News Release 548

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES PROPOSES
SETTLEMENT FOR TAUM SAUK RESERVOIR BREACH

Volume 34-548

Contact: Connie Patterson

(For immediate release)

573-751-1010

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, DEC. 12, 2006 – The Missouri Department of Natural Resources recently sent a settlement proposal to AmerenUE that identifies what needs to be resolved to settle the department’s civil claims for the Dec. 14, 2005, Taum Sauk Reservoir breach.

Settlement discussions are confidential during negotiation. However, there are items the department has publicly stated must be part of any resolution. These include civil penalties for water quality violations resulting from the event; appropriate compensation for Missouri citizens for damages to the park; recreational use losses; park safety; and adequate measures for water quality protection and restoration going forward. Much work remains to be done on the East Fork of the Black River, both in Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park and below the lower reservoir.

Last spring, Gov. Blunt directed the Department of Natural Resources, the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Missouri Attorney General to creatively consider all options to compensate citizens through park and recreational opportunities, such as use of the Rock Island Railroad corridor and Church Mountain. Both the former Rock Island Railroad line, which could connect the Katy Trail to the Kansas City area, and Church Mountain, located adjacent to Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park, are properties owned by Ameren.

The Department of Natural Resources determined both the Rock Island Railroad and Church Mountain are appropriate as one element of compensation for Missouri citizens.

From the beginning, the Department of Natural Resources has demanded that AmerenUE agree that none of the costs associated with the Dec. 14 reservoir breach be passed on to ratepayers. The settlement only provides for resolution of potential civil claims brought by the Department of Natural Resources. The department has no authority to bring criminal charges.

###