Your household shouldn’t be penalized for energy conservation. We engaged the Missouri Public Service Commission to require Ameren to step up and keep costs down. 

The tide is turning for renewable energy in Missouri. At the end of 2021, coal provided 74% of Missouri’s electricity net generation, the second- highest share of any state, behind only West Virginia. But in 2022, Missouri’s electricity net generation from coal declined to an all-time low of 66%, moving the state to have only the fourth-highest share of coal generation. And renewable energy provided 12% of the state’s total electricity net generation in 2022, exceeding 10% for the second year in a row. So much of our climate and energy work is to move Missouri away from coal-fired electricity generation. 

This Spring, we were before the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) on several matters, pressing Missouri’s investor-owned utilities for change. Bruce and Ethan represented Metropolitan Congregations United, Missouri NAACP, and Sierra Club in an Ameren Missouri rate case (PSC File No. ER-2022-0337). We advocated for the Commission to require Ameren to identify capital costs that would be avoided if its Labadie or Sioux units were to retire before the end of this decade. Customers should be protected from an over-commitment of capital spending if Ameren’s current projected end-of-life dates prove wrong, as they have already at Ameren’s Rush Island facility. The Commission ruled in our favor, requiring that Ameren study potentially avoidable costs at Labadie and Sioux.  

In a separate issue in the same case, we advocated that the Commission not increase the monthly customer charge for any residential customers. At the hearing, we asserted that Ameren Missouri should not be allowed to raise its residential flat rate for electric service, as such a rate hike would disincentivize energy conservation for consumers. Higher customer charges reduce a household’s ability to lower their total bill through energy efficiency and conservation, effectively penalizing low energy users. As such, the rate hike would also put a disproportionate burden on low-income customers.  The PSC ruled in favor of our clients, marking a stride towards prioritizing environmental justice.  

We rely on your support to keep standing to Ameren and protecting customers across the state. We’re advocating for a clean-energy future that leaves no one behind. 

Eva Kappas is a student at Brown University studying International and Public Affairs and Hispanic Studies. A native St. Louisan, Eva is invested in protecting the people and places she calls home. She is excited by the potential to transform our electrical grid with renewable energy. In her free time, she can be found running in Forest Park, writing short stories, and practicing Spanish with her friends and family.

Great Rivers Environmental Law Center is a non-profit 501(c)3 environmental law center providing free and low cost services to protect the environment and public health. They work to promote the public health by encouraging cleaner energy, improved environmental performance by businesses, and more efficient transportation and land use, thereby achieving cleaner air and water, and improving the quality of life in the region. Learn more at www.greatriverslaw.org.