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Ameren Shareholders Holding Company Accountable

Ameren shareholders make their case outside the Peoria Civic Center.
Tanya Koonce
Ameren shareholders make their case outside the Peoria Civic Center.
Ameren shareholders make their case outside the Peoria Civic Center.
Credit Tanya Koonce
Ameren shareholders make their case outside the Peoria Civic Center.

Amerenshareholders are holding the company accountable for coal ash contamination at current and former facilities in Illinois and Missouri.

Shareholders narrowly passed a resolution by the faith-based Midwest Coalition for Responsible Investment during the company’s annual meeting in Peoria today. It requiresAmerento publicly disclose its efforts to cleanup coal ash.

There are 25 coal-fired power plants in Illinois that all have combustion residual waste commonly called coal ash. Andrew Knott is with the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign. He says coal ash is known to cause water contamination.  

 

 

Credit Tanya Koonce / Peoria Public Radio
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Peoria Public Radio

  “It is in the best interests of both Ameren and its shareholders to clean-up coal ash waste sites and ensure communities and groundwater are protected for years to come,”Knott said.

The E.D. Edwards plant near Peoria used to be owned by Ameren.Ameren says it’s currently implementing federal coal ash rules while making modifications and changes needed to close all ash ponds, and will honor the request for a report in the next six months.

 

   

 

Copyright 2018 WCBU

Kristin McHugh is an experienced radio journalist and nonprofit manager. Most recently, she served as executive director of the Peoria Area World Affairs Council.
Tanya Koonce is the News Director at Peoria Public Radio. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism from Eastern Illinois University, and a M.A. in Public Affairs Reporting from the University of Illinois Springfield. Tanya started her news career in TV, managed two political campaigns after college, worked in state government and did some state association work before going back to school. Post master’s degree, she’s worked in commercial radio and operated her own freelance agency before taking a reporter position at WCBU in 2001, and becoming news director in 2008. She’s currently serving as the Treasurer of the Illinois News Broadcaster’s Association, lives in Peoria and loves discovering interesting people, places and things.