Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Contact: Spence Jackson, 573-751-0290
Blunt Reiterates Call for Taum Sauk Compensation from Ameren
JEFFERSON CITY–Gov. Matt Blunt today reiterated his call to Ameren UE to consider rail banking the Rock Island Rail Railroad and donating Church Mountain to the state of Missouri as partial compensation to Missourians for the extreme damage the corporation caused from the Taum Sauk Reservoir breach.
“As settlement talks continue we must ensure that the interests of all Missouri citizens who enjoy our state's natural resources are being considered,” Blunt said. &ldquoThe opportunity to extend the Katy Trail to Kansas City would be an attractive option as would adding Church Mountain to Missouri's 83 state parks and historic sites.”
In April, Blunt called on the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Missouri Attorney General to work together to ensure the citizens of Missouri are fully and appropriately compensated for the impacts of the devastating reservoir breach.
After he reached an agreement to have himself named the sole prosecutor for the state, Attorney General Jay Nixon then accepted nearly $20,000 in funneled campaign contributions from Ameren, promoting DNR to quickly remove him as their attorney in the case.
In the early morning hours of Dec. 14, the Ameren Taum Sauk hydroelectric plant’s upper reservoir near Lesterville breached, flooding Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park with approximately 1.3 billion gallons of water.
The state holds Ameren responsible for the incident and any subsequent damage and cleanup and will require Ameren to pay for and reimburse the state for any expenses, including DNR’s oversight and assistance.
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