Energy (Transmission)

SB 1711 - This act modifies provisions relating to utility colocation along highway corridors. The State Highways and Transportation Commission and the Missouri Department of Transportation shall allow the installation, operation, and maintenance of electric transmission facilities within highway rights of way. The Commission and Department shall develop uniform criteria for colocation of transmission facilities within highway rights of ways. The duty of the Commission and Department shall include providing reasonable time lines and procedures for review and approval of colocation requests, ensuring safety of the public and infrastructure, avoiding duplication of corridors, and imposing reasonable conditions that shall not interfere with colocation. This act is identical to provisions in SB 838 (2026) and HB 3456 (2026). TAYLOR MIDDLETON

HB 2661 establishes the Missouri Energy Infrastructure Bank and a dedicated fund to provide financial assistance for energy infrastructure projects. The program offers loans, bonds, and other support to electric providers (including utilities and rural cooperatives) for eligible projects like generation and transmission infrastructure, with priority given to projects in rural areas (counties with under 150,000 residents) that spur economic development. It explicitly excludes routine maintenance or repairs, focusing instead on new construction or upgrades requiring long-term planning. The bank will manage funds from the Energy Fund and Strategic Development Fund to finance these projects through mechanisms like interest rate subsidies and credit enhancements.

HB 2169 restricts utility companies from using eminent domain to take land from other utility providers (like municipalities or cooperatives) unless the company seeks only a nonexclusive right-of-way that won’t disrupt existing services or future expansion. It specifically prevents condemnation for wind/solar energy facilities themselves but allows utilities to acquire rights for transmission lines connecting renewable energy sources to the grid. This bill directly affects utility companies, rural cooperatives, and other providers of public utility services seeking to expand infrastructure.