Missouri Gov. Blunt and State Senators Announce Community Meetings to Seek Solutions to Copper Theft

November 26, 2007 -- JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Governor Matt Blunt, Sen. Luann Ridgeway, Sen. Tom Dempsey and Sen. Rob Mayer today announced that community meetings have been scheduled to help find solutions to prevent copper theft in Missouri. The meetings will help identify policies to help protect consumers, farmers, business owners and utilities from this type of theft.

“Copper theft is becoming an increasing problem and it is hurting Missouri consumers, farmers, business owners and utilities,” Gov. Blunt said. “These community meetings will provide us with input from Missourians who have been impacted or victimized by copper theft crimes so they can help us identify solutions to combat this problem.”

“The theft of copper from construction sites, farms, utilities, and businesses is damaging Missourians across the state and costing thousands of dollars. This crime is even costing lives. I commend Governor Blunt on his leadership in dealing with this issue and look forward to hearing from individuals from Northwest Missouri who have been impacted by this growing problem,” Sen. Ridgeway said.

“It is a major problem, which continues to grow. In September, telephone customers in and around the City of Portage Des Sioux lost service for over a day when thieves stole 1,000 feet of copper wire weighing more than three tons off of telephone poles,” Sen. Dempsey said.

“This issue is particularly big in the Bootheel because farmers’ center irrigation pivots have cable and wiring that’s made out of copper, and thieves are stealing that cable and wiring, leaving them inoperable,” Sen. Mayer said. “It can cost anywhere between four to 10 thousand dollars to get these systems back online, and in the middle of the growing season, it makes it very difficult for our farmers. I am glad that Governor Blunt has recognized this problem and is meeting with those who have been impacted in order to find a solution.”

A community meeting will be held on November 27 at 2 p.m. at the Liberty City Hall, on December 4 at 2 p.m. at the St. Peters City Hall, and on December 6 at 2 p.m. at the Poplar Bluff City Hall. The governor urges Missourians to attend the community meeting and help provide input on ways to curb copper theft. The governor has urged senators to reach out to local elected officials, community leaders, businesses, farmers, developers, and others who may have information on copper theft with the goal of producing recommendations to bring about legal and administrative changes to combat this growing problem for Missourians.

Blunt also directed the Missouri Department of Agriculture to participate in the community outreach effort.

“Farmers and ranchers across the state are literally being robbed in broad daylight. We commend Governor Blunt for initiating this effort to stop these crimes” said Leslie Holloway, Missouri Farm Bureau.

“Metal theft and all agricultural theft crimes are seriously impacting our farmers and rural co-operatives. Just as we have done in the Governor’s Cattle Theft Task Force and rural drug task forces, the Department of Public Safety looks forward to working with the members of the General Assembly and our local and county colleagues in developing effective strategies to combat this burgeoning criminal activity. I applaud the Governor’s leadership in enlisting these legislative leaders to help explore possible courses of action,” said Mark James, director of Public Safety.

“Copper theft from utility sites is both a harmful expense and a public safety hazard for Missourians. The Association of Missouri Rural Electric Cooperatives, who have been hard hit in rural areas, applaud Governor Blunt for seeking input from those who have been impacted by this unfortunate issue and are happy to help craft a solution,” said David Klindt, vice president of Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives.

“As the price of copper and aluminum has skyrocketed, so has the frequency of theft of these materials from storage buildings, substations, and even off the utility poles that carry electricity to customers,” said Warren Wood, president of the Missouri Energy Development Association. “This is not only extremely dangerous, but can also impact the reliability of electric service and increases overall utility cost of operations, something that everyone pays for. I am very pleased to see the prompt action being taken to address this problem.”

Last month Blunt praised the work of the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the local law enforcement community involved in aggressive actions to stop copper thefts. He also lauded the support of the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) that provided information bulletins including pictures of vehicles, descriptions of stolen property and video footage that ultimately led to one criminal’s arrest.

In the most recent case criminals stole several spools of copper wire with an estimated value of $32,000 from an electric cooperative.

Source: Missouri Governor

Bookmark/Search this post with:

 •    •    •    •    •    •    •    •    •    •    •    •