By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – Illinois Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn says Ameren needs to be more aggressive about trimming trees, hiring linemen and maintaining its equipment.
Quinn visited the Metro East Thursday. The area suffered the worst in the outage, and some customers in Fairview Heights, Collinsville and Edwardsville are still in the dark.
The Lieutenant Governor said Wisconsin and Minnesota have more severe winters than Missouri and Illinois, but do not suffer prolonged power outages.
Quinn said Ameren needs to invest more in lines, transformers and other equipment so it's better prepared for severe weather.
"The entire electric infrastructure has to be well maintained," Quinn said. "That's a lot of checking every day to make sure it's not in bad repair."
But Ameren spokesman Tim Fox said it is not accurate to compare the ice storms in Missouri and Illinois to severe winter weather further north.
"In the Upper Midwest and other areas, yes, they have harsher winters," Fox said. "They have a lot more snow. But snow does not take the toll on an electrical system the way that ice does."
The Illinois Commerce Commission is planning an investigation into Ameren's preparedness. Missouri Governor Matt Blunt wants a similar investigation from the Public Service Commission.