By Maria Hickey, KWMU
St. Louis – Another hurdle has been cleared in negotiations between the state of Missouri and Ameren Corporation over the Taum Sauk reservoir collapse.
Attorney General Jay Nixon announced Friday that he will not seek criminal charges against Ameren for the December 2005 breach. The announcement came after a meeting called by Governor Matt Blunt.
Department of Natural Resources Director Doyle Childers, a Blunt appointee, said a deal with Ameren is likely not far off. He said that means restoration work on Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park could move more quickly.
"I'm hopeful that we'll be able to move forward and at least partially open," Childers said. "I don't have a timetable on that, of course, but I'm optimistic that we'll be able to have it at least partially open this year."
Nixon's office and the Department of Natural Resources have clashed in the past over who should negotiate a settlement with Ameren.
Nixon, a Democrat is challenging Republican Governor Matt Blunt in next year's gubernatorial election.