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Today's Poll!Kehoe proposes utility surcharge changes
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Missouri’s electric utilities could make repairs and infrastructure improvements more quickly, under a bill introduced last week by state Sen. Mike Kehoe.
“The bill ... is a version of what the House and Senate passed several years ago for water and gas utilities,” Kehoe explained. “It would (allow) electric utility providers to work on infrastructure projects, and to repair pieces of their systems — still with accountability from the Public Service Commission.”
The bill would allow the electric utilities to add an “infrastructure system replacement surcharge,” or ISRS, to customers’ bills — without immediate PSC approval — for work done under the terms of the bill.
But the Fair Energy Rate Action Fund, known as FERAF, said last week it opposes Kehoe’s proposal. FERAF's analysis of the proposed law claims “if this surcharge had been in place since 2007, it would have cost Ameren Missouri consumers at a minimum an additional $200 million on their electric bills — above and beyond what they already paid.”
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Comments
billyray111 3 months, 3 weeks ago
mike; are you on amerens payroll. what utilitiy company doesn't make money? let them pay for thier own infrastructure projects. when they add infrastructure they add new customers. let them pay for it out of thier very large profits. thier employees are some of the highest paid jobs in the state of missouri. mike, i just wnat to tell you that i will be voting against you each and every time you run for a political office even if it means that i have to vote for a democrate. you are in it for yourself.
copcamaro 3 months, 3 weeks ago
I believe, and always have believed he is in Ameren's pocket. I would bet Ameren contributes to his campaign, in a big way, when he runs for govenor in the not to distant future. He is just lining up his contributors. If it isn't utilities, its transportation. Never have and never will vote for this guy. Saw in the Las Vegas paper this morning, Sen. Harry Reid got caught stealing (or just illegally taking) one of the Obamma document signing pens!! Name me one politition who can be trusted! Boy are we in trouble in this once great country!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
linoge 3 months, 3 weeks ago
I intuitively knew this would smell fishy before I even read the article. My suspicions were roused when I saw Kehoe's name in the headline. I'm not sure if Kehoe is a Democrat or a Republican but from the way he panders to the interests of big business (and at the expense of common people) I would guess he follows the Republican doctrine. Refresh my memory, wasn't he some kind of used-car salesman before he entered politics?
eileen10 3 months, 3 weeks ago
I think he owned the dealership.
connor 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Yes he is a Republican and I will be honest I am not very impressed with the legislation he has been pushing either.
Scuttlebutt I hear is he believes he is going places too so I am sure he will be running for some other office higher up the food chain in 2016.
He did own a couple of car lots I believe the Ford place and the Hundai one maybe. I think he owned a few dealerships in other places as well.
RobHunterJohnson 3 months, 3 weeks ago
eileen 10, he is a center Republican, who I have, and will vote for again! To the other 4 posters, whom I view as the radical right, I did not find any evidence of Ameren being major contributor to Mr Kehoe? I can tell you that Mike's business experience allows him to see the benefit of a new Nuclear Plant in Central Missouri, it would be good for the Tax Base, for JOBS, and Business all across Missouri! From Eldon, North to Mexico, from Wentzville West to Booneville, Missouri! Alot of this area is in his district. I have a hard time understanding your radical right folks position: "Mike are you in Amerens pocket", "always have believed he was in Amerens pocket", "my suspicions were roused", and "I will be honest I am not very impressed" You guys do not even know when something good is going on in your community! That is what is WRONG with the RADICAL RIGHT, and in my opinion you are no better than the RADICAL LEFT you complain about! Rob
yamahamian 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Well we knew it wouldn't be long before ol Rob came in on a discussion that involves Ameren :-) Rob the only reason you would vote for this republican (you know the party you hate) is cause he could bring another power plant project along. I'm not saying its a bad thing, just saying it.
Kehoe has been up Ameren's keester for as many years as he has been in politics. Seems like its his little pet project of his, there has to be a bit of back-scratching going on here, political donations or otherwise. I don't imagine it will change either, we'll see how it pans out later in his political career.
JCLifer 3 months, 3 weeks ago
We have something very good with Ameren nuke plant. We should invest and expand good things, and not pour our money into bad things.
People who do not like Ameren most likely have never lived anywhere else or had any other electric utility. Ameren does a very good job and has some of the lowest rates in the country. We could have it much much worse.
Paroquet 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Ameren also got dinked really hard just a little bit ago. Remember the radio brodcasts from Ameren involving them rolling back their rates?
They left out that them rolling their rates back was part of a settlement for something that amounted to predatory pricing.
The people who work for Ameren do good work. The company requires a close eye and a tough consumer advocate just to keep them honest.
linoge 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Oh brother.
connor 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Welcome to the radical right linoge.
Now there is an uncoupling from reality.
RobHunterJohnson 3 months, 3 weeks ago
He has been on the political scene since 2010? You have a conclusion of me that is not correct! I consider myself very much center, I FIND ONCE AGAIN THE TEA PARTY TYPES ARE THE ONES WHO ARE REFUSING TO PAY THE BILLS, ACCUMULATED BY BOTH PARTIES, THE ONLY WAY OUT OF THIS ONCE AGAIN IS JOBS? You would cut of you nose to spite yourself if it got into you wallet. If people are working they pay Taxes, and I am not talking about $8.00 dollar an Hour JOBS at Walmart! Rob
asb 3 months, 3 weeks ago
As long as Kehoe is working to bring a major construction project to central Missouri, one that would relieve our dependence on carbon fuels, I don't care if AMERUN is nuzzling his behind. I suspect he'd be warming up over anything as huge as the economics of another reactor or two. That is, after all, what he was elected to do.
connor 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Ya let's place yet another reactor (or 25 small ones) near a major fault line and in a region who's population has at least doubled if not tripled or more since the first one was built.
It will create some temporary construction jobs and allow AMEREN to promote a few "engineers" from other plants in occasionally and some added temp jobs when they refuel once a year or so. Big deal.
The first one should have never been built here but we have been lucky so let's just continue to roll the dice and up the ante shall we? And the best part is they can more than likely manage to get the local customers to pay for the whole operation by one trick or another.
Paroquet 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Ameren, just like CU in Springfield, MO tried to justify a recent attempt at a rate hike because consumers were being too efficient and conscientious about their utility usage. That translates to "we need more money because we're not making as much as we'd like". That whole thing with making everyone and their grand-kids pay up front for a -private- venture, pfft. That is a kicker of a question; Ameren, you are asking The People to finance YOUR LOAN, but you don't want to pay interest?
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