Our Work

Section 386.890. RSMo.

In 2007, Renew Missouri advocated for true net metering and simple interconnection practices for small solar and wind systems. As a result, the Missouri legislature adopted the “Easy Connection Act,” allowing all Missourians to interconnect solar panels and small wind turbines to their utility grid free of charge and to receive full retail credit for any energy put back on the grid.

Section 67.2800 – 67.2835, RSMo.(s).

In 2008, Renew Missouri helped Missouri become the 27th state to enact a Renewable Electricity Standard (“RES”) and only the 3rd state to pass an RES through the ballot initiative process. The RES requires Missouri’s largest utilities to get 15% of their energy from renewables by 2021, with 2% of that energy coming from solar. The RES also includes a $2 per watt solar rebate program, which has proven to be a huge success. Ameren, Liberty, and Evergy have exceeded these requirements.

Section 137.100. RSMo.

Enacted in 2013, solar energy systems not held for resale are exempt from state, local, and county property taxes.

Section 393.1075 RSMo.

In 2009, the Missouri Energy Efficiency Investment (MEEIA) was signed into law. MEEIA allows utilities to earn a profit on the electricity saved because of voluntary energy efficiency programs and incentives they offer to their customers. Utilities can both recover the costs of their efficiency programs, and the lost revenue from customer energy savings, through rate adjustment. Additionally, utilities can earn a profit if their programs are successful, just as they earn a profit on traditional investments in energy generation. The law increases investments in energy efficiency, decreases Missourians energy bills over time, avoids or delays the need for constructing future power plants, and reduces our State’s reliance on coal and other fossil fuels.

MEEIA has accounted for reducing the amount of power produced by utilities of the entire output of 1.5 power plants over the past nine years and led to lower energy bills as well as safer and healthier living spaces for ratepayers.

393.1700 RSMo.

Recently passed in 2021 through HB 743, securitization is a financing mechanism that allows utilities companies to retire their coal plants ahead of schedule. Investor-owned utilities (IOUs) fear that retiring coal plants early is uneconomic, particularly when debts incurred by construction of the plant remain. When a plant is retired early, ratepayers are theoretically required to reimburse the utility for the capital it had invested but not yet recovered, as well pay for a return on that capital investment. Impacts of early plant retirements include displacement of workers with consequent impacts on local economies as well as reduced earnings prospects for IOUs.

Given the proper regulatory oversight, a utility company can refinance its remaining debts to lower interest rates. Securitization allows the utility to cover remaining debt with a low-interest loan (typically 15-20 years with 3% interest) from bondholders. By allowing IOU’s to issue ratepayer-backed bonds and raise money from shareholders, securitization keeps prices for consumers’ low and incentives IOUs to retire coal plants by solving the problem of the utility’s return on investment.

Since its passing, Liberty/Empire and Evergy have leveraged this policy to close a coal plant and address issues encountered from storm damage.

Section 442.404 RSMo.

In 2022 Governor Mike Parson signed into law Senate Bills 745 and 820 which included language that promised to expand property rights and energy access in Missouri. This also provided provisions to protect homeowners solar rights. The provision specifies: “no deed restriction, covenant, or similar binding agreement running with the land shall limit or prohibit the installation of solar panels or solar collectors…on the rooftop of any structure”. SB 820 prohibits Homeowner Associations (HOAs) from banning solar arrays and requires them to set forth “reasonable restrictions” regarding the placement of solar panels. To see a sample HOA solar guidelines that outlines ‘reasonable restrictions’ please see this document:

SAMPLE HOA SOLAR GUIDELINES

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed into federal law on August 19th 2022 by President Joe Biden. The IRA contains $499 billion in new spending and tax breaks that aim to boost clean energy, reduce healthcare costs, and increase tax revenue. There is about $391 billion set aside for energy and climate spending in the form of tax credits, incentives, and loans. The IRA is an extremely significant piece of climate legislation and according to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the law is projected to help reduce U.S. carbon pollution by about 40% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels, and will move the U.S. much closer to its target as part of the Paris Climate Agreement (at least a 43% reduction by 2030).

For more information on the IRA and how Missourians can take advantage of it, please see our YouTube webinar. To view the IRA in its entirety, see this document:

Inflation Reduction Act PDF

In 2014, the Grain Belt Express project first attempted to receive a certificate of convenience and necessity (“CCN”) from the PSC to construct, own, manage, control, maintain, and operate a transmission line and related facilities (“the Project”) within and over eight Missouri counties. Grain Belt promised to deliver wind power from western states to marketplaces where the power would then be transmitted to the East Coast.

The PSC determined that Grain Belt did not adequately demonstrate this project met need or adequately advanced the interests of Missourians. At the time of the hearing, there were no commitments from purchasers for capacity and the four major utilities in Missouri were not lacking any renewable energy credits which would have prompted them to purchase wind energy from Grain Belt.

Grain Belt submitted another application to the PSC on August 30, 2016. This time, the Commission found the project advanced the public interest, but denied the CCN due to a separate court decision that required a different transmission line developer to provide county assents before a CCN could be granted. On appeal, the Missouri Supreme Court held the PSC erred in its finding that it could not grant a CCN and remanded the case back to the PSC. On March 20, 2019, the PSC granted Grain Belt’s CCN finding that it would allow hundreds of thousands of Missouri customers to see the benefits from low cost wind, create thousands of construction jobs, and generate millions of dollars in tax revenue. The opponents of the Grain Belt appealed the decision and the Eastern District Court of Appeal held oral arguments on December 4, 2019.

After the PSC approved Grain Belt, the Missouri Legislature – with backing from the Missouri Farm Bureau and other groups purporting to represent agricultural interest – considered bills in the 2019-2022 sessions to prevent private transmission companies from using eminent domain. While there was a litany of issues with this legislation (e.g., retroactive lawmaking, legislation targeting one party), this passed the Missouri House but stalled in the Senate. In 2022, a compromise was reached where Grain Belt would be allowed but there would be requirements for merchant lines going across multiple states to deliver a certain percentage of power to Missouri as well as requirements to pay landowners more money for easements. A win for everyone.

Also in 2022, Grain Belt went before the PSC again to ask for an extension of their existing transmission line that promised to add another 2500 MW of wind to its wires. Landowners fought this new addition but, in the fall of 2023, the PSC approved the new version of the project. As of this writing, opposing parties have not appealed the decision but that action is expected.

In addition to providing wind power to other states, the Grain Belt Express entered into contracts with several Missouri municipalities that would save these utilities an expected $11 million per year on power. Project developers are in the process of negotiating with landowners for easements, and there is no publicly-available timeline for when this will be constructed.