Coal Ash Opponents Gain Traction in Fight Against Ameren

It's been a little more than a month since a group of local residents and Sierra Club members asked the St. Louis County Council to seek groundwater testing at Ameren’s Meramec Energy Center in Oakville. 

Now the group has the backing of County Councilman Steve Stenger, who represents the Oakville area. 

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Stenger wrote a letter to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources asking for its support in groundwater testing. The article quotes Stenger as stating, "The heavy metals and toxins present in coal ash are dangerous to public health and have been linked to neurological damage and diminished IQ. I ask that DNR exercise its considerable authority to require groundwater monitoring at this plant.”

Ameren proposed a coal ash landfill for the site last year, and a movement against the project has been steadily growing. A petition has tallied more than 1,200 signatures. 

Ameren officials want to build new facilities for coal waste because its current storage is running out of room. The coal waste depository would be located just over a mile from Rogers Elementary in the Mehlville School District. 

Do you think groundwater testing should be mandatory for this site? Let us know in the comments. 

Editor Karlie Baker contributed to this report.