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Gov. Nixon Launches New State Energy Plan

Gov. Nixon praised the Callaway nuclear power plant for its safety rating while speaking to reporters Wednesday.
Ameren Missouri
Gov. Nixon praised the Callaway nuclear power plant for its safety rating while speaking to reporters Wednesday.

Gov. Jay Nixon signed an executive order on Wednesday, officially launching the development of a comprehensive state energy plan.

Gov. Nixon praised the Callaway nuclear power plant for its safety rating while speaking to reporters Wednesday.
Credit Ameren Missouri
Gov. Nixon praised the Callaway nuclear power plant for its safety rating while speaking to reporters Wednesday.

Speaking to reportersafter a meetingof theMidcontinent Independent Service Operator (MISO) in St. Louis, Nixon said thanks to its reliance on coal, Missouri currently has the eighth lowest energy costs in the country. But with the rising costs of fossil fuels – and new federal regulations on coal-fired plants – Nixon said Missouri needs to adapt, or fall behind.

“For consumers to make sure they are getting the best bang for their buck on their energy dollars, it’s important that we have a long-term plan,” Nixon said.

Nixon said the plan, which was first announced in April, aims to reduce the state’s carbon footprint while spurring new job creation and energy development.

According to the executive order, the plan will focus on:

  • Electric generation
  • Fuels and resource extraction
  • Energy distribution
  • Energy usage
  • Energy storage
  • Energy-related land use
  • Energy/water nexus
  • Energy pricing and rate-setting processes
  • Energy security and assurance
  • Energy resources in emergencies


Nixon stressed that the plan is intended to be as transparent as possible.

“At public forums throughout the state, this initiative will gather input from a broad array of Missourians, including consumers, public utilities, power producers, electric cooperatives, energy technology companies, researchers, environmental groups and business leaders,” Nixon said.

Nixon said a goal of the state’s energy plan will be to address the new limits on carbon dioxide emissions proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency.  In meeting the limits, Nixon noted the importance of diversifying the state’s energy portfolio, emphasizing nuclear energy in particular.

“We still are a state with not only a nuclear plant here that’s had a great safety rating, but research reactors at both Mizzou and Rolla,” Nixon said. “If that industry moves forward I think Missouri could still be a centerpiece.”

Nixon said Missouri will have its new energy plan in place by the end of May 2015.

Follow Véronique LaCapra on Twitter: @KWMUScience

Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

Véronique LaCapra first caught the radio bug while writing commentaries for NPR affiliate WAMU in Washington, D.C. After producing her first audio pieces at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies in N.C., she was hooked! She has done ecological research in the Brazilian Pantanal; regulated pesticides for the Environmental Protection Agency in Arlington, Va.; been a freelance writer and volunteer in South Africa; and contributed radio features to the Voice of America in Washington, D.C. She earned a Ph.D. in ecosystem ecology from the University of California in Santa Barbara, and a B.A. in environmental policy and biology from Cornell. LaCapra grew up in Cambridge, Mass., and in her mother’s home town of Auxerre, France.
Parth Shah is a producer and reporter in the Programming department at NPR. He came to NPR in 2016 as a Kroc Fellow.
Véronique LaCapra
Science reporter Véronique LaCapra first caught the radio bug writing commentaries for NPR affiliate WAMU in Washington, D.C. After producing her first audio documentaries at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies in N.C., she was hooked! She has done ecological research in the Brazilian Pantanal; regulated pesticides for the Environmental Protection Agency in Arlington, Va.; been a freelance writer and volunteer in South Africa; and contributed radio features to the Voice of America in Washington, D.C. She earned a Ph.D. in ecosystem ecology from the University of California in Santa Barbara, and a B.A. in environmental policy and biology from Cornell. LaCapra grew up in Cambridge, Mass., and in her mother’s home town of Auxerre, France. LeCapra reported for St. Louis Public Radio from 2010 to 2016.
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