A majority of members of the House and Senate, Gov. Nixon and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder support the early site permit plan. But a handful of opponents in the Senate, including President Pro Tem Rob Mayer, R-Dexter, kept the measure from moving forward.

Some of the stiffest opposition to the plan came from an organization that represents consumers and industrial energy users, like Anheuser-Busch and Noranda Aluminum. The group, called the Fair Energy Rate Action Fund, has said any legislation must also provide additional funding for the Office of Public Counsel, cap how much the utilities can charge consumers and include claw back provisions if the permit is obtained and then sold.

The bill that came up in the final hour of the session meets all those requirements, and thus has the support of industrial companies, said Chris Roepe, director of Fair Energy Rate Action Fund.

“We’d like to see this passed at the earliest opportunity possible,” Roepe said, stopping short of calling for a special session.

Mark said the problem with the new bill is some of the provisions included at the last minute -- specifically the $3 million increase in funding for the OPC -- would dramatically increase the cost to residential consumers.