JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri utility officials are expressing concerns that electric rates could increase sharply under federal climate legislation.
An analysis by a trade group for municipal utilities estimates that a federal cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions would increase the average electric rate in Missouri by 10 percent in 2015 compared to 2005. By 2030, the increase would be 82 percent.
A federal climate bill that includes a cap-and-trade system cleared a key House committee last month.
Missouri utility regulators on Monday met with utility officials representing nearly every electric customer in the state. Besides cap-and-trade, officials discussed energy efficiency, renewable resources and new technology for managing electrical grids.
