July 13, 2009
Governor Nixon made stops in St. Joseph and Kansas City to sign SB 376, The Energy Efficiency Investment Act. Nixon visited Altec Industries and the University of Missouri- Kansas City , both of which have made significant energy efficiency investments and partnered with KCP&L to bring down the costs of those upgrades. Altec replaced old high-pressure sodium light fixtures with more efficient fixtures. Once all replacements are completed, the companies estimate a savings of more than 800,000 kwH of electricity. UMKC worked with Burns & McDonnell to design and build energy-saving features throughout the campus. The Governor toured the new water chiller plant which is a part of a campus wide initiate to save 11.8 million kWh (22.8% electricity reduction) and reduce emissions by 30%.

Utilities now have an incentive to continue partnering with customers to reduce electricity usage. With this new law, every dollar invested in energy efficiency will be treated like a dollar invested in a power plant or distribution line. Governor Nixon called the bill an, "Important, historic step for the state of Missouri."

Not only is energy efficiency good for the environment, it also creates jobs and economic activity. Bill sponsor Senator Brad Lager, R-Savannah, referred to energy efficiency as, "Something we can do today that has an immediate impact." The bill will go into effect on August 28th.

May 14, 2009
The 2009 Energy Efficiency Investment Act was truly agreed and finally passed by the House today, sending it to the Governor! The House passed the Senate version of the bill, adopting the language carefully crafted by a diverse coalition of business groups, environmental interests and consumer advocates and focuses only on energy efficiency.

A special thanks to Senator Brad Lager (R-Savannah) for sponsoring the bill and Representative Will Kraus (R-Raytown) for supporting the bill through the House.

Thanks to everyone for their interest and hard work on this bill. This will allow our region and state to more aggressively embrace energy efficiency.

In addition to all of our coalition members, the following organizations testified in support of the bill in Jefferson City: KCP&L, Mid America Regional Council, Burns & McDonnell, Sierra Club, Kansas City Area Development Council, Missouri Conservation and Environmental Alliance, Missouri Energy Development Association, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Energy Efficiency First Coalition, Missourians for Balanced Energy, Home Builders of Greater Kansas City, Gale Homes, Missouri Alliance for Renewable Energy, City of Kansas City, Ford Motor Company, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Bridging the Gap, Missouri Association for Social Welfare, Anheuser-Busch, AARP, Office of Public Counsel (OPC).

May 8, 2009
Yesterday, the House Rules committee passed SB 376 out of committee to allow the bill to head to the House floor for debate. With only one week left, it's important that House members recognize the importance of energy efficiency for consumers, our environment and our State.

Please contact any legislators you may have relationships with and who may be able to help this initiative head to the Governor's desk for final approval. Here is a link to the entire Missouri House of Representatives: http://www.house.mo.gov/member.aspx.

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