In 2025, Missouri’s 103rd General Assembly passed SS2 SB 4, the Missouri energy bill 2025 pitched as modernization but operating more like a “Green New Scam”—a utility cash grab cloaked in eco-friendly rhetoric. Senator Rusty Black (R), representing northwest Missouri’s District 12, and Representative Tim Taylor (R), representing central Missouri’s District 48, voted yes, their support tightly aligned with energy giants like Evergy, Ameren, and Spire. These companies have funneled thousands in campaign donations to the lawmakers’ coffers. This “Green New Scam” hands billions to these donors while hammering Missouri ratepayers in Districts 12 and 48 with punishing SS2 SB 4 rate hikes. The link between campaign cash and votes isn’t just clear—it’s costly, and constituents are the ones paying.
SS2 SB 4: Unpacking the “Green New Scam” That Burdens Missouri Ratepayers
The Missouri energy bill 2025, SS2 SB 4, rewrites state law to favor utilities, not consumers, despite its green-washed facade. Section 393.1700 introduces “securitization,” allowing Evergy and Ameren to issue bonds for coal plant retirement costs—billions shifted directly to Missouri ratepayers via higher bills. This “Green New Scam” guarantees utility profits while ratepayers foot the tab.
Section 393.1900 permits Construction Work in Progress (CWIP) in rate bases, overturning Missouri’s old “used and useful” standard. Utilities can now charge for projects—like wind farms or grid upgrades—during construction. A $1 billion project means $70 million annually at a 7% return, hitting northwest Missouri’s District 12 and central Missouri’s District 48 before a single light flicks on. Section 386.370 ups PSC funding, adding $2 million yearly to utility costs—passed straight to consumers. Section 137.115 adjusts energy asset taxes, aiding utility growth, but rate adjustments ensure ratepayers pay. Section 386.572 caps gas safety penalties at federal levels, down from Missouri’s $25,000-per-violation max, protecting Spire. Section 386.752 bans electric HVAC mandates, preserving gas options—another utility win, zero ratepayer gain.
The cost of these SS2 SB 4 rate hikes? Utility increases of 1-5% now, 5-10% long-term. For a $100 monthly bill in Districts 12 or 48, that’s $12-$60 more yearly, climbing to $60-$120—crushing rural Missourians already scraping by.
Rusty Black: Northwest Missouri’s Costly Sellout Fueled by $24,400 in Campaign Donations
Rusty Black, elected to the Senate in 2022, represents District 12, a northwest Missouri lifeline for farmers and families needing cheap energy. His vote for SS2 SB 4, this “Green New Scam,” delivers big for utilities with a history of campaign donations to Missouri Republicans. That cash has flowed to Black himself through 2024 via Rusty Black campaign donors like direct contributions and the Great Northwest PAC, leaving District 12 ratepayers reeling.
Evergy, serving 1.6 million including northwest Missouri’s District 12, rakes it in. Securitization covers coal closures like Hawthorn ($1-2 billion), while CWIP funds its $10 billion grid overhaul—$70 million yearly for a $1 billion project, billed to Missouri ratepayers during construction. The PSC’s $2 million bump? Evergy shifts that too. Missouri Ethics Commission records and Great Northwest PAC filings detail the energy donations to Black from 2022 to 2024:
- Evergy: $7,500
- $2,500 direct in 2022
- $5,000 via PAC in 2022
- Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives (AMEC): $9,900
- $2,400 direct in 2022
- $5,000 via PAC in 2024
- $2,500 via AMECPAC in 2024
- Spire Missouri: $1,500
- $1,500 direct via PAC in 2022
- Ameren Missouri: $1,000
- $1,000 direct via PAC in 2022
- Liberty Utilities: $2,000
- $1,000 direct in 2022
- $1,000 direct in 2024
- Missouri Energy Development Association (MEDA): $2,500
- $1,500 direct ($500 in 2022, $1,000 in 2024)
- $1,000 via Missouri’s Energy Future PAC in 2024
That’s $24,400 total in campaign donations from energy players to Rusty Black campaign donors, combining direct contributions to “Friends of Rusty Black” and “Great Northwest PAC” filings. His SS2 SB 4 vote isn’t green progress—it’s a donor-driven payout, bleeding northwest Missouri dry with utility rate hikes. Learn more about Missouri utility laws at the Missouri Public Service Commission.
Tim Taylor: Central Missouri’s Donor-Driven Burden Backed by $12,350 in Campaign Cash
Tim Taylor, elected to the House in 2020 and re-elected in 2024, represents District 48, a central Missouri district in Ameren Missouri’s grip. His vote for SS2 SB 4, this “Green New Scam,” showers Ameren and others with benefits—donors who’ve padded his campaigns—while District 48 ratepayers sink under the weight.
Ameren Missouri uses securitization to retire plants like Labadie ($500 million+), billing central Missouri’s District 48 over decades. CWIP backs its $8 billion renewable push—$20-$40 million yearly for a $500 million project, charged mid-build. Tax shifts help, but ratepayers eat the cost. The PSC funding hike? Another $2 million Ameren passes on. MEC records outline the energy donations to Taylor across his 2020 and 2024 races:
- Ameren Missouri: $4,500
- $2,000 via PAC in 2020
- $2,500 via PAC in 2024
- Evergy: $3,500
- $1,500 via PAC in 2020
- $2,000 via PAC in 2024
- Missouri Energy Development Association (MEDA): $2,000
- $500 via PAC in 2022
- $750 via PAC in 2023
- $750 via PAC in 2024
- Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives (AMEC): $2,350
- $300 via PAC in 2021
- $1,750 via PAC in 2024
- $300 via PAC in 2024
That’s $12,350 total in campaign donations from these energy donors—chump change for billions in ratepayer-funded wins. For central Missouri’s District 48, a 5% SS2 SB 4 rate hike adds $60 yearly per $100 bill; 10% doubles it—squeezing families while Taylor’s donors prosper.
Campaign Donations and Votes: The SS2 SB 4 Cash Pipeline
Evergy links Rusty Black and Tim Taylor, operating in both northwest and central Missouri districts and thriving under the Missouri energy bill 2025, SS2 SB 4. Combined donations from energy players to both lawmakers since 2020 break down as follows:
- Evergy: $11,000 ($7,500 to Black, $3,500 to Taylor)
- Ameren: $5,500 ($1,000 to Black, $4,500 to Taylor)
- AMEC: $12,250 ($9,900 to Black, $2,350 to Taylor)
- Spire: $1,500 ($1,500 to Black)
- MEDA: $4,500 ($2,500 to Black, $2,000 to Taylor)
- Liberty Utilities: $2,000 ($2,000 to Black)
These campaign donations—$36,750 total across Black’s 2022-2024 and Taylor’s 2020-2024 races, per MEC and PAC filings—correlate directly to SS2 SB 4’s billions: Evergy’s $10 billion, Ameren’s $8 billion, Spire’s penalty savings. Black and Taylor’s votes made it happen; Missouri ratepayers in Districts 12 and 48 lose out.
The bill’s text is blatant: Section 393.1700 bonds, Section 393.1900 CWIP, Section 386.370 fees—all allow cost pass-through. Northwest Missouri farmers pay more to Evergy and AMEC. Central Missouri residents fund Ameren and Evergy’s ambitions. Every clause Black and Taylor backed boosts donor bottom lines, every utility rate hike hits constituents. Explore 2024 election funding details at the Missouri Ethics Commission.
Missouri Ratepayers Betrayed by SS2 SB 4’s “Green New Scam” Deals
SS2 SB 4, this “Green New Scam,” exposes a rotten system: $36,750 in campaign donations from Evergy, Ameren, AMEC, Spire, MEDA, and Liberty Utilities to Rusty Black and Tim Taylor since 2020—a pittance for billions in utility gains. Northwest Missouri’s District 12 and central Missouri’s District 48 ratepayers get no vote—just utility rate hikes: 1-5% now ($12-$60 per $100 bill), 5-10% later ($60-$120), stretching decades. This Missouri energy bill 2025 isn’t progress; it’s a donor payout, leaving rural Missourians with higher costs and busted budgets. Black’s $24,400 and Taylor’s $12,350 in energy cash prove it: Missouri ratepayers deserve better than lawmakers who trade their livelihoods for utility profits under the “Green New Scam.”
