Department of Natural Resources Director Doyle Childers is asking Attorney General Jay Nixon to step down from the Ameren Taum Sauk case after the utility company revealed yesterday it was the Nixon campaign that sought and accepted nearly $20,000 from Ameren after Nixon became the criminal prosecutor in the Taum Sauk case and made Ameren the target of a criminal probe.

Jefferson City, Mo. - infoZine - The funds sent to Nixon were withdrawn from the company's general revenue, which includes money collected from Ameren customers and ratepayers.

"At this late date, and certainly in light of the new disclosures regarding your campaign's solicitation of Ameren after you became the criminal prosecutor in the matter, it is quite clear that you cannot or will not settle the state's claim against Ameren," Childers wrote. "In the interests of the citizens of Reynolds County and the entire state of Missouri, I ask that you step down from the case and permit us to settle the state's claims."

For months Nixon denied that he or his campaign requested the Ameren money. On June 8, 2006, Nixon told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that his campaign did not know how the money got to him from Ameren. But Ameren Senior Vice President Richard Mark revealed yesterday that Nixon's campaign staff approached Ameren's governmental affairs staff last spring directing them to funnel the money to Nixon through four Democrat committees. Mark said the transaction, which occurred after Nixon launched his criminal investigation, was "common practice."

Ameren is currently in possession of the state's settlement offer that includes more than $100 million dollars in damage payments as well as recreational damages that will expand the Katy Trail from Windsor to Pleasant Hill, which could virtually complete the trail from St. Louis to Kansas City. That settlement was moving forward when it was abruptly blocked by a lawsuit filed by the Attorney General.

With so much at stake for Reynolds County, the state's economy, the Katy Trail and Ameren itself, Director Childers said enough is enough and that it is time for Nixon to step down.

"As you know, Ameren had expressed a willingness to accept this offer," wrote Childers. "More importantly, we need to move forward, and your current compromised position makes it impossible for you to serve the needs of your client or the citizens of the state. If you will not remove yourself from this matter, DNR will move in circuit court for your removal from the civil and criminal aspects of this case. It is time to move forward for Missourians."

Related Link
A copy of the letter from Childers ( PDF ).