As it gently swayed in the crisp winter breeze, the small batch of jumbo grass stood out against a dreary, snow-swept landscape. Unbeknownst to many drivers hurrying along nearby Interstate 29, this perennial grass could one day power their vehicles.

At Graves-Chapple Farm in Atchison County, researchers are exploring the local potential of Miscanthus. So far, so good.

"It's everything as advertised so far," said Jim Crawford, farm coordinator at Graves-Chapple. The yields produced on the researchers' test plot align with "all the literature out there," he said.

JEFFERSON CITY — A Missouri lawmaker met heavy resistance this morning to his bill that would change the definition of renewable energy to include nuclear power.

The proposal, filed by Rep. Jerry Nolte, R-Gladstone, is an attempt to change the meaning of Proposition C, a voter initiative that passed in 2008 requiring utilities to obtain 15 percent of their power from renewable energy sources by 2021.

Nolte wants utilities to have the option of including nuclear power alongside wind, solar and biomass, but Democrats were quick to point out that nuclear energy, by definition, isn’t renewable.