Missouri Poll: Voters See Right of First Refusal Legislation Raising Electricity Prices and Increasing the Power of Incumbent Utilities
April 6, 2023
A poll released today regarding Missouri legislation that would increase incumbent utility control over the state’s electric power grid shows that voters overwhelmingly do not support the idea.
Conducted by national polling firm TargetPoint Consulting during the period of March 13-14, the poll found that a supermajority of voters agree that so-called “Right of First Refusal Legislation” currently being considered by the Missouri Legislature has many downsides for consumers. The legislation would limit competition on who can build transmission lines - the large powerlines that carry electricity from the power generating facilities to your local utility provider – and automatically grant current incumbent utility providers the right to build any new transmission lines in their service area, instead of allowing a competitive bidding process to take place.
The poll revealed that 6 in 10 voters say they are less likely to vote for a candidate who voted for Right of First Refusal legislation including 63% of Republicans, 68% of Democrats and 60% of Independents.
Results of the poll also show that:
82% of voters agree that ROFR’s elimination of competition will drive up prices and deprive customers of substantial cost savings seen in other states.
83% agree that ROFR will increase power of utilities and want legislators to act in interests of citizens.
78% agree that competition has worked in other states and will bring substantial savings to Missouri.
68% agree that ROFR simply runs against core principles of free-markets and open competition.
Additionally, 65% of Missouri voters say allowing competition for these billion-dollar projects is the best way to ensure that consumers get the best deal possible including 66% of Republicans, 67% of Democrats and 62% of Independents.
Called “an unlikely alliance of consumer and clean energy groups, right-leaning free-market organizations and transmission line developers” by the Missouri Independent , opponents say eliminating competition would drive up costs of transmission projects. Those costs are then borne by customers in rate increases.
For a full list of organizations that testified in opposition to the so-called Right of First Refusal legislation, please see: https://house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills231/witnesses/HB992Testimony.pdf.
These included AARP, Americans for Fair Energy Prices, Americans for Prosperity, Coastal Energy, Consumers Council of Missouri, Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition, LS Power, Missouri Coalition for the Environment, Missouri Industrial Energy Consumers, R-Street Institute, Renew Missouri, Sierra Club—Missouri Chapter, Show-Me Institute and Southwest Transmission, LLC in addition to more than 1,200 Missourians who joined AFEP and agreed that a lack of competition in building electric transmission leads to higher electricity rates, stifles innovation and increases risks for consumers.