Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Contact: Jessica Robinson, 573-751-0290
Blunt Chief Says He Will Testify at Rate Case Hearing if Ameren Fails To Come Clean About Nixon Money
JEFFERSON CITY–Concerned about how Attorney General Jay Nixon's actions have hurt Ameren ratepayers, Gov. Matt Blunt's Chief of Staff Ed Martin said he is ready to testify before the Public Service Commission (PSC) if Ameren executives do not come clean about the campaign money they paid to Nixon after he began a criminal investigation into the company.
"The state of Missouri and its citizens deserve the truth in this matter," Martin wrote in a letter to Gary Rainwater, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Ameren UE. "Mr. Richard Mark finally broke the Ameren silence by admitting that the Attorney General's staff called Ameren to direct contributions to Nixon's campaign through four Democrat committees despite the fact that he had already begun his criminal investigation into your company. If Ameren will not put forth that truth, then I will do so under oath before the Public Service Commission."
To ensure Martin is given an opportunity to testify, Office of Administration General Counsel Rich AuBuchon implored the Attorney General's Office to take all necessary actions to recognize Martin as a witness to provide testimony to the PSC. AuBuchon's letter notes that Martin has testimony directly relevant to this case. As the state's legal counsel before the PSC, the attorney general would have to offer Martin as a witness before he could testify.
Ameren is seeking a rate increase for their customers, but last year they tapped their general revenue fund, which includes ratepayer revenue, to funnel nearly $20,000 to Nixon's campaign. Ameren revealed last week that Nixon's staff asked for the money after Nixon became the criminal prosecutor in the Ameren Taum Sauk disaster.
In his letter Martin asks Ameren's President to:
- Direct Steve Sullivan and Richard Mark to testify to the truth of the requests for funds by the Attorney General's staff;
- Direct Sullivan and/or Mark to identify who called Ameren and what they said;
- Release copies of the checks drawn from Ameren accounts as directed by Nixon's staff and make the relevant Ameren employee available who can testify from where the funds are drawn;
- Release the names of the Ameren employee(s) responsible for the $10 million mistake in Ameren's original rate filing;
- Direct the appropriate Ameren employee to testify as to the truth of the interactions with the Attorney General including the fears that Ameren had regarding the criminal prosecution and the St. Louis lawsuit.
"All of this leaves me more concerned than ever that Ameren's unwillingness to tell the truth represents a cover-up meant to distract attention from its actions in these important matters," Martin wrote. "I would hope Ameren is prepared to put the truth out with regard to these matters. However, I am also prepared to testify in this rate case."