For more information on current bills that the Sierra Club opposes see our position papers. For information on all bills that the Sierra Club is tracking this year visit Quorum.
More incentives for greenhouse gasses…
House Bill 1753, which would require utility companies to replace shut down power plants with the same amount or a high amount of power, was third read in the House and was passed. It has now been reported to the Senate and has been read for the first time. This bill has significant consequences if passed as it would require that old coal-burning and natural gas power plants be replaced with more coal-burning and natural gas power plants or with costly nuclear power plants, as opposed to switching to more renewable energy sources.
Responsible investing is out, poor money management is in
On Tuesday, Senate Bill 835 had a hearing in the House Financial Institutions Committee. This bill contains an amendment that would prohibit both the State of Missouri and local governments from considering environmental factors when choosing how to invest money. Sierra Club Political Director, Michael Berg, testified against this bill during the hearing, and the committee will vote on the bill soon.
A step towards protecting our water!
House Bill 2153, which limits the exportation of Missouri waters outside of the state of Missouri, has been moving in the legislature. This is an important bill that will protect Missouri waters. On Monday the bill was read for the third time, and it was voted on and passed. It was then taken to the Senate and read for the first time.
Our Members Are Making an Impact!
Missouri Sierra Club members gathered in the capitol on Tuesday for the annual Sierra Club Lobby Day. The day was a great success, and members met with over 120 legislators and staff to advocate for important environmental protections.
Sierra Club members lobbied on four issues during their time in the capitol. The first bills were House Bill 1691 and Senate Bill 981, which would weaken protections for Missouri waters by changing the definition of what is included in the definition of “Waters of the State.” Stopping these dangerous bills is top priority for the Sierra Club. Members also talked to legislators about several bills that would limit the government's ability to make environmentally responsible investments. They explained why this would be a poor choice both financially and for the health of the planet. The third issue addressed was opposing Senate Bill 1050, Senate Bill 1507 and House Bill 2107 which would give special protections to bitcoin mining operations which are both incredibly noisy and a massive waste of energy. Lastly, Sierra Club members advocated against a slew of bills that attack Missouri’s initiative petition process.
Also on Tuesday, House Bill 2853 had a hearing in the House Special Committee on Public Policy. This bill would reinstate public representation to the Clean Water Commission, which is a vital aspect of protecting Missouri waters. Sierra Club volunteer and former Department of Natural Resources Water Protection Program director John Madras testified in support of this bill at the hearing on Tuesday, and now the bill awaits a vote by the committee to determine if it will move forward.
Irresponsible Investing
This week legislators added an amendment to Senate Bill 835 that would promote irresponsible investing. Amendment 2 of this bill would prohibit both the State of Missouri and local governments from considering environmental factors when determining whether or not to grant a government contract to any "bidder, offeror, or vendor." With the climate crisis looming this sort of policy is not just irresponsible, but also dangerous. For the good of all Missourians, it is essential to be able to consider factors such as the environment when the government makes financial decisions. Currently the bill is scheduled to be read for a third time in the Senate and may be passed out into the House of Representatives.
Dismantling Democracy
The onslaught against the initiative petition process in Missouri has progressed this week. On Monday a public hearing in the Senate was completed for House Bill 1749, yet another bill limiting Missourians participation in government. The bill now awaits a decision by the committee, and if passed will either be referred to an additional Senate committee for deliberation or it may be sent to the Senate floor to be debated or passed. Other attempts to dismantle our right to the ballot initiative are working its way through the legislative process. Contact your legislators today to tell them to protect our democracy!
A Win Over Toxic Waste
In a win for the Sierra Club and for all Missourians, House Bill 2134 which would regulate companies such as Denali Water Solutions from spreading toxic meatpacking waste on rural Missouri lands was heard in the Senate Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources Committee this past week and in the near future the committee is set to make a decision on the bill. Because of the time sensitive nature of the issue and imminent threat that companies like Denali pose to Missouri, the bill will go into effect immediately if passed because of an emergency clause.
This week the House amended House Bill 1746 to include two dangerous incentives for fossil fuels. The amendments disguise poor investments in outdated and expensive technology over other energy investments. They prioritize the gas industry which fuels climate change during the extraction, transportation, and creation of electricity over safer, more economic energy sources.
The first amendment allows utilities to be reimbursed for “renewable natural gas” pipelines - methane captured from landfills and CAFOs. Programs like these have been proven to increase emissions in the greenhouse gas methane, forcing ratepayers to invest in the further destruction of our planet. The second amendment subtracts the cost of “new gas-fired generation” from mandated investments in grid infrastructure for gas projects, incentivizing fossil fuels, contributing to the climate crisis, and significantly costing utility ratepayers.
The amended bill now goes back to the House to be third read and, if passed, will go to the Senate.
Next week: Legislative Spring Break March 18 - 24th!
Up for debate in Jeff City: More greenhouse gasses and less clean water
Super Tuesday wasn’t just a super day for the federal government. This Tuesday the Sierra Club testified against five (FIVE!) environmental bills in Senate hearings.
One bill heard on Tuesday was Senate Bill 829 which was heard by the Senate Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment Committee. SB 829 is a confusing bill that, despite claiming to reduce the effects of greenhouse gas production, would essentially incentivize the production of more methane gas. This bill would create a program that supports so-called “renewable” natural gas, but “renewable” natural gas is mostly methane, a greenhouse gas contributing greatly to climate change. Missouri should be promoting electrification, not more methane burning.
By far the most important bill debated during the Tuesday hearings was Senate Bill 981, or the “Waters of the State” bill. This bill seeks to reduce protections for Missouri’s water sources by changing the definition of what is considered a “water of the state” and therefore what can be protected by the Department of Natural Resources. The hearing held in the Senate Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources Committee demonstrated the strong opposition to this bill with a slew of both environmental and rural groups sharing strong testimony against passing this new policy. Among groups such as the Missouri Coalition for the Environment and the Conservation Federation of Missouri was Sierra Club volunteer and former Department of Natural Resources Water Protection Program director John Madras. Madras provided official testimony on behalf of the Sierra Club, reminding the committee that “there’s no problem that [the bill is] solving here.” The bill adds more confusion and fewer protections to regulating Missouri’s waterways. Tell your legislators that Missourians want clean water and you oppose SB 981!
Missouri: Now with more water pollution?
Contaminated water seems to be all the rage in Jefferson (Jeff) City. Some legislators are fighting to pass two bills, House Bill 1691 and Senate Bill 981, that would weaken protections for Missouri waters by changing the definition of what is included in the definition of “Waters of the State.”
What does this mean for Missouri? In short: fewer protections for our water and more opportunities for water pollution. SB 981 has a hearing scheduled with the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources for 8:30 A.M. on Tuesday, March 5th in Senate Committee Hearing Room 1 in Jefferson City. This will be an incredibly important hearing. Sierra Club members will be there to show our strong opposition to the bill. Please join the fight and help us say no to dirty water. If you cannot attend, tell your legislators that you demand that they reject HB 1691 and SB 981.
Victory for Missourians -- Denali Held Accountable for Dumping Waste
In a win for Missouri and the environment, a bill aimed at regulating the company Denali Water Solutions is headed to the Missouri Senate! HB 2134 would require companies like Denali to have water pollution permits and follow certain design requirements for facilities. This bill passed in the House and was read for the first time in the Senate on Thursday.
Denali came under fire in recent months due to their practice of collecting, storing, and spreading waste received from meatpacking plants as free fertilizer on farmers’ properties. The waste that Denali was spreading had a horrible stench that residents living near the dumping sites say would burn their lungs, cause some to vomit, and essentially forced community members to stay indoors to avoid it. Because of the imminent threat that companies like Denali pose for residents affected by their practices, an emergency clause was added to HB 2134. This means that if the bill passes the Senate and is signed by the governor, the new regulations would go into effect immediately.
Show-Me Responsible Investing!
On Wednesday Sierra Club Political Director, Michael Berg, testified against SB 1113 in the Senate Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs and Pensions. This bill is another attack on socially responsible investing. It would restrict fiduciaries for public employee retirement systems from considering environmental, social, or governance characteristics when managing investments. The committee for this bill is set to vote on the future of this bill soon.
Democrats filibuster for over 20 hours in order to protect citizen’s rights to participate in government.
Although it was a comparatively quiet week in Jeff City in terms of environmental bills, Missouri Republicans continue to target democracy through their attacks on the initiative petition process. Senate Joint Resolution 74, which limits citizen initiative campaigns and citizen’s ability to participate in government, has passed through the Senate and was read for the first time in the House on Thursday, February 22. But this was not without a massive effort and over 20 hours of Democrat filibustering. Senate Democrats were finally able to force the removal of language otherwise known as “ballot candy,” which is language that intends to essentially trick voters into voting for issues that they disagree with. You can join the fight against these bills too. Send a letter to your state legislators now and tell them to protect our initiative petition process.
Several other bills have either been perfected in the House or are awaiting perfection. HB 1960, the Regulatory Sandbox Bill, and HB 1511, a bill opposing electric vehicles and charging stations, has been read for the third time in the House and is now sitting in the Senate. Another bill that has passed out of committee and is awaiting placement on the House calendar for perfection is HB 2107. This harmful bill would restrict the ability of local governments to limit the locations of cryptocurrency mines and enforce noise ordinances.
Of concern to the Sierra Club is also HB 1961 and SB 981. Both of these bills seek to alter the definition of “Waters of the State,” making it more difficult to protect Missouri waters from pollution and damage. These bills have both been referred to the Agriculture Committee to be debated, but there has been decreasing coverage surrounding these incredibly damaging bills.
Lastly, on Wednesday, February 21, Missouri Sierra Club Political Director, Michael Berg, testified against HB 2197 and HB 1961. These bills would require a state agency to repeal two existing rules before enacting any new one. This bill would put more strain on Missouri regulatory agencies and could grind the rule-making process to a halt due to the additional, unnecessary requirement of removing two rules before implementing another. While removing old and antiquated rules is certainly beneficial, this is not the way to do it.
Missouri Republicans want more water pollution and less civic engagement.
Senate Democrats successfully held the floor on Monday and Tuesday in a filibuster of a bill that would make it much more difficult for citizens to participate in government through citizen initiative campaigns. During the filibuster the bill sponsor, Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman, admitted that much of the bill is “eye candy” meaning issues at the top of the proposal are not relevant to the proposal but attract voters to vote for a proposal whose main feature they disagree with. However, for now this onslaught against citizen’s right to participate in government has been slowed because of the Democrat filibuster, but no doubt the initiative petition process will continue to come under fire in the coming weeks.
Also on Monday, there was a house hearing on a proposal to remove nonpoint source water pollution from the state’s definition of water contamination sources. Nonpoint source pollution refers to pollution that does not come directly from the pollution source, such as farm fertilizer and pesticide particles carried by wind and animal waste runoff or urban runoff from motor oil or sediment on streets and sidewalks. John Madras, a Sierra Club volunteer and a former Department of Natural Resources Water Protection Program director, provided strong testimony against this bill in the hearing.
Madras was also interviewed this week for another bill that would weaken the definition of Missouri’s “Waters of the State.” This bill would make it so that only groundwater that has surface connection with relatively permanent, standing or continuously flowing rivers and streams could be legally protected. Around half of Missourians rely on the state's 2,618 groundwater sources as their primary sources of water, but only 5 of these aquifers would qualify for protections under this new definition. Madras stated that this bill “is devastating to people who use groundwater for drinking water.” The Missouri Sierra Club will continue to fight against this bill as the legislative session progresses.
On Tuesday morning a house hearing was conducted for HB 1700 which is an effort to take away the ability of public pension funds in Missouri to make investment decisions that encourage more environmentally sustainable practices. Peter Schneeberger, a member of the Sierra Club’s Legislative Committee and leader in Sierra Club’s Mid-Missouri Group did an excellent job testifying against this bill. The committee for the HB 1700 is set to vote on this bill to determine if it continues through the legislative process.
The Sierra Club testified against several damaging bills this week. On Monday the Senate Economic Development and Tax Policy Committee heard from our Political Director Michael Berg testifying against SB 825, the Regulatory Sandbox Act. In the House, the parallel bill (HB 1960) was read for the third time and was passed and will now be sent to the Senate for continued deliberation.. Before the vote the Sierra Club was able to secure an amendment to the bill that would help ensure that environmental protections cannot be waived for sandbox participants.
SB 757, a bill that would require utility companies to replace shut down power plants with the same amount or a high amount of power was also heard in committee this week after multiple cancellations in the past few weeks. Henry Robertson, Missouri Sierra Club Energy Chair, testified against this bill on behalf of the Sierra Club on Tuesday, arguing that the bill would force old, obsolete coal-burning and natural gas power plants to be replaced with more coal-burning and natural gas power plants or with expensive nuclear power plants, rather than being able to switch to more renewable sources.
A third bill relating to bitcoin mining and crypto currency was also heard in the House Special Committee on Innovation and Technology. Political Director, Michael Berg, again testified against this bill. The bill would restrict the ability of local governments to limit the locations of cryptocurrency mines and enforce noise ordinances. This is incredibly problematic given that the noise level of cryptocurrency operations has often been compared to having a jet engine constantly idling on a nearby tarmac. The noise effects and resources that cryptocurrency mining utilizes makes unregulated mining damaging to communities and to the environment. The committee is set to vote on the future of this bill in the coming week.
Attacks on democracy, subverting the rule of law, and even more electric vehicle restrictions.
The Sierra Club faced more than just attacks on the environment this week. Democracy itself has been challenged through attacks on Missouri’s initiative petition process. Republican lawmakers have been forwarding a multitude of bills that will make it harder for citizens to propose and pass constitutional amendments at the ballot. Several bills have completed public hearings and are awaiting further decisions while others, such as SJR 74, have been placed on the formal calendar for perfection.
Lawmakers are continuing to play around in their sandbox in attempts to undermine the rule of law. The Regulatory Sandbox Act (HB 1960) is out of committee, with perfection possibly taking place on Monday or Tuesday. We hope to add an amendment to this bill that will explicitly protect the environment, although opposition to this is highly likely. In the Senate, SB 825 has a scheduled hearing on Monday, February 5 where the Sierra Club will continue to testify against the Regulatory Sandbox Act.
Electric vehicle restrictions continue to plague the legislature as well. Representative Jim Murphy’s bill opposing electric vehicles and charging stations (HB 1511) was reported Do Pass following its hearing in the Rules - Administrative Oversight Committee. SB 2373, another electric vehicle restriction bill, completed its hearing in the Government Efficiency and Downsizing Committee. This bill would mandate that electric vehicles that utilize child labor cannot be purchased by the state. While on the surface this is an ethical bill, there are no restrictions of this kind on other items including gas-powered vehicles. This bill is yet another way to increase reliance on unsustainable vehicles and limit electric vehicles usage.