Climate Lobbying Overview: Ameren Corporation (Ameren) appears to be engaging on climate change policy in the U.S. with largely negative positions, including on the federal level and on state policies in Illinois and Missouri. The company holds leadership positions in several industry associations active on climate policy, including the American Gas Association and the Edison Electric Institute, both of which lobby to protect the role of fossil gas in the energy mix.

Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Ameren has limited and mixed top-line messaging on climate policy. In its 2019 climate report, it appears to support government regulation to respond to climate change. In subsequent reports, including its 2021 Climate Report, the company does not take a clear position on the Paris Agreement.

Engagement with Climate-Related Policy: Ameren engages on climate policies with mostly negative positions. In March 2021, Ameren registered as a witness against the Illinois Clean Energy Jobs Act, which included provisions for energy efficiency and established GHG emissions caps. In May 2021, Energy News Network reported that subsidiary Ameren Illinois proposed its own bill with weaker renewable energy targets than those set by other bills in the state legislative session. On the federal level, Executive Chairman Warner Baxter has supported the renewable energy tax credits in the Build Back Better Act: according to the Daily Energy Insider, Baxter advocated for the tax credits while at the Edison Electric Institute's June 2022 annual conference, stating that they were "one of our top priorities to get across the finish line." Baxter had also expressed support for the renewable energy tax credits when speaking to E&E News in November 2021 and when speaking to investors during a February 2022 earnings call. Baxter represented Ameren at the February 2022 utility roundtable with President Biden and other federal policymakers to discuss the climate provisions in the reconciliation bill, however neither E&E News reporting nor the White House transcript of the meeting contained any statements from Ameren. It is unclear if the company supports the proposed methane fee in the Build Back Better Act, as it does not disclose a position on the fee in its Q4 2021 federal lobbying report. Previously, Ameren had opposed ambitious GHG emissions standards by submitting comments to the EPA in October 2018 supporting replacing the Clean Power Plan with the weaker Affordable Clean Energy Rule and implying that the EPA had overstepped its authority in the Clean Power Plan.

Positioning on Energy Transition: Ameren appears to demonstrate mixed positions on the transition of the energy mix. The company has articulated a preference for a slower speed of decarbonization: in a January 2022 interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, CEO Martin Lyons appeared to support a more moderated transition of the energy mix, stating that “we have advocated for a pace of change we think is prudent.” This position reflects subsidiary Ameren Illinois’ statements in August 2020, in which the company was reported by E&E News as emphasizing the costs of transitioning to a low-carbon power sector. More recently, Ameren Illinois registered in March 2021 as a witness in opposition to the Illinois Clean Energy Jobs Act of 2021, which was signed into law in September 2021 and authorizes a transition to a carbon-free power sector by 2035. Additionally, as reported by Capitol News Illinois in February 2022, Ameren advocated for the expansion of hydrogen and “renewable natural gas” in Illinois; however, the media source did not state whether the subsidiary placed clear conditions on the deployment of CCS or methane abatement measures. In May 2021, the Missouri Independent reported on Ameren’s support for legislation that included provisions on prohibiting building electrification mandates; however, it is unclear whether the company supported the bill for that reason.

In its 2021 Sustainability Report, Ameren appears to support the electrification of transportation. In a November 2021 E&E News article, Ameren's Executive Chairman Baxter broadly supported the electric vehicle tax credits in the Build Back Better Act. The company's positions on other federal policies to transition the energy mix are unclear: in its federal lobbying reports for Q3 2021 and Q4 2021, Ameren states that it has engaged on both the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the proposed Clean Electricity Performance Program without disclosing a position on either.

Industry Association Governance: Ameren discloses its trade association memberships on its corporate website, but does not provide further details on each organization’s climate change policy positions. The company does describe its alignment with these associations in its 2021 CDP report, however the details on its role in shaping each group’s policy positions are limited. Ameren holds positions on the governing bodies of several associations: the company’s Executive Chairman Warner Baxter serves as Vice Chairman for the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) and the President of subsidiary Ameren Illinois sits on the American Gas Association (AGA) Board of Directors. Ameren is also a member of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). Both NAM and AGA demonstrate negative lobbying on climate policy, including recent engagements against certain provisions of the Build Back Better Act. EEI engages on climate policy with more mixed positions, including on the Build Back Better Act.