City Drops Lawsuit?

The City Council voted to drop the public nuisance lawsuit against Renewable Environmental Solutions LLC (RES), without prejudice. The Carthage Press, Friday August 25, 2006, described the action as Renewable Environmental Solutions is not a public nuisance anymore - at least on paper.

Carthage City Mayor Jim Woestman said, "“We definitely want anybody who smells anything to definitely call. We want to keep that monitoring going. We're not going to forget about it. We're not going to drop the lawsuit and walk away.” "Dismissal without prejudice means that the suit can be filed again if that proved necessary" said Carthage City Attorney, David Mouton.

A press release from Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon and Carthage City Mayor Jim Woestman, issued Thursday, August 24, 2006, said that "RES had made significant progress toward reducing odors and returning a higher quality of life to the residents of Carthage." The statement also noted that many of the changes at the plant came as a result of a preliminary consent judgement the City and State reached with RES in May 2005. Those projects, including a thermal oxidizer and a high-efficiency scrubber, cost the company more than $3 million."The Joplin Globe, Friday, August 25, 2006.