Dempsey: Planning for Missouri's Energy Future

With the turmoil in the Middle East, oil prices are nearing record highs once again. Today, the price of gas is over $3 per gallon and many of us are concerned about how much higher the cost will get. These headlines underscore a very important point. Now more than ever, the United States needs to become energy independent. It’s a matter of national security. Furthermore, with additional efforts put into exploration, production, and new infrastructure, thousands of new jobs would be created nationwide.

In Missouri, we have our own energy policy to pursue. We export a substantial amount of energy to our neighbors, which, in part, allows us to have lower electrical costs than most states.

This situation could change, however, as federal lawmakers support policies to phase out coal-burning plants. Eighty-two percent of our energy is produced by decades-old, coal-fired plants. Modifications to reduce pollution will extend the life of those facilities, but that’s not a long-term solution to our energy needs. The desire for cleaner burning energy production has forced us to begin planning for a future that includes less energy production from coal.

Legislation filed this session [HB124] would begin the process of building a second nuclear power plant in Missouri. It is clean and safe. While a nuclear plant is the most expensive technology to build, it is relatively cheap to operate. Investments in wind, solar, biomass, and other renewable energy sources can be expanded too, but those methods are unable to supply the dependable base load generation our economy demands.

As we consider the legislation, we need to make certain that safeguards are in place to protect ratepayers. It is my hope that we can move forward with an efficiently-run building project that would employ thousands of Missouri workers and provide low-cost, cleaner-burning energy long into our future.

I always appreciate hearing from you. If you have any questions about this issue or any legislation pending before the Missouri Senate, please do not hesitate to contact my office.