Opinion-Editorial by Tim Brinker, Franklin County Presiding Commissioner
The air in Franklin County is clean, and it has been for many years! That's great news. However, I was left scratching my head why that fact wasn't in the headline, or anywhere in the recent (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) article 'Watchdogs criticize EPA's move to approve air quality around Ameren's biggest coal plant'.
As Presiding Commissioner in Franklin County, I have the pleasure of serving all of our citizens and our region. A vast majority of the folks I talk to everyday consider Ameren Missouri and the Labadie energy center a great steward of the environment, humanity, and economic efficiencies. The men and women who work there are generous and give to the local United Way, and volunteer for many other charities and nonprofits. We, as a county, also appreciate all of the jobs created at Labadie, and especially the low cost energy provided to Missouri.
I encourage readers to learn more about air quality by going to the Missouri Department of Natural Resource's website and looking at the data, which wasn't included in the article for some reason. Emissions levels are nowhere near the limits set up under the previous presidential administration. Ameren, the state, and the EPA are following the law. It's what we want them to do.