Nuclear Summit Held as State Leaders Attack Domestic Energy Production in Missouri

Columbia, Mo- People gather in Columbia today for the Missouri Nuclear Summit to highlight an industry plagued by economic disasters. South Carolinautility customers paid $9 billion for a nuclear reactor project that was cancelled, creating zero kilowatts of electricity. The Georgianuclear reactor project was completed seven years behind schedule and $17 billion over budget. The Georgia project benefited from $12 billion in federal loan guaranteesfrom the Department of Energy. The NuScale"small modular reactor" project was cancelled following construction delays and cost-overruns.

Meanwhile, Senator Josh Hawley and Attorney General Andrew Bailey are working hard to prevent a 5 gigawatt transmission line from delivering low-cost, reliable electricity to communities throughout the state and region. The shovel-ready Grain Belt transmission project would quickly strengthen grid reliability, create jobs during construction, and literally lower electricity costs for small towns throughout Missouri.

Statement from Gretchen Waddell-Barwick, Director of the Sierra Club Missouri Chapter, who is in attendance at the nuclear summit:

"It's not without hypocrisy that state leaders are simultaneously trying to attract speculative nuclear technology that's even too risky for Wall Street investors while at the same time attacking a shovel-ready $10 billion transmission project that would guarantee lower costs for rural towns throughout the state. Locking Missouri into new nuclear investments will hurt our economy by unnecessarily increasing the cost of electricity, and it will shift billions of dollars of risk from shareholders and banks onto the backs of millions of captive monopoly utility customers."

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 https://www.sierraclub.org.