Ameren controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2014
Former manufactured-gas plant contamination
A former coal-gasification site in Columbia, Missouri, associated with a predecessor utility and later owned by Ameren was reported to have contaminated soil and groundwater with carcinogenic chemicals. Ameren removed contaminated soil in 2014. Local criticism later focused on the condition and redevelopment of the property.
2011
Rush Island Clean Air Act case
The EPA sued Ameren Missouri, alleging that major modifications at the Rush Island coal plant between 2007 and 2010 were made without permits required under the Clean Air Act’s Prevention of Significant Deterioration program. In 2017, a federal district court found Ameren liable and ordered pollution-control measures. Ameren later elected to close Rush Island in 2024 rather than install the ordered sulfur-dioxide scrubbers.
2005
Taum Sauk reservoir failure
The upper reservoir of the Taum Sauk pumped-storage plant failed on December 14, 2005. The release damaged the East Fork of the Black River and Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission later fined Ameren $15 million, and the State of Missouri pursued claims for actual and punitive damages. The rebuilt facility used roller-compacted concrete and returned to service in 2010.