American Forum Commentary

This year Missouri is seeking to overturn the citizen-led ballot initiative that banned Construction-Work-In-Progress. The Construction-Work-In-Progress proposal would place a new ratemaking system, one that is heavily tilted against consumers and would allow power companies building new plants to raise electric bills every three months during the construction period.

It is estimated that these charges alone could raise current electric rates by as much as 40 percent before that power plant has even proven it can be operational. And the proposal would allow the utility to collect these charges even if the power plant is ultimately cancelled and winds up serving no one.

While all eyes are trained on Congress and its many bailouts, few citizens seem to be aware of these massive bailouts to power companies that are under consideration right under our noses in Jefferson City.