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Today's Poll!Nuclear permit added to bill passed by Senate
Ameren's Callaway Nuclear power Plant (Ameren File Photo)
Friday, May 6, 2011
The Missouri House on Thursday night added state Mokane Republican Jeanie Riddle’s nuclear site permit language to a Senate-passed bill on energy and property taxes.
If the House gives its final approval to the bill next week, it would send back to the Senate the issue of letting a utility company charge customers for the costs of successfully getting a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission early site permit.
Late last month, the Senate began that debate, but never had a vote on the issue because the bill was blocked on a procedural move.
Twice this week, state Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, encouraged colleagues to think about the issue and talk with constituents about it, “as we come down to the last few days of debate and possible legislation that would enable this project to move forward.”
Marry Me
Comments
douglas413 2 years, 1 month ago
Ameren Missouri, has got the goverment of Missouri hood winked .
The Missouri public [Tax Payers] comsumers should NOT pay for a new nucular plant till it goes on line. Ameren Missouri, Is a Investor Own Utility Company, let the Investor build it, the Investors are the ones[s] that will profit from it. Get real
Ameren Missouri, send power out of state all the time, to other states for BIG profit, Missouri PSC should check into that. PSC should NOT let [Ameren Missouri] have ANY NEW rate increases Till, they show all their expenses, and ALL their Profits.
bluesfan13 2 years, 1 month ago
So you're saying that Ameren sells their electricity wholesale on the open market for more than what they're allowed to charge their retail customers?
So, you're getting a huge bargain, and you're complaining about it??
I'm not following you here.
fultonian 2 years, 1 month ago
I can hardly make out your cryptic language but it seems to imply that taxpayers are sponsoring ameren's nuclear site permit. Maybe since you can't write you can't read either. If the bill passes ameren could charge their customers, not taxpayers, extra for electricity in order to pay for the permit. Just like any other business would raise the cost of their product to expand their infrastructure. Ameren merely has to beg the government to allow them to change the price of the product they sell.
3blindmice 2 years, 1 month ago
ameren should issue shares of stock to all customers. considering they are the ones that will pay for the new plant and not ameren. I'm glad kehoe voted to increase all our rates! I'll be remembering that at the next election
Rison 2 years, 1 month ago
Looks like a campaign for governor in its infancy.
herewego 2 years, 1 month ago
Another misleading story by NT Bob, it is NOT "a" Utility Company But many utilities including most of Missouri Co-Ops and a KC utility... Get the facts straight Bob, stop being so anti-nuclear. Anyone can buy Ameren stock, it is a publicly traded utility. douglas413, how come you forgot to mention the hoodwink job that Ford did on us, now WE'RE paying for their new plant in KC, how ya like them F-150's with mine and your tax money building them and Ford getting ALL the profit and having to pay no taxes......
3blindmice 2 years, 1 month ago
why don't we bring it up as a vote before the people. oh wait. we already did that and the public spoke. guess if the lobbyist for ameren can't have it one way they will get it another.
online_editor 2 years, 1 month ago
The law would be applicable to any utility company involved with this or any similar projects, not limited to the Callaway project and its participants. Thus, the generic "a utility" refers to whoever the applicant might be now and in the future. --Rick Brown, online editor, News Tribune
wcywing 2 years, 1 month ago
will this project create any jobs?
3blindmice 2 years, 1 month ago
why should I subsidize ameran to hire people for a plant only they will profit from?
wcywing 2 years, 1 month ago
is that a yes or a no? besides JC voted to have mandatory trash service, so JC subsidize the trash service. whats the difference?
douglas413 2 years, 1 month ago
Herewego}}} FORD it least stayed in Kansas City,
Chrysler in St. Louis took the Money from the Fed"s , the closed the plants and moved the operation to Mexico, How is this good for Missouri, and the United States.
At least Ford Took some money to Improve the Plant in Missouri, Maybe some taxes for the state in the long run, and maybe, some more employment for the state and local economy[s].
Ameren Missouri, has hoodwinked the Missouri public about the need for rate increases all the time. When a Investor own Utility , can send power to other states for a profit, the they can finance their own projects, not on the backs of the consumers.
JCLifer 2 years, 1 month ago
Ford took lots of money from the state and then closed the Hazelwood plant.
douglas413 2 years, 1 month ago
Ameren Missouri, has got All the Utilitys in Missouri to go for the NEW NUCULAR Plant be cause of the NEW Energy Laws coming from the FED"S connected to Energy, and, resorces, usage of coal and nucular cost.
Missouri Electric Coops, Investor own Utilitys,City unilitys should come together and install Solar Panels on ALL Building facing South, West tie them to the grid, for a cleaner Electric sorce.
3blindmice 2 years, 1 month ago
the future is decentralized energy production. look what germany has managed to do. I took a train through Germany last summer and there was not a town I passed through that did not have numerous homes with solar panels. or we can keep throwing our hard earned money at privately held for profit energy companies
rmsberengaria 2 years, 1 month ago
Move to Germany....If your earnings are $10,970 you personal tax rate is 15%. $18,233.00 = 23.9% over 74,638.00 = 42% plus reunification tax on all income of 5% for the cost of rehabing east Germany. the gas tax=.64 Cents/Litre less than US Gallon. the National Sales Tax (VAT) = 19%. Oh and the 19% VAT is also added to a Litre of Gas. Oh, and that Free National Health Care....In Germany, coverage from a public sickness fund ranges significantly in cost, from around 12.2 to 16.7 percent of income, with the employee paying a bit over half 8% employee and 7% Employer + CO-Pays and the system is 14 billion in the hole!
3blindmice 2 years, 1 month ago
actually right now I am paying 35% in taxes and have little to show for it. in the real world that gets you universal healthcare and free education, a public transport system where you can travel anywhere in europe without the costs of maintaining a vehicle. oh and did I mention they are in a hiring boom overseas right now. maybe I should take my specialist degree and experience to a country where the CEO's won't be stealing me blind
rmsberengaria 2 years, 1 month ago
Good idea you should go...............Oh, and a Free education in a lot of those countries is worthless. Name an accredited French University that everyone flocks to and is still respected? BTW, a friend of mine of Spanish origin teaching in Jefferson City goes home every summer to Spain. she always goes and gets her or her children FREE Health-care and that FREE education you speak of during summer courses, working on a Masters Degree, well due to Spains nearness to bankrupt like Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Iceland, she has to pay for her Education this year! Nothing is FREE someone is paying for it and what you get is sometimes just that nothing.
rmsberengaria 2 years, 1 month ago
best universities in France I checked that. I mean world-wide acceptance and quality!
World's top 100 universities 2011: their reputations ranked by Times Higher Education
The US has topped a reputation ranking of worldwide universities taking nearly half of the top 100 places, but how do other countries compare?. here is the link add your w's and dot guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/mar/10/world-top-100-universities-reputation-rankings-reputation-times-higher-education#data
The only French University in the TOP 100 world wide is University of Paris and ranking in the 91-100 percentile.
rmsberengaria 2 years, 1 month ago
3blindmice don't know what your watching or reading but where your source of this hiring boom is overseas is not in Europe!
The European unemployment rate remained close to the highest in more than 12 years according to latest figures released by the statistics office.
The December jobless rate held at 10 percent, the same as in November, just slightly below the 10.1 percent rate experience in October, the highest since July 1998. Approximately 15.8 million people were unemployed in December, down 73,000 from the previous month, today’s report showed.
The lack of improvement in the rate is thought to have been affected by increased government budget cuts in countries from Ireland to Spain, meaning firms have been reluctant to recruit staff.
In the 27-nation EU, unemployment held at 9.6 percent. The jobless rate declined in eight EU member states but increased in 18 compared to the reading a year ago. Spain’s unemployment rate of 20.2 percent continues to be the highest in the euro region, with crisis-hit Ireland’s measuring 13.8 percent in December. The Netherlands reported the lowest rate at 4.3 percent.
In Germany, Europe’s largest economy, unemployment dropped to an 18-year low in January and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 7.4 percent in January from 7.5 percent in December, according to the Nuremberg-based Federal Labour Agency.
In fairness and accuracy yes Germany technically has a lower unemployment rate. But, wow a whopping 1.5% less than here. I hope your top of the class education wise with your specialist degree since, I bet it would be hard to find a job in Germany. Don't think Germany's Nicht deutsch policies are as lack as here.
bluesfan13 2 years, 1 month ago
Then take your money, spend $20,000 for a whole house solar system and take yourself off the grid. The it won't matter to you whether Ameren can include all of its business expenses in rate calculations. There is absolutely NOTHING stopping you from doing that right now. Heck, there are even grants and tax rebates that would cover 1/3 the cost of it, so you may be able to do it for less than $15,000.
hudson 2 years, 1 month ago
40 million dollars for A PERMIT ? follow the money !
rmsberengaria 2 years, 1 month ago
Hudson....Yes, it is follow the money of how much it cost Ameren to obtain a site permit. I saw a chart that was aprox 6 Foot X 4 Foot of the regulatory agencies bureaucracy nightmare this company has to go through just to get the permit. Environmental impact studies, soil samples, funny that information already exists for the first plant, EPA, NRC, forms, hearing after hearing approval for this or that, plans, type reactor, safety guidelines, water quality environmental studies, run off containment permit, endangered species studies, etc. etc. Yes, Hudson follow the money of excessive governments, Byzantine Bureaucracy of redundant red tape that is killing any form of economic independence from foreign oil and reliance on our own clean, carbon free, electrical generation. I think 60% of Ameren's electricity generation is from coal fired plants of which if Cap & Trade rules are implemented by the EPA behind congress's NO vote on Cap & Trade several of Amerens Coal generating facilities will be shut down! What is to replace those MW of power generation are they going to replace them with? Candles & Kerosene Lamps?
hudson 2 years, 1 month ago
at least bureacrats & lawyers will have nice clean white collar jobs, I am sure their will be pleanty of campain donation money in their to ! I might have been born at night , but it wasnt last night !
3blindmice 2 years, 1 month ago
Americans should stand up in unity to fight corporate welfare
3blindmice 2 years, 1 month ago
more like flashing shiny objects at the plebes who complain
rmsberengaria 2 years, 1 month ago
If you want to end corporate welfare you end it for all corporations, businesses, etc. Meaning....no solar/wind welfare payments straight from the EPA...The PTC offers wind, solar, geothermal, and closed-loop biomass systems a 1.8 cent credit per kilowatt hour generated. The credit is 0.9 cents per kilowatt hour for open-loop biomass, landfill gas, waste incineration, and small hydro (less than five megawatts). Technologies that qualify as renewable energy can change each year that the PTC is reauthorized. For example, the incineration of municipal solid waste now qualifies as renewable energy but did not previously. No more grain credits, no more welfare payments to the Ethanol producers, no more corporate farm credits. the list is endless.
3blindmice 2 years, 1 month ago
following the money here. as ameren is a holding company for many energy companies tracing all the money is a bit tricky. I did find one website that notes all their contributions to politicians but can't find one that lists how much they donated to kehoe, YET!
w w w.dirtyenergymoney.com/ and just search for ameren. it is very interesting
rmsberengaria 2 years, 1 month ago
Go to the Missouri Ethics Commission if your that interested CD3-B filings. I think you will find AmerenUE PAC did not donate anything to Mike Kehoe's campaign. It is public information!
fultonian 2 years, 1 month ago
I don't get it, this is not a government handout, this is ameren charging the people more for the product they purchase. It happens everywhere in capitalism but only utility companies have to beg the government to increase their rates. 3blindmice did you even read the article?? Do you know that rate payers means customers of Ameren? it's not government money that is going to this company. Not to mention the fact that it creates hundreds of good paying permanent jobs and thousands of temporary jobs. This will give the state the shot in the arm it needs. I suggest you get the facts 3blindmice. It is you who is blind.
judeeo 2 years, 1 month ago
If this bill becomes law -- if the legislators pass it -- hopefully the Governor will have the sense to veto it. This bill is a flagrant disregard to the hundreds of thousands of people who passed the initiative petition in 1976 to protect Missourians -- Ameren customers from having to pay for something they don't even have. Freely giving about a 45 million dollar site study plan to Ameren doesn't mean nuclear power. I means they could spend that much of OUR money just doing a study -- if it doesn't work -- it doesn't hurt the company -- they won't be paying for it. We will. The last information I had was that the existing nuclear plant at Reform only provides 18 to 20% of what it produces to Missourians -- the rest goes elsewhere. And yet people want to keep doing this. Mike Kehoe -- I am appalled -- and Jay, if this passes and you don't veto it -- I will be more appalled. Yes we can find ways for more energy -- but nuclear is NOT the way. Think about your constituents.
rmsberengaria 2 years, 1 month ago
judeeo you are absolutely wrong the Reform plant generates 1200 megawatts. Unless there is peak load on the system within the state the rate of power generated compensates for the load in the Ameren system. Ameren has the capacity to generate 18,000 kilowates of electricity system wide. 60% of its generating capacity is Coal. Less than 10% is generated at Reform the balance is generated from Gas Turbine generators and the two hydro-generating facilities. If for some reason there is a catastrophe such as in Memphis and their power generating systems go down....then Ameren could increase generation to help the Memphis area customers with electricity. This works the same if we have a disaster the Ameren system would request extra generation from Memphis. There is no "rest go elsewhere" if the power is not needed it is not generated. Ameren is generating aprox 5500 megawatts this time of night it increases during the day. if the temperature where to stay in the high 80-90's, for four or five days more and more people will turn on fans and crank on the air thus increasing the demand and Ameren will generate more power to compensate for the extra load. Also, remember there are 4-5 older coal plants, that if Obama and the EPA cram down their throats Cap & Trade will either have to be closed or brought down for refurbishment also, remember our population increased 7% and all that is more load on that 18,000 megawatts. If we have a hot or very cold winter close down multiple coal fired plants and refuse to replace that lost generating power Ameren will be out having to purchase power increasing the cost to you even more! Ameren can only generate so much my friend it is not endless. Think about brown outs in California and New York because people refuse plants either coal or nuclear.
douglas413 2 years, 1 month ago
When Amerem Missouri,sends power out of state to other Utilitys then Ameren should use the funds for [ only] used for of infustruct and cost of production producing more power, not, a bonice for the CEO of the company.
When [ Ameren Missouri] wants a new rate increase maybe, { PSC [State of Missouri] } Should Check their Records for Tranportaion of power to other state for a BIG PROFIT, BIG BONICES for company officals. Maybe, [The Funds ] should be used for operation's, so, there is NO need a rate increase for one or two years.
I Know about a Wind farm located by Tom-saulk Dam area, that produces power that [Ameren Missouri] should use here in Missouri, not sold out of state.
rmsberengaria 2 years, 1 month ago
You don't understand electricity and power generation. If Ameren needs power to supply the 2.3 million customers, it generates sufficient amounts to supply the demand on Amerens system. They do not generate more than the system needs. Ameren Missouri is highly regulated through the federal government and The North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC). Power sir is not stored and then sold like a commodity! There are serious laws against selling excess power generation outside of the Ameren system unless, NERC is aware of it and there is a need from another utility that is requesting extra genertion. In Illinois and California there are no regulations since they are states that have been de-regulated and it is from my understanding a mess and the rates are much higher.
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