Blunt asks AG to charge Ameren UE for breach

~ Spokesman with the utility company says he was 'taken aback' by Blunt's statement.

Gov. Matt Blunt called for civil or criminal charges to be filed against AmerenUE following an investigation into the Taum Sauk reservoir accident.

Based on findings from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' investigation into the accident, Blunt said in a statement Monday that he wants Attorney General Jay Nixon to file "appropriate civil or criminal litigation against Ameren."

Steve Sullivan, AmerenUE senior vice president and general counsel, said the utility company has been cooperating with the Department of Natural Resources. In a news release, he said he was "completely taken aback" by Blunt's statement.

"We have said from the beginning that we are taking responsibility for this incident," Sullivan said in the release. "At the end of the day, we are confident that there is not going to be any finding of criminal liability here."

AmerenUE spokeswoman Erica Abbett declined to comment further.

This weekend the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on a Sept. 27 e-mail from a Taum Sauk superintendent warning AmerenUE of a possible collapse.

Nixon said in a statement that his office would review the department's findings along with other information compiled from law enforcement agencies before determining what legal action to take.

The department's findings would be shared with the attorney general's office today, according to the governor's news release.

On Dec. 14, a wall at an AmerenUE reservoir that provided storage for the Taum Sauk hydroelectric station atop Proffit Mountain collapsed, sending 1 billion gallons of water into the Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park.

The wall of water, estimated between 10- and 20-feet tall, dug a 6,000-foot-long gash into the tree-covered mountainside and swept park superintendent Jerry Toops and his family from their home, which was obliterated by the current.

Restoration of the park has been ongoing, with workers primarily removing debris from fallen or damaged trees, according to Larry Lehman, an environmental specialist for the Department of Natural Resources. In light of the recent warm weather, workers have been at the site seven days a week, he said.

While Lehman could not provide a date when the park will be completely restored, he said sections would open as it is cleaned.

"There's the hope that some parts of the park will be open by early this summer," Lehman said.

kmorrison@semissourian.com

335-6611 extension 127