Letter to the Editor: Support the Nuclear Site Permit Bill
Published May 6, 2011
Missouri is home to some of the lowest energy rates in the country for our business and residential consumers. We enjoy these low rates largely due to long-term strategic planning that took place decades ago. Those plans led our state’s leaders to invest in large baseload coal plants and a nuclear plant.
These plants operate at a low cost and run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But they won't run forever. We need to plan once again to ensure that Missouri’s electricity rates remain affordable. The nuclear site permit bill provides our state with a clear, affordable path forward.
In a recent poll, 66 percent of Missourians said they are in favor of keeping the option open for nuclear power. Nuclear power is low-cost, clean and reliable — and construction of a second plant would bring thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic investment to our state. In Callaway County, we already have a nuclear plant, and the site would be perfect for a second unit. But due to special interests, nuclear power may no longer be an option for Missouri.
That’s because a few large companies have a special deal that allows them to pay less than half of what you do. To protect their low rates, these companies have hired lobbyists to fight the nuclear site permit bill, legislation our state needs to move forward with nuclear power. So far, these companies have been successful in winning the political battle. Unfortunately, that means we all lose the energy war. Please contact your legislators today and tell them you support the nuclear site permit bill and a strong energy plan for Missouri.
11:34 p.m., May 8, 2011
JP said:
Perhaps the nuclear industry, which features many of those naughty energy companies, should first disclose the possible waste-disposal plans for Callaway II before they ask residents to aid in their astroturfing. Where does the waste from Callaway I go? Does it even leave the state, or is it sitting in some parking lot down the road? Missouri residents might be less likely to write those letters if they knew the answer to those questions. One last question: How will building another nuclear plant bring billions of dollars to the state? Just because it costs a billion dollars to build doesn't mean that money will go to Missourians. We don't exactly have many nuclear-reactor factories here. Also, Ameren may be a local company but they don't run these plants out of the kindness of their hearts. They usually get paid first.