Seventeen community leaders, including commissioners, mayors, and chamber officials, send Libla letter asking economic development bill to be considered
PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. – With few remaining legislative days left in the session, several economic development bills are on the calendar in the Senate waiting for an up or down vote, including SB 190, which hopes to allow modernization of the electric grid.
Southeast Missouri county commissioners, mayors, and chamber officials penned a letter to Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, hoping he would not necessarily vote yes on the bill, but allow the bill to come to a vote. The bill has a potential “Smelter Amendment,” which supporters hope will bring a smelter back to the area.
“Since [Noranda’s] closure the negative impact has been felt in nearly every facet of life,” the letter reads. “Our stores, schools and restaurants have suffered losses in revenue. Houses stand empty, families are forced apart because the breadwinner is forced to travel hours away, out-of-state, to find work or the entire family was forced to leave our state altogether. There is an urgent need for new job opportunities and economic development in our southeast Missouri counties. SB 190 could be the key to help your district grow and prosper once more.”
Rep. Don Rone, who represents many of the signees of the letter, called on Libla and other lawmakers to prioritize jobs and consider all constituents.
“Our community leaders know how dire the employment situation is across southeast Missouri,” Rone said. “That’s why you see elected officials and business owners that stretch across 70 miles of Sen. Libla’s district asking him to allow a vote on SB 190. We are sent here to represent all the people in our districts. I hope all our legislators keep that in mind during the final weeks of session and we can get see important things accomplished.”
Ameren, the largest utility company in the state, supports the bill, which would allow them to invest millions updating the grid, permitting smarter, more efficient and secure technology.
“Passage of the smelter amendment crafted for SB 190 is absolutely the best path to try to bring this enormous jobs and economic development opportunity to southeast MO,” Warren Wood, vice president of external affairs and communication at Ameren Missouri, said.
Constituent contact campaigns fear ramifications of ‘kicking can down the road’ on grid
Rep. Tila Hubrecht, who represents the Stoddard County area in the House, believes the bill is worthy of consideration.
“Residents in Stoddard county were also negatively affected by the loss of Noranda as there were many who were employed by Noranda,” Hubrecht said. “We, in Stoddard County, support efforts to bring businesses to our area. The economic development utility rate will be a huge contributing factor to bringing jobs to our area. While SB 190 still needs improvement, I feel that this bill and the issues represented in this bill, need to continue to be discussed and a resolution needs to be arrived at in a manner which will bring jobs to our area and jobs to our county.”
Read the full letter below.
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Rachael Herndon was the editor at The Missouri Times and also produced This Week in Missouri Politics, published Missouri Times Magazine, and co-hosted the #MoLeg podcast. She joined The Missouri Times in 2014, returning to political reporting after working as a campaign and legislative staffer.
Rachael studied at the University of Missouri – Columbia. She lives in Jefferson City with her husband, Brandon, and their two children.
