Pay to Play Power Plant - Chicagoist: "Pay to Play Power Plant
"Decades of campaign contributions are finally paying off for Ameren Corporation. The energy utility company received $1 billion in stimulus funds August 5 to revamp a coal power plant in Meredosia, Illinois. The 60-year-old plant was shut down last year after Ameren couldn’t find buyers. It will now be retrofitted to capture more carbon dioxide with less emissions. A 175 mile pipeline will be constructed to connect to a plant in Mattoon, Ill that will act as a repository. The Energy Department estimates 1 million tons of captured carbon dioxide would be injected into the ground yearly.
Ameren is the largest electric utility in Missouri and the second largest in Illinois. This year alone it has contributed over $350,000 in campaign donations. Between 2003 and 2005 it donated over $1.3 million. Hot on collecting state contracts the company is now seeking to manage the construction of high voltage electric transmission lines across Illinois and Missouri with the potential to expand to other areas."
