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Home > Issues & Actions: Air Quality

Unfortunately, Missouri is behind the curve on renewable energy and climate change policy. Missouri's inaction on climate change and renewables is especially devastating given Missouri’s heavy reliance on coal.

  • 85% of Missouri's electricity comes from coal while only 0.01% comes from renewable sources.

  • Coal burning power plants are the largest contributor to global warming, and mercury from coal plants has led to consumption warnings on fish in every water body in the state. Emissions from coal plants intensify asthma and heart disease.
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  • Missouri has 21 coal-fired power plants and is considering permitting another plant in Norborne, Missouri.


  • From 1990 to 2003, Missouri's per-person carbon dioxide emissions was the fifth highest in the country, rising 15% while the national average remained fairly constant.

    • MCE's clean energy and climate change program combines advocacy and education to influence change. MCE promotes state policies that helps Missouri transition from an over reliance on highly polluting coal to clean, renewable energy. MCE also combats climate change by promoting local action to decrease carbon dioxide emissions.
    photo by Tyler Harris


    MCE Priorities:

    Promoting Renewable Energy:

    Many states have implemented sound renewable energy policies resulting in economic and social benefits.

    Unfortunately, Missouri’s renewable energy policy lags behind most other states' policy. To bring Missouri up to the national trend, the Missouri Coalition for the Environment, Missouri Votes Conservation, and the Heartland Renewable Energy Society have formed a collaborative called “Renew Missouri.” Click here to read more about the project and how to get involved.

    Reducing lead pollution in Herculaneum:

    The Coalition works with the Washington University Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic to reduce the public's exposure to lead. Currently, the Clinic provides assistance to Coalition members that are working to reduce lead pollution from the Doe Run smelter in Herculaneum, Missouri.



    Ozark Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Expo:

    Make a date to visit the 2007 Ozark Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Expo at Les Bourgeois Winery in Rocheport, Missouri. The Expo Will be held the weekend of September 22nd and 23rd and will feature workshops, exhibits, hands-on demonstrations, and speaker panels. Building off of last year's expo and the increasing awareness of renewable energy concerns, the Coalition is expanding this year's expo in order to tackle the most salient issues surrounding renewable energy. Read More


    Recent MCE Accomplishments:

    Passage of the Easy Connection Act for Small Renewable Energy Systems:

    With the Help of the Coalition, Renew Missouri has served as a catalyst for the passage of the Easy Connection Act. In May 2007, as a part of the "Green Power Initiative Bill", the act passed unanimously in the Senate. If it is signed by the Governor, the act will establish "true net metering" and will facilitate the connection of small renewable energy systems to the larger power grid. Read more

    Additional Air Pollution, Climate Change, and Energy Issues:
     
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