JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. — Ameren Missouri has agreed to a settlement of $61 million for years of air pollution violations on Wednesday. The settlement stems from the utility's ongoing federal court case surrounding the Rush Island coal power plant.
Rush Island was the nation's sixth-largest emitter of sulfur dioxide (SO2) when it was fully operational, according to the Sierra Club. The plant ceased operations amid its ongoing federal court case to properly compensate those affected by its Clean Air Act violations, according to Judge Rodney Sippel with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Wednesday's agreement contained two mitigation projects that Ameren said it has agreed to implement, including one to bring electric school buses to St. Louis and another to supply low-income households with air purification devices. The public will be able to comment on the proposed settlement before the court decides whether to approve it.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: After years of illegal air pollution, Ameren to shut down a St. Louis power plant
Ameren was ordered to put $36 million toward the "Bus Program," which will work toward getting 80 zero-emissions, all-electric buses to replace current buses in the St. Louis metro area and surrounding areas. The fund would also go toward getting a charging station per electric bus.
Ameren was also ordered to offer $200 vouchers to at least 125,000 residential accounts for High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) purifier devices, with a focus on low-income and disadvantaged communities.
"Ameren broke the law and now it has to pay, but its money cannot bring back the innocent lives that utility executives cut short or repair the environmental harms of the illegal and toxic air pollution spewed by the coal plant," said Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign Representative Jenn DeRose, a plaintiff in the case. Click here to read her full statement.
Ameren sent the following response regarding the settlement:
"After almost 50 years of providing cost-effective energy to our customers, the Rush Island Energy Center retired last month. We are grateful to our co-workers who made Rush Island a top energy producer. The agreement with the Department of Justice resolves the case. The proposed settlement will fund the implementation of two mitigation relief programs, in addition to retiring the energy center. The settlement must now be approved by the Court."
