May 13, 2013
by John Hickey, Missouri Chapter Director
Over the last several months, Sierra Club members across the state have toured manufacturers who make parts for wind turbines and solar collectors. The goal of the tours was to see firsthand how renewable energy creates good, family-wage jobs here in Missouri, while reducing the demand for burning dirty coal.
On June 30th, 75 people toured the Washington, MO CG Power Systems plant, which makes transformers that are used in wind generators and solar collectors. CG Power Systems employs about 480 workers at its facilities in Washington, MO. Club member Pat Schuba also showed us the site where Ameren hopes to build a 400 acre coal ash landfill in the floodplain of the Missouri River, near Labadie.
On September 22nd, 30 Club members toured the ABB plant in Jefferson City; workers here manufactured the transformers that were installed in the Lost Creek wind farm near King City, MO. Thanks for Osage Group Chair Jan Dye who organized a phone bank at her home to invite Sierra Club members to this tour, and to Sierra Student Coalition intern Sarah Johnson who recruited Mizzou students to participate!
On November 2nd, 50 members toured the Milbank Manufacturing facility in Kansas City;
Milbank recently announced it is creating 57 new jobs in its sustainable energy area, which includes producing parts for wind and solar energy, as well as plug-ins for electric vehicles. This is our second tour in KC; Eileen McManus organized a similar tour on March 4th to the Smith Electric Car plant near KCI Airport.
The Missouri Sierra Club organized these tours in response to action by the Missouri General Assembly which curtailed the development of renewable energy in our state. During the 2011 session, the General Assembly overturned a Public Service Commission rule that would have required utilities such as Ameren to meet its 15 percent renewable energy standard (mandated under Proposition C that was passed in November 2008) by counting electricity that was either generated or consumed here in Missouri.
By nullifying this rule, the General Assembly is allowing utilities to buy renewable energy credits from anywhere in the world in order to meet its renewable energy targets. When the wind generators are located in China instead of here, Missourians do not enjoy all the benefits of clean energy – including both local jobs as well as cleaner air.
These tours have shown us that another Missouri is possible. If you would like to get involved in our campaign to move Missouri beyond dirty coal, please email me at john.hickey@sierraclub.org.