By Maria Hickey, KWMU
St. Louis, MO. – Ameren says a report released by the Missouri Public Interest Research Group Wednesday skews the numbers.
The environmental and consumer advocacy group's report stated Ameren UE's Meramec Plant in St. Louis County released 63 percent more soot in 2003 than in 1995.
But Ameren spokesman Tim Fox says the group failed to report the plant is generating four times as much power as it did ten years ago.
"You have to look at the full picture, and the full picture is that generation output has increased dramatically at our plants," Fox said, "...while we've been able to reduce emissions per mega-watt hour dramatically during that time period."
Fox says per mega-watt hour, the Meramec plant has reduced emissions by 70 percent.
A spokesperson for Missouri PIRG maintains that, overall, emissions are up.