Complete Katy Trail should be part of Taum Sauk settlement

A KCStar editorial supports the idea the Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon and Dept. of Natural Resources Director Doyle Childers shouldwork together to reach a settlement with AmerenUE over the Taum Sauk disaster that will benefit all Missourians:

Political differences are hampering a settlement, even though Ameren has taken responsibility for the reservoir collapse.

In recent days, however, two actions give hope that Nixon and the department will develop a unified approach to resolving this issue in the interest of the taxpayers and state park lovers.

•Nixon announced he will not file criminal charges against the utility. His threat of doing so had chilled Ameren’s willingness to cooperate in any civil settlement.

•A Reynolds County judge ruled that the Department of Natural Resources wouldn’t be allowed to intervene in Nixon’s lawsuit seeking civil damages.

That means Nixon gets to call the shots. The attorney general, however, should include the department in making decisions on what constitutes appropriate compensation for the state.

At the top of the list should be the department’s recommendations that:

•Ameren donate the old Rock Island Railroad corridor it controls to finish the state’s Katy Trail from Windsor, Mo., to Kansas City. . . .

Please spend two minutes sending a message to the Attorney General, Department of Natural Resources, and Ameren, asking them to all work together and include the Complete Katy Trail as part of the agreement.