Missouri House advances committee substitute to clear path for small modular nuclear reactors

The House of Representatives on April 1 adopted a committee substitute for bills described on the floor as the Missouri Nuclear Clean Power Act, a measure the sponsor said is intended to remove a state-level barrier to building small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) in Missouri.

Representative from Webster, the bill sponsor, told colleagues the measure would remove a ban on "construction work in progress" (CWIP/QIP) treatment that he and supporters characterized as an "intractable roadblock" to siting SMRs in Missouri. He said states that allow QIP attract investment and that enabling SMRs would bring jobs and lower long-term electricity costs by avoiding transmission expenses associated with importing power from neighboring states.

Supporters argued the bill would allow Missouri to compete for new base-load generation and secure local jobs and investment. "If we don't pass this, we're simply passing our debt down to our kids and grandkids," the sponsor said in closing remarks, urging colleagues to consider the long-term cost savings of paying interest during construction rather than afterwards.

Opponents warned the change would shift construction risk onto utility ratepayers. A representative from St. Louis (District 72) said SMRs remain unproven in the U.S. and described QIP as a mechanism that makes customers bear the financial risk of cost overruns. He repeatedly cited large cost overruns on past conventional nuclear projects in other states and said the historical record counsels caution.

Debate included technical back-and-forths about reactor size and safety. Members who had worked in nuclear contexts, including a speaker who described submarine experience and another who identified themselves as a chemistry and physics teacher, exchanged views on reactor design, licensing and waste storage. Several speakers referenced Missouri's past voter action and a statutory restriction on QIP that was enacted roughly 50 years ago; speakers described the current bill as a deliberate effort to align Missouri with other states permitting CWIP for certain generation projects.

The sponsor said the bill contains clawback provisions similar to those adopted in prior legislation covering natural gas projects; he described those provisions as a safeguard if a project is imprudently built or abandoned. Several supporters noted that the bill limits the capacity of eligible nuclear projects to 600 megawatts and that licensing and regulatory oversight would still rest with federal and state regulators.

The House adopted the committee substitute by voice vote, then perfected and printed the measure. The record on the floor shows the title was agreed to and the committee substitute adopted; no roll-call tally for the final floor adoption of the committee substitute was recorded in the transcript (the journal approval earlier in the session did include a recorded yeas/nays count). Closing remarks indicated the sponsor intends the bill to make Missouri competitive for SMR projects and to reduce transmission-related cost pressures on consumers.

What happens next: The bill was perfected and printed on the House floor and will proceed through any remaining legislative steps, including additional committee or chamber consideration as required by legislative process.