By Maria Hickey, KWMU
St. Louis, MO. – Missouri Governor Matt Blunt wants to know why a federal agency reported no problems with the Taum Sauk reservoir.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last inspected the site in late August. The AmerenUE reservoir broke December 14, but company emails revealed the reservoir was overtopped in September.
Governor Matt Blunt sent a letter to FERC Tuesday asking for an investigation into the commission's inspection of the reservoir.
Spokesman Spence Jackson says the governor wants answers.
He wants them to come clean with the people of Missouri about why they would give a facility like that a clean bill of health when obviously there were problems; problems that should have been reported and problems that should have been fixed long before that incident in December, Jackson said.
FERC spokesman Bryan Lee says the commission is doing a thorough investigation.
The commission has an ongoing investigation which will exhaustively consider all potential contributors to last month's dam breach, but right now it's premature to reach any conclusions, Lee said.
Lee says the commission has contracted with three outside engineers to do a separate independent investigation.
He says when the reports are completed they will be made public.