We live in a society that is based on the right of the individual to participate in his or her own government. Our ancestors created a system of checks and balances, giving certain responsibilities to the states and others to the federal government. In recent years, we have seen many examples of the federal government overreaching into areas clearly within states’ sphere of responsibility. As legislators, we push back against a federal government that can’t balance its own checkbook, can’t manage its own house, and has an inexhaustible appetite for more power and control.

The most recent examples of federal overreach are the new standards the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to place on states. The agency’s plan includes cutting carbon emissions from power plants by 30 percent by 2030. In order to comply with and meet the new “Clean Power Plan” standards, Missouri would have to switch almost completely from coal to natural gas, costing consumers billions and resulting in job losses.

Coal accounts for more than 80 percent of Missouri’s energy. We have only one nuclear power plant, located in Callaway County, which accounts for 9 percent of our energy supply. Renewable energy accounts for only 3 percent. As a result of our high coal usage, Missouri consumers pay 17-24 percent less for their residential electricity and gas than consumers in other states. 

Switching Missouri over to natural gas from coal, as the EPA regulations would require, would be extremely expensive. New plants would have to be built as well as a pipeline infrastructure to support it. This would come at a huge cost to consumers and businesses. It would result in higher prices, job losses, and further stagnation of the economy.

Reductions in emissions can be reached with demonstrated technology and investment in new technology and efficiency in coal plants. We don’t need to eliminate coal plants altogether. Instead, the EPA should use its resources to resolve the storage issues surrounding nuclear waste storage and encourage the building of new nuclear power plants. Missouri can’t afford to be held captive by the unrealistic polices currently coming out of the EPA.

Missouri is already a clean coal state. As legislators, we are the ones who should determine the right balance for Missourians. We can find cleaner options and lower emissions without raising prices drastically. We can minimize the financial impact on our hard-working families and keep jobs in our state.

House Bill 1631 was passed by the General Assembly this session and signed by the governor last week. The bill requires the Air Conservation Commission to develop emission standards through a unit-by-unit analysis of each existing source of carbon dioxide within the state. The commission would be able to suggest ways to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which are less than, but not more stringent than, the new EPA standards. This bill could give Missouri a fighting chance for reducing emissions and minimizing harm to the economy without losing as many jobs or costing consumers billions.

The Legislature also passed, and the governor signed, House Bill 1302, which allows Missourians to use wood-burning stoves to heat their homes and businesses. The measure will prohibit the Department of Natural Resources from regulating wood-burning heaters. The EPA had imposed a rule that would make manufactures adhere to tougher standards to reduce emissions by about 80 percent. Those standards would have driven up costs and forced some manufactures out of business.

It’s time we take control of a bloated bureaucracy that seeks to continuously expand its powers and assert itself in areas best left up to state regulation. These measures are a start.

I always appreciate hearing from you. If you have any questions about the topics discussed above or any other legislative or district issues, please do not hesitate to contact my office.