Your Opinion: Response to Prost on energy proposal

Dear Editor:

I read with interest the letter to the editor by Vaughn Prost regarding the pending initiative petition relating to renewable energy.

This initiative petition is in fact expensive, job-killing and anti-business, unless you are fortunate enough to be one of the few large industrial electrical users that had a seat at the table when the language was composed and who are funding the effort in large part.

They want this initiative petition not because it creates jobs in Missouri, not because it keeps money in the state, and not because it is good for Missourians; if this were their goal, they would be supportive of ESP legislation and building additional nuclear capacity at the current Callaway site.

As it is, these large industrial users are the leading opponents to ESP legislation and advancing nuclear power in Missouri. These large industrial users want this initiative petition for one reason and one reason only: it dramatically reduces their exposure to the cost of meeting the state's renewable standard. It is no wonder that they do ... being able to reduce your annual cost of meeting the renewable standard from more than $1.5 million to $1,800 is nothing short of a windfall.

Prost failed to point out that retail customer, as defined in the initiative petition, is measured per meter. In the case of my former business, there are nine meters. In discussions with my office, Prost assumed that none of the nine meters are large enough to raise the cost to $1,800 per year (as articulated in the initiative petition) to meet the renewable standard ... that assumption is incorrect.

I understand and appreciate Prost's perspective as a small businessman in the renewable industry and I appreciate the business he does and the employees that he hires. I also have a small business perspective and I know that every dollar counts. When the cost to meet a renewable standard increases two times what it otherwise would be, that is bad for small business. When the cost to meet the renewable standard increases 46 times (as would be the case for my former business) what it otherwise would be, that is devastating for a small business.

Beyond that, when a few large industrial companies hijack the process to write themselves a sweet-heart deal and expect residential, small and medium sized businesses to cover their share, it is bad for Missouri.