• Home
  • Archives
    • AOWM Archives
    • Postcards of State Capitol
    • Missouri Death Row
    • Harry Snodgrass
  • Contact Us
  • Reporters
  • Affiliates
  • Affiliate Support
  • Sports
  • Bill Pollock Show
  • All Topics

Missourinet

Your source for Missouri News and Sports

  • Politics & Government
  • Legislature
  • Economy
  • Education
  • High School Sports
  • Weather
  • PostsComments
You are here: Home / Environment & Conservation / Former DNR official takes blame for withholding Lake of the Ozarks E. coli information

Former DNR official takes blame for withholding Lake of the Ozarks E. coli information

January 5, 2010 By Steve Walsh

On the eve of start of the 2010 legislative session the Senate committee looking into delays in the release of information on the E. coli contamination at the Lake of the Ozarks hears from a former state official who accepts full responsibility.

Former Department of Natural Resources Deputy Director Joe Bindbeutal told the Senate Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment Committee that he and he – alone – is responsible for the decision not to release the information.

“Let me make this very clear,” Bindbeutal told the panel. “I made that decision.”

Bindbeutal says he withheld the information because it was already a few days old and might be outdated and because he thought a plan of action should be presented if any numbers were to be released.

“The delay, at my recommendation, was to explore the causes and develop a plan,” said Bindbeutal. “I believe DNR had twin responsibilities, not just to gather data but to act on that data, and I focused on the second and not on the immediacy of the first.”

Bindbeutal came up with a plan which was presented to Governor Jay Nixon.

“It was presented, as I understand it, as a package with a press release, with the data, with a plan,” said Bindbeutel. “The Governor’s Office decided to go in a different direction.”

Committee Chairman Senator Brad Lager (R-Savannah) says his panel will eventually issue a report on the contamination and withholding of information.

Audio: Joe Bindbeutal appears before Senate committee (1:30:00 MP3)

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation, Legislature Tagged With: Department of Natural Resources, e-coli



Tweets by Missourinet

Sports

Lady Bears 13 game winning streak snapped in upset loss to Illinois State

Illinois … [Read More...]

Bill Pollock Show–Special Bobblehead offer for listeners (PODCAST)

Our … [Read More...]

Sophie goes over 2,000 career points as Mizzou knocks off #5 Miss. St.

Sophie … [Read More...]

#Mizzou files notice of appeals with NCAA. A.D. Sterk: “Our cooperation went largely unnoticed”

The … [Read More...]

St. Louis Co. native throws perfect game for Missouri Southern

Missouri … [Read More...]

More Sports

Tweets by missourisports

weather

Archives

Across Our Wide Missouri

Opinion/Editorials

Copyright © 2019 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC