abstaining:
SB 228 is officially titled the Missouri Clean and Renewable Energy Construction Act. This law rescinds a 1976 law, enacted by initiative petition, which says that any charge based on the costs of construction in progress “is unjust and unreasonable and is
prohibited.” SB 228 would allow an energy utility to include financing the cost of construction in the rate base from planning to operation of the plant. Utility company Ameren UE has indicated that it will apply for permission to build a second nuclear plant and seeks to have rate payers pay for all phases of construction of the plant.
JCRC opposes SB 228 because it would lead to potentially very large utility rate increases that would fall most heavily on those least able to afford it. SB 228 will immediately raise electric rates and also allows for these rates to keep increasing on a quarterly basis. This will create an increased burden on the poor and elderly who are already having difficulty making ends meet.
