Regional Issues
Governor Jay Nixon said it: Missouri has reached a decisive moment.
It is time for the state legislature to build on the law already embraced by the people of Missouri so that the wind power industry can get to work and bring jobs and economic development to the state. In a 2008 ballot initiative (Prop C), Missouri voters approved (by a 66 percent majority) a law requiring utilities to diversify their energy mix through a 15 percent renewable energy target. Implementing the law, however, has resulted in controversy and confusion, causing legislators to take up the matter during the 2011 legislative session. Among the issues, the wind industry is asking legislators to fix the law's "sold to Missouri" provision to ensure that the state's electric customers do in fact receive renewable energy as intended by the law—and in the process receive the economic development that wind delivers through construction and manufacturing activity as well as landowner payments and community taxes.
Wind energy is American. Turbines are built here, and the wind that fuels them is an inexhaustible American resource. It's time for Missouri to tap wind power, and tap its economic-development benefits. Wind energy is cost effective, competitive with any other new generation source, including fossil and nuclear power.
Governor Nixon and other legislative policy makers have recognized that Missouri can do more to "seize every opportunity" to catch up with the renewable industry. In a recent letter to legislators, Governor Jay Nixon said:
"Clean, abundant, renewable energy is critical to the health of our state's economy and environment. It is vital to creating jobs, to helping existing businesses expand, and to attracting new businesses to our state. We must seize every opportunity to secure Missouri's future by embracing renewable energy today.
This is a decisive moment for Missouri; we are poised to realize our potential to become a leader in the development, production, use and export of renewable energy. It is imperative that we pass legislation now that moves renewable energy forward in Missouri."
In order for Missouri to be competitive and reap the benefits that wind energy can bring to the state, the Missouri legislature must pass a well-crafted bill implementing the state's renewable energy targets established by the 2008 ballot initiative. Such well-crafted legislation will spur job creation and economic development while helping to provide consumers with stable electricity prices, at last fulfilling the promise of the ballot initiative.
Together, we can create homegrown energy jobs for Missouri.
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