A project that was initially set to help the public, has been halted with no signs of moving forward after public outcry shut it down. Ameren Illinois sat down with Regional Radio News on Monday to discuss the CIPS Site, the community frustrations, and their plans moving forward.  Dave Palmer, Manager of remediation projects, Dan Wilkins, partner External relations, along with Brian Bretch, Ameren Illinois spokesman spoke on the project that was originally supposed to be a four-month winter project to clear up the site for potential resident use. 

Palmer spoke a lot about the background of the project and that originally it was going to take more than 100 years for the ground and pump system. Palmer says that there should have been an easier way. 

A pilot study was started to make sure that everything was good and that Ameren could get the best results. There is a lot of thought that things that are at the site are the same as what they were 30-40 years ago.  Ameren says that’s not the case. The hope was that the project would get done during the winter but after some concerns from the public over smells the site was shut down. 

After sitting for too long, the plans were scrapped because Ameren said they didn’t want to work on the project in the spring. Palmer says he doesn’t believe there are issues with the site as far as health concerns. 

Ameren says they have a good relationship with the EPA and the IEPA. He says the EPA is understaffed and that led to issues.

Ameren says a lot of the concerns that the public has on the project are public records. Ameren says that there is a public record of all the work being done at the CIPS site by visiting the public library or contacting Brian Bretsch at Ameren at 618-343-8087 or at bbretsch@ameren.com.  To hear the full version of this interview, click here.