JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The House voted Tuesday to perfect Rep. Robert Ross’, R-Yukon, to sell the lands acquired by the executive branch to build a new state park in Oregon County using funds acquired in the ASARCO settlement.
The settlement money was supposed to be used to restore land in the effected area in Southeast Missouri, but the Department of Natural Resources has argued that the purchase and preservation of natural, pristine lands is a restorative act.
Ross and many other House Republicans dispute that finding and call the purchase of the funds an overreach by Gov. Jay Nixon.
“This is one of the methods we have to hold him accountable,” Ross said on the floor. “We have a responsibility in this body to do what’s right. This money was supposed to help people.”
The settlement came as a result of a federal case which found the ASARCO company had contaminated ground water and soil in many areas, including Southeast Missouri’s Lead Belt region, as a result of irresponsibile lead mining techniques.
Rep. Linda Black, R-Park Hills, is from that region.
“My area, from an airplane view, is scarred from mining,” she said. “My area looks like a lunar landing. There is no vegetation… This money was supposed to restore the damages and make those citizens feel whole.”
She added that despite the fact the Lead Belt was promised over $20 million in settlement money, the area has received nothing.
Rep. Kip Kendrick, D-Columbia, noted that some of the frustration from those in Southwest Missouri was because the EPA had dragged its heels in remediating the area, which must take place before the area can be restored. He said if people felt jilted by the federal government, they should “write to the EPA and ask them to move forward in a timely fashion in Southeast Missouri as they have in Southwest Missouri.”
Areas in Southwest Missouri were also included in the ASARCO settlement.
Rep. Kevin Engler, R-Farmington, tried to frame the argument in a different way to Kendrick.
“If we decided to funnel the money from the University of Missouri and send it to Farmington, would you be okay with it?”
However, Engler had problems with potentially compunding the problem if the General Assembly could not sell the land for as much as it was bought.
“We cannot lose millions of dollars just to show the governor,” he said. “We might be cutting off our noses to spite our face”
Rep. Tracy McCreery, D-St. Louis, wondered if the Legislature would be sending the wrong message by selling land that was willingly sold by a private entity and that the bill could effectively throw away the money.
“I understand the frustration with the feeling our chief executive is doing things out of our control, but I think instead of trying to punish the government, we’re going to punish everyone else,” she said.
