Social Safety Net Erodes During Ameren’s Latest Rate Case

Jefferson City, Mo- Today, the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) approved a settlement with some intervening parties. The Sierra Club intervened in the case, but declined to join the "black box" settlement reached by other parties. The order can be found here.

The PSC's approval will see rates increase $355 million, lower than the $446.2 million Ameren Missouri requested, and the fixed fee for each customer will remain $9. This rate increase comes after Ameren disconnected more than 90,000 customersfor late payment in 2024; that's customers as in a single meter serving a household, not individuals, so the impact on people is much greater. Additionally, more than 160,000 customers were behind on their bills last year.

The rate case process included several public hearings, where scores of Ameren customers voiced their objections to the ongoing parade of rate increasesproposed by the monopoly utility over the years.

A lot has changed since Ameren Missouri filed its rate case with the PSC in June 2024. President Trump's election has emboldened utilities to pollutewhile slashing federal staffwho manage programs to support families struggling to pay their bills. At the state level, lawmakers hurried through a massive utility omnibus billthat Governor Kehoe signed into law, setting the stage for faster and larger rate increases and more pollution throughout the state. Meanwhile, advocacy organizationsreleased a new reportthat details energy burden disparities in St. Louis City and County, along with an energy burden dashboardthat includes resources for people to reduce their energy consumption, including LIHEAP that was harmed by President Trump.

Statement from Jenn DeRose, Missouri Senior Organizer with the Sierra Club:

"With President Trump slashing federal staff who help administer financial assistance programs for struggling families, Marty Lyons and Ameren executives must increase financial resources, promotion, and adoption of its energy efficiency and debt forgiveness programs to prevent disconnections and alleviate energy burden. Not a single person from Ameren has publicly apologized for illegally polluting our region's air for more than a decade, so the least they can do is reduce shareholder profits by a few cents to help support people in our own communities."

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.