Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Contact: Jessica Robinson, 573-751-0290
Blunt Chief Seeks Answers from Ameren about Ratepayer Money Paid To Nixon During Criminal Investigation
Ameren Paid Nixon with General Funds, Not PAC Money
JEFFERSON CITY–Gov. Matt Blunt's Chief of Staff Ed Martin wants to know if Ameren used money collected from their customers to pay Attorney General Jay Nixon nearly $20,000 in campaign cash after Nixon began his criminal investigation into the utility company. Martin is concerned that Ameren, which is seeking higher utility bills for their customers, funneled ratepayer funds to the Attorney General through four Democrat Committees at the behest of Jay Nixon's campaign. Ameren sent the money to Nixon using general revenue, not with funds from their Political Action Committee.
"Ameren ratepayers are demanding answers about how their rate payments are used; these are answers I think they are owed," Martin wrote to Susan Gallagher, director of Corporate Communications and Public Policy for Ameren UE. "At this point, you and Mr. Richard Mark are finally attempting to clarify one incident: the funneling of Ameren corporate funds to Attorney General Jay Nixon while he was doing a criminal investigation. Your clarification, if complete, will help give ratepayers confidence that their rate payments are not being misused."
Martin is seeking six pieces of information from Ameren to help bring to light how ratepayer funds are spent:
- Copies of the checks cut at the request of Jay Nixon's campaign;
- Accounting evidence noting from which funds/accounts these checks were drawn;
- Make the appropriate steward of the checks and the funds/accounts available to testify immediately before the Public Service Commission in the current rate case;
- Release the names of the Ameren staff members who received calls from Mr. Nixon's staff and the commitment that these Ameren employees will testify under oath regarding the matter;
- Release the names of the Nixon staff members who called Ameren; and
- Release the name of the Ameren executive responsible for the $10 million charge to ratepayers for the Taum Sauk disaster in the Ameren rate case that was corrected after the matter was exposed.
Ameren is under fire for seeking to raise prices for their customers following one of the worst service performance years in recent memory.
"Ameren has a chance to clear this whole incident up by addressing transparently and openly what has occurred and that ratepayers are being protected," Martin wrote. "Until Ameren does this, doubts and questions will linger."