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Update Tuesday Feb. 22nd at 4:22 p.m.

The Missouri House of Representatives advanced a bill on Tuesday that would allow utility companies to charge electric customers the cost of developing a second nuclear power plant in Missouri.

A House committee voted 21 to two to advance the legislation, a move Callaway County Rep. Jeanie Riddle commended.

“The bottom line is we go nowhere, we lose the opportunity if we do not go forward with the early site permit,” she said.

The legislation will allow multiple electric companies from across the state to bill their customers for as much as $45 million for an early site permit. The permit allows the state to start doing environmental studies and other steps toward construction of another nuclear plant from which all would be able to draw power.

Critics do not like the legislation, saying it goes against a 35-year-old ballot initiative that disallows utility companies from billing customers for power plants not yet in operation.

“I’m concerned about circumventing what people wanted back in ’76,” said Rep. Ira Anders (D), of Independence.

They also are not happy with the open-endedness of the legislation.

“We need to have a way to come up with something that is more firm, that all of us can feel comfortable with including for sure, our constituents,” said Rep. Glen Klippenstein, (R) Maysville.

Some would not support the nuclear plant right now, but did support the idea of building a plant in the future.

There is no house debate scheduled for the legislation, but it moves to the house floor. The majority leader, who is in charge of scheduling debates, sat in on Tuesday’s hearing.

Update Tuesday Feb. 22nd at 8:55 a.m.:

A committee in the Missouri House is considering legislation that would allow utility companies to charge customers for the price of a new nuclear power plant.

The companies would be allowed to recoup the cost of applying for an early permit from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The permit itself would not authorize construction, and the group is still undecided on whether they will actually build the plant.

The legislation is scheduled for consideration on Thursday by the Utilities Committee.

Original Story:

Two years ago, Ameren Corporation failed in an effort to get state lawmakers to suspend a 1976 voter-approved law that prevents utilities from recovering the costs of a power plant construction work in progress.

Today, a Missouri House Committee faced a crowd offering testimony on allowing Ameren Missouri to bill ratepayers for the costs of a permit for plant construction work.

Before Ameren Missouri can build a second nuclear reactor in Callaway County, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has to issue an early site permit.

“It’s a site safety analysis; it’s an environmental study; and it’s emergency planning information, Fulton State Representative Jeanie Riddle said.

The permit is expected to cost more than 40 million dollars – a cost that the Coalition of Utility Interests wants ratepayers to pick up immediately, before a reactor is built or operating.

“Collectively, we’ve worked in good faith to address the issues raised by the key stakeholders, and we believe we’ve come to a good compromise for the state,” Ameren Missouri President Warner Baxter said.

The Coalition of Utility Interests backing the project has agreed to cap the permitting costs at $45 million. If the plant is not built, the Public Service Commission could order a re-imbursement of recovered costs to taxpayers.

Opponents said that just isn’t enough. They believe once the door is opened to billing ratepayers for permit expenses, billing them for other costs will come next with even more bills for the billions of dollars needed to build the reactor.

“If the legislature allows Ameren to begin to charge ratepayers for previously incurred costs for the mythical Unit II, it will be setting an extremely expensive precedent,” said Kay Frey, an anti-Nuclear activist.

Opponents also want more money sent to the Office of Public Council, which represents consumer interests at PSC Rate Hearings.

Governor Jay Nixon proposed to give the OPC some of the Public Service Commission’s money in his budget.

Are you in favor of a second nuclear reactor at the Callaway Nuclear Plant? Tell us your thoughts on paying the permitting costs ahead of time.