MOScout Daily Update: New Utility Wars? - Brown for Caucus Chair - August Revenues Drop - Kunce and Hawley on TV and more…

Brown Promises to Be A Bridge

Sen. Ben Brown, in a letter to his Republican colleagues declaring his candidacy for Caucus Chair, promises that he would work as a “bridge” between the Senate GOP factions.  See the letter here.

I believe I have established myself as someone who can build bridges and find paths forward for the overall good.  Based on the previous two sessions, this will be an essential quality for those we elect into any leadership position if we are to move forward as a productive body. It is clear that the Senate would benefit from cultivating an environment where mutual respect and common ground are over prioritized over personal feuds.

·       I believe that Sen. Jill Carter is also seeking the Caucus Chair position.

August Revenue Drops

It appears from the Daily Revenue reports that August’s state revenues declined about 9% compared to July 2023.  That makes back-to-back revenue drops to start off this fiscal year.  So far, state tax receipts are down 8%, about $160 million behind where we were this time last year.

·       As I wrote last week, this month of September will be important to watch as it has one of the quarterly estimated payment dates.

Kunce and Hawley Already Slugging It Out On TV

There’s been no down time in the US Senate race.  Both candidates have active ad campaigns on the air.

Lucas Kunce – in a single contract with KSDK in St. Louis – is spending over $100,000 this week.  In the same week, on the same station in the same market, Josh Hawley’s spending over $50,000. Kunce’s commercials focus on reproductive rights, using clips of Hawley to paint him as an extremist on the issue.

·       And Kunce is highlighting his military service referring to himself as “Lieutenant Colonel” in the ads.

What It Means

·       Kunce’s aggressive ad campaign may be a gambit to bring this race into striking range and convince national money that Missouri – a solid red state now – can be an upset target.

·       Kunce has been a prolific fundraiser, so he has the resources to spend upfront.

Utilities to Make A Play Again?

Post-Dispatch reports on conversations that “Missouri needs to make it easier and speedier to get regulatory approval to build new energy projects, to keep up with possible demand.”  Read the article here.

·       The average inquiry for potential power has risen 60-fold over five years, according to Ameren. In 2019, companies exploring moves into Ameren’s local service territory sought 3.2 megawatts of electric capacity, on average. Today, companies are looking for a lot more power: The average request in 2024 stands at a whopping 181.2 megawatts per project.

·       [T]here are the yearslong, time-consuming hurdles associated with building new generation capacity or transmission lines that can carry electricity from afar. Projects face backlogs and a glacial pace of planning and approval.

·       “It’s a long lead-time game,” said Roger Clark, vice president and chief commercial officer for Associated Electric Cooperative Inc., based in Springfield, Missouri. “If you think you need capacity in 2030, you done missed it.”

·       One possibility focused on Missouri’s current practice of having utilities produce long-term generation plans separately from their individual applications for specific projects.  But merging those processes and allowing future projects to be pre-approved, as is done in some states, could speed the process, officials said.

·       “We’re going to be proactive and aggressive,” said Kayla Hahn, the chair of the Missouri Public Service Commission. “We are going to drive change.”

·       “There are downsides to turning it into a pre-approval process,” said John Coffman, an attorney for the Consumers Council of Missouri. “Often, things look good in the planning process, and there are problems, going forward.”

Why It Matters

A decade ago, Ameren and Noranda battled for several session over “CWIP.” Those wars proved that utility issues, while not very sexy, can suck up a lot of bandwidth in a legislative.

There are, of course, tax-payer advocates who are skeptical of big utilities changing the rules. But if industrial companies fear that a change in regulatory framework will result in higher electric bills, they will fight proposals tooth and nail.

Wilson’s Benevolent Fund Golf Tourny

Former Governor Roger Wilson is staging his 24th annual 10-33 Benevolent Fund Golf Tournament this Friday and Monday at Columbia Country Club. The radio call “33” means “officer in need of assistance.” When a person providing public safety dies in the line of duty, the non-profit 10-33 Benevolent Fund steps in to provide immediate financial assistance to their families. It initially provided assistance for families of fallen law enforcement, firefighters and paramedics. That has expanded to include judicial employees and utility line workers.

“Unlike many benevolent funds, the Missouri 10-33 Benevolent Fund spends very limited money from donations on overhead and administrative costs. The Missouri 10-33 Benevolent Fund, is the only such organization in the state of Missouri, that reaches all 114 counties and the City of St. Louis and serves families of public service officers from multiple branches,” event organizers said in a release.

·       For Wilson, attendance at the events is a personal achievement, after he had a stroke last winter and has worked on rehabilitation of paralysis on his left side.

·       Learn more about the event at https://www.missouri10-33benevolentfund.ngo

Pro-Brown PAC

A political action committee to support Richard Brown was created.  Ruth Odum-Jackson is the treasurer for Richard Brown Forward Missouri.  Brown is the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor. He’ll face Dave Wasinger.

Lobbyists Registrations

Doug Stone added Church & Dwight Co. Inc, and KCP Fee Owner 4 LLC.          

$5K+ Contributions

A Better Missouri Political Action Committee - $18,000 from Anheuser-Busch Cos.

Missourians for Healthy Families & Fair Wages - $39,225 from Ballot Initiative Group of Missouri Inc.

The Leadbelt PAC - $10,000 from Missouri Leadership Fund.

MO Bankers Association State-PAC - $10,000 from The Bank of Missouri.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Emily van Schenkhof, and Jane Cunningham.