JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) tackled a few agenda items at its weekly meeting Wednesday, including overturning previous North American Number Plan (NANP) decisions.
The PSC approved two requests from MCImetro Access Transmission Services Corps doing business as Verizon Access Transmission Services to overturn previous blocks from the NANP administrator. The commission decided the carrier demonstrated a need in two instances: Nestle USA in St. Louis and Mercy Hospital in Washington.
Additionally, the commission granted a financing application from Missouri American Water Company, giving it the authority to issue up to $350 million of long-term, unsecured debt that will be used for things such as the acquisition of property, construction, or facility improvement. It could also be used to replace any short term borrowing, the commission noted.
Earlier this week, members of the Missouri Public Utility Alliance expressed support for the PSC’s earlier decision to approve the Grain Belt Express Clean Line’s request to construct and manage a new transmission line to develop renewable energy and facilitate economic growth in Missouri.
“I think this project is very worth the effort, and I think it would be well-needed in the state of Missouri,” said Dennis Klusmeyer, superintendent of the city of Shelbina. “We are in need of infrastructure improvement across the state and across the country. On our electrical infrastructure, this would help support that.”
The Grain Belt Express Clean Line project will develop an overhead and direct transmission line of approximately 780 miles delivering wind energy from western Kansas to utilities and consumers in Missouri and other states. It will extend throughout eight Missouri counties: Buchanan, Clinton, Caldwell, Carroll, Chariton, Randolph, Monroe, and Ralls.
Kaitlyn Schallhorn was the editor in chief of The Missouri Times from 2020-2022. She joined the newspaper in early 2019 after working as a reporter for Fox News in New York City.
Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has covered political campaigns across the U.S., including the 2016 presidential election, and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and the Middle East.
She is a native of Missouri who studied journalism at Winthrop University in South Carolina. She is also an alumna of the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.
Contact Kaitlyn at kaitlyn@themissouritimes.com.
