Biodiversity is the variety and number of living plants, animals, and aquatic species present in the natural environment, upon which we rely for health, commerce, and quality of life. As part of our corporate social responsibility, we recognize the importance of conserving natural habitat and native species to aid in protecting biodiversity in the regions we serve.
Our policy is to reduce, minimize, or avoid impacts on biodiversity as we develop infrastructure or conduct operations. We will consider biodiversity and mitigation measures or enhancements to the ecosystems of the lands and waterways we manage.
We will do the following to meet the commitments under this policy:
Ameren worked with a nationally renowned group to develop a corporate-wide program to address recurring bird fatalities, which included occasional bald eagles, at our Transmission and Distribution (T&D) facilities. The program implemented by Ameren Illinois and Ameren Missouri is a multi-faceted, comprehensive approach that includes
In addition, Ameren initiated a territory-wide review of over 100 substations in Ameren Illinois to assess their current level of avian-safe design, and developed retrofits to reduce the number of incidents at substations. This was an unprecedented effort in the field of avian protection at electric utilities.
The result is that the trendline of avian incidents at Ameren facilities has gone down since the implementation of the program and the program has become a model of best-practices for other utilities in the region.
From installing reflectors and coverings on power lines, to partnering with organizations across Missouri and Illinois, Ameren has taken numerous steps to protect animals and support suitable habitats for all species.
Ameren continues to partner with the World Bird Sanctuary by supporting suitable habitats for all bird species. (more)