JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) took a break from the third day of Ameren hearings today for their regularly scheduled agenda meeting, approving several new orders and tariffs.
A 2013 explosion at the popular JJ’s Restaurant in Kansas City surfaced as Staff “prays the Commission will open a Gas Safety Workshop Docket.”
The explosion killed one and injured others, as well as causing extensive damage. The explosion and fire resulted from a gas main break in a nearby alley caused by a third-party excavator installing an underground telecommunication cable despite area marking, as required by law. The gas main belongs with Missouri Gas Energy.
Staff filed an order opening a working file to facilitate development of a “State-Wide Policy Regarding Responses To Gas Leaks And To Prevent Third-Party Damage To Gas Facilities.” Staff hopes the Gas Safety Workshop Docket will “develop a statewide policy and apparatus for communication and coordination between gas utilities, fire departments and other emergency responders” and work “to enhance the effectiveness of efforts to respond to instances where a gas leak has occurred as well as the effectiveness of efforts to prevent third party damage to gas facilities.”
An “Order Granting Variance” was approved for Ameren to construct, install, own, operate, maintain, and otherwise control and manage a new 345,000-volt electric transmission line approximately 7 miles in length near Palmyra, Missouri in Marion County. The line will extend across the Mississippi River.
A unique order relating to a rate case from Village Greens Water Company was approved, raising the company’s total annual water service operating revenues. The company is based out of Union, Missouri.
Two agenda meetings remain for the PSC to approve net metering rules for renewable energy standards. The rules must be submitted to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) by August 7. The PSC discussed different facets of the rules for an order to be drafted for rule creation approval. Most of the current draft language was “fine” with the commission, but a couple parts received contention and will be discussed again next week. The Commission is taking into account input from various companies, groups, and parties.
The full agenda received approval.
The PSC will meet next at July 29 at 9:30 a.m.
AGENDA
| Tariff and New Orders | ||||
| Item No. | Case/Tracking No. | Company Name/Brief Description | Lead Staff/Additional Staff Contact(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | GW-2016-0013 | MO PSC Staff — Order Opening A Working File To Facilitate Development Of A State-Wide Policy Regarding Responses To Gas Leaks And To Prevent Third-Party Damage To Gas Facilities | Woodruff | |
| 2. | EE-2015-0316 | Ameren Missouri — Order Granting Variance | Jones | |
| 3. | ER-2015-0318 | Kansas City Power & Light Company — Order Approving Tariff | Jordan | |
| 4. | EC-2015-0058 | Jimmie E. Small — Report And Order | Jordan | |
| 5. | AW-2015-0282 | Commission — Order Opening A Working Case To Consider Proposals To Implement A Revenue Decoupling Mechanism For Missouri’s Utilities | Woodruff | |
| 6. | WR-2015-0138 | Village Greens Water Company — Order Approving Disposition Agreement and Tariff | Jones | |
| 7. | EA-2015-0145 | Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois — Revised Order Granting Certificate of Convenience and Necessity | Pridgin | |
| 8. | WF-2015-0207 | Missouri-American Water Company — Order Granting Financing Application | Burton | |
| 9. | ER-2014-0351 | Empire District Electric Company, The — Order Denying Motion For Clarification/Reconsideration | Burton | |
| Case Discussion | ||||
| Item No. | Case No. | Company Name/Brief Description | Lead Staff/Additional Staff Contact(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | EX-2014-0352 | Commission — Memorandum: 4 CSR 240-20.065 – Net Metering and 4 CSR 240-20.100 – Electric Utility Renewable Energy Standard Requirements (Solar Rebates) | Woodruff | |
| Other Discussion | |||
| Other Description | Brief Description | Lead Staff/Additional Staff Contact(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commission Scheduling Matters | – | Kenney (Robert) | |
| Legislation | – | Kenney (Robert) | |
| Budget | – | Kenney (Robert) | |
| Other | Closed Minutes for July 17, 2015. | Woodruff | |
| Closed Session | – | Kenney (Robert) | |
| Litigation | – | Kenney (Robert) | |
| Personnel | – | Kenney (Robert) | |
Rachael Herndon was editor of The Missouri Times until 2019. She also produced This Week in Missouri Politics, published Missouri Times Magazine, and co-hosted the #MoLeg podcast. Herndon joined The Missouri Times in 2014, returning to political reporting after working as a campaign and legislative staffer. In 2019, she entered Missouri’s cannabis industry, co-founding Greenway Magazine.
