The Missouri Coalition for the Environment was lauding this afternoon the likely presence of a ballot measure in November, dubbed the Clean Energy Initiative, that calls for a renewable electricity standard (RES).

Supporters — Missourians for Cleaner, Cheaper Energy – submitted petitions last Sunday that contained the signatures of 170,000 registered voters from around the state; 92,000 were required.

“Given that the signature gathering only began two months ago, this is a significant accomplishment,” the coalition said in a statement.

Now, supporters plan to “conduct an educational campaign to help the public understand the importance of renewable energy and of reducing Missouri’s dependence on coal,” the coalition added.

“The Missouri Coalition for the Environment, along with many other groups such as Renew Missouri, League of Conservation Voters, Missouri Votes Conservation, the American Wind Energy Association, and Sierra Club supported the effort to bring the Clean Energy Initiative to the November ballot.”

The renewable energy standard on the ballot would mandate “that investor-owned utilities obtain 15% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2021,” the coalition said.

“The RES defines renewables as wind, solar, biomass, and small hydro. Twenty-five other states have a mandatory RES spurring the development of renewable energy and creating jobs in those states.”

Bills setting up such a standard have been submitted in the Legislature for the last eight years, but have gone nowhere.

At the moment, Missouri obtains 85% of its electricity from coal.

The coalition argues, “Coal power plants are the number one contributor to climate change, and coal power plants are linked to respiratory illness and heart disease. Coal power plants also emit the toxic metal mercury, leading to widespread contamination of waters and, ultimately, warnings about eating certain fish from our waters.

“The coal used to power our homes is imported from out-of-state at a cost of over $9 billion a year,” the coalition continued. “Renewable energy, by contrast, brings jobs and investment to Missouri. Wind Capital Group has developed three utility-scale wind farms in Northwest Missouri generating nearly $3 million dollars in investment for rural Missouri — in just one year.”

The proposal could generate some controversy from the energy industry, among others. It also might serve as an incentive to woo environmentalist voters (i.e., likely Democrats) to the polls in November.