News Release 567

DEPARTMENT DISCUSSES ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
IN LIBERTY TODAY

Volume 35-567

Contact: Connie Patterson

(For immediate release)

573-751-1010

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, DEC. 5, 2007 -- Representatives from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources are visiting Liberty today to take part in Gov. Matt Blunt's scheduled Capitol for a Day office hours.

While in Liberty, representatives from the Department of Natural Resources will tour the Liberty drinking water plant with local operators and discuss the unique challenges these types of systems face. Drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities across the country are struggling to keep pace with an ever-increasing demand for services on a limited budget. The department offers assistance to meet these needs through the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds by providing low-interest loans to municipalities, water and sewer districts at rates 70 percent below conventional lending rates.  To date, these loan programs have provided $1.9 billion in funding, saving communities approximately $647 million in interest costs.

Representatives from the Department of Natural Resources also will be available to discuss the state's opportunity to connect the current Katy Trail State Park into the Kansas City area. This opportunity was made possible by the recent settlement with Ameren over the collapse of the Taum Sauk reservoir that damaged Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park. As a part of the settlement, Ameren will grant the department a license to build a trail parallel to the current Rock Island Railroad from Windsor, where it crosses the Katy Trail, to Pleasant Hill. The settlement also includes $18 million for construction.

The Department of Natural Resources has implemented several important changes that have benefited Kansas City and its surrounding communities. The governor directed the department to expand its compliance assistance efforts, which are designed to make it easier for Missourians to comply with environmental regulations. The department has made significant improvements to its permitting process, for example, making this process much faster and more efficient. The department also has appointed an ombudsman to each regional office. Thanks to implementation of the department's Ombudsman Program, customers now receive answers within hours, rather than days or weeks. Kansas City Ombudsman Judy Bowman has made more than 830 contacts in the Kansas City area since inception of the program.

The State of Missouri also has been working to help the Kansas City region comply with the federal ozone standard. In 2007, the Kansas City region had two violations of this standard. The Department of Natural Resources continues to work with Kansas City-area businesses, community leaders and citizens to develop a workable plan to keep the region in compliance with this health-based standard.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/search.do.

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