From today - July 14, 2011 St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Ameren Missouri went two decades without an electric rate increase — a streak that ended in 2007. Wednesday's electric rate increase is the fourth in just over four years totaling $604 million.
July 2011
$172 million (7 percent)
May 2010
$226 million (10 percent)
January 2009
$163 million (8.1 percent)
May 2007
$43 million (3.3 percent)
Source: Ameren Missouri
Jeffrey Tomich writes in today's Post-Dispatch "Running the Air conditioner or watching television is about to get a little more expensive." Read the full story.
Call me crazy or just that zany little Chesterfield Grandma, but why do I always seem to read between the lines...why does that blank space laying there between the words attract my attention and get filled up with things.
When I read "More than half of the Ameren rate increase is tied to the installation of emission controls at the coal-fired Sioux power plant in St. Charles to comply with federal clean air laws." - WHY do I fill in the BLANK space with - 'See we told you - if you want to keep the air clean and the rates low you NEED MORE nuclear power plants.'
Yesterday I blogged about the NRC's just released report that took at fresh look at nuclear safety, no longer than it took NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko to say "Good Morning", the industry was already moaning and bemoaning how increased safety measures were going to cost them and arm and a leg.
So what do we do folks? Do we just throw safety and caution to the wind and focus solely on utility rates? The argument I keep hearing from supporters of nuclear power plants is that they provide cheap and abundant electricity.
But is that what we really want? Do we not care about providing a safe environment for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren and hopefully on and on. At some point the grown ups in the room are going to have to take charge and say to the kids, 'just because that candy bowl is full, you can't eat the whole bowl now' - consumption and conservation need to play a role. They are words not just spouted out of the mouths of conservation-kooks, these are words that come out of the mouths of people who think beyond their last meal.
My gut is telling me we are being given a second chance here, let's not blow it, let's not sell ourselves out for cheaper utility rates. Let's look at the big picture and do the right thing.
I agree with everything you said. People are so distracted by whatever gewgaws the media dangles in front of them, that they can't get their bearings about things that matter. Nuclear power is certainly one of those things.
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