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Election Day is six days away, and all Missouri voters will be asked to weigh in on three propositions when they cast their ballots. As part of our special election series, “Know Your Ballot,” KSMU’s Jennifer Moore explains the third of these measures: Proposition C.
Proposition C is known as "Missouri’s Clean Air Initiative" and faces no organized opposition.
If passed, Proposition C would require investor-owned electric utilities to use renewable energy sources to generate a percentage of their electricity.
Melissa Hope is a representative for the Sierra Club, the largest grassroots environmental organization in the country. She supports Proposition C, and says 26 other states have already enforced mandates like it as a way of reducing carbon emissions.
"It will require investor-owned utilities to get 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources--like wind, and solar, and biomass. They need to reach that 15 percent by 2021," she says.
The measure would not have an impact on taxes. Hope says it might have a slight initial effect on individual utilities rates, but would save money for both utilities—and their customers—in the long run."Initially, there would be a very small increase, like 58 cents on an average electricity bill, per month. But over the next 20 years, you'll actually see a 331 million dollar decrease in energy rates over that time," she says.
Proposition C would not affect Springfield City Utilities. The measure only affects investor-owned electric utilities, of which there are three in Missouri.
One of them, Kansas City Power and Light, has endorsed the measure. The other two—Ameren and Empire District Electric Company—have officially taken neutral positions. However, some within these utilities have expressed concerns about renewable energy sources being mandatory.
Officials from St. Louis-based Ameren have questioned whether it’s practical to require utilities to have two percent of their energy come from solar power, saying Missouri is not as favorable to solar energy as some other states.
For KSMU News, I’m Jennifer Moore.