Oct 06 - The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Missouri)

Proposition C, the renewable energy initiative on Missouri's November ballot, appears to have lots of support and little organized opposition.

Indeed, the Missouri Clean Energy Initiative has raised more than $325,000 for its campaign after groups collected enough signatures to put the measure on the ballot.

Proposition C would require at least 2 percent of electricity to be generated by investor-owned utilities from sources such as wind, solar, biomass and hydropower by 2011 and at least 15 percent by 2021.

Supporters say it is essential that the initiative be approved to help break the country's foreign oil dependency and to slow the economic crisis. Already, 26 states have passed renewable energy standards. In Missouri, 82 percent of electricity is generated by coal, with most of the rest provided by natural gas and nuclear plants.

"By investing in wind, solar and the next generation of biofuels, we can produce the energy we use right here in Missouri," said Tony Wyche, a spokesman for the Missouri Clean Energy Initiative, who added that high-quality jobs also would be a result. "By voting yes, Missouri voters can have a say in where we get our energy from and can ensure that we are creating jobs."

The initiative also offers a couple of benefits for customers. Each customer who installs a new or expanded solar electric system can receive a rebate of $2 per installed watt of electricity. Consumers also may save $331 million on their electric bills through cheaper renewable energy over the next 20 years if Proposition C passes, a study says.

Missouri has only three investor-owned electric utilities, and none opposes the measure outright. Kansas City Power & Light officials support the initiative. AmerenUE and Empire District Electric Co. officials say they are neutral.

KCP&L spokesman Chuck Caisley said the utility is committed to using "clean, renewable energy sources." Already, KCP&L owns and operates a 100-megawatt wind farm and is committed to pursuing a 300-watt reduction in energy demand by 2012 by adopting energy efficiency programs.

"We are 100 percent committed," Caisley said.

Warren T. Wood, executive director of the Missouri Energy Development Association, which represents investor-owned utilities, also said his organization is neutral.

Wood agreed that renewable energy is an important piece of moving away from foreign oil dependency. But he said he is concerned that mandates and a time frame could cause the cost of electricity, which is considered cheap in Missouri, to increase.

Currently, residential customers pay the fifth-lowest rate in the country, commercial customers pay the second-lowest rate and industrial customers pay the sixth-lowest rate.

Proposition C got its beginnings in a grassroots movement after the General Assembly for several years failed to pass a renewable energy standard.

Support for the initiative has poured in from around the country in the form of cash.

Some of the bigger donors include $70,000 from the Sierra Club; $50,000 from the American Wind Energy Association, a national trade association that represents the wind energy industry; and $25,000 from Iberdrola Renewables, an Oregon company that announced in September it is constructing a wind farm near Tarkio, Mo.

"I think there is widespread support for Missouri producing its own energy and breaking its dependency on foreign oil, and there are a lot of people who want that to happen," Wyche said. "I think you will see even more support as you get to November."

To reach Karen Dillon, call 816-234-4430 or send e-mail to kdillon@kcstar.com.

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