Grain Belt Express Archives

Bill to stop Grain Belt Express path gets Missouri Senate hearing, again (AUDIO)

April 22, 2021 By Ashley Byrd

The Grain Belt Express project plans to run wind power transmission lines across eight rural counties in northern Missouri—from Buchanan through Ralls. Though the Public Service Commission has approved it and the commission’s approval won a court challenge, agricultural opponents have once again found support in the Legislature.

The Missouri House passed HB 527 to stop utility company Invenergy from using its PSC-granted eminent domain power. Wednesday, the Senate Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment Committee heard about two hours of testimony on the Senate version of the bill, SB 508, now championed by State Sen. Jason Bean, R-Holcomb.

Disagreement over the power line projects pits farmers on the transmission route in the northern part of the state against county commissioners in the south, who expect the project to share electricity at lower rates.

Burrely Loftin, the Mayor of Ava Missouri told the Senate panel that his town of about three thousand could save as much as $267,000 a year.

“That’s a lot for a poor community like ours,” he said

Marilyn O’Bannon, a farmer and County Commissioner in Northeast Missouri’s Monroe County, said the powerline’s path is not fair:

“The proposed line runs through approximately five miles through the middle of all the farms my family owns, all tillable land,” she testified.

Farmer Dawn Ingles of Randolph County supports the Grain Belt Express, saying it will bring $700,000 a year in tax revenue needed for their schools. She added that it would help the power grid that suffered rolling blackouts.

In emotional testimony, Salisbury rancher Robin Henke said lines running through their land affects their future:

Senator Bill White, a Republican and lawyer from Dade, Jasper and Newton counties, opposes the bill to block the project because he says the Grain Belt has already been legally approved – many times.

Tina Reichert, a farmer and Bed and Breakfast owner in Chariton County says properties in her family are getting overused for such projects

Invenergy spokeswoman Beth Conley issued a statement after the hearing:

“The bipartisan Missouri Public Service Commission unanimously approved the Grain Belt Express as a public utility project because of the tremendous public benefit it will bring to the Show-Me-State. Missouri’s largest energy infrastructure project will provide payments to landowners and local communities, support 1,500 construction jobs over three years, deliver millions in annual energy savings for 39 Missouri communities, and bolster electric reliability to help avoid future emergency outages. Over 40% of project landowners in Missouri and Kansas have already voluntarily signed easement agreements and received upfront payments from Grain Belt Express of more than $5 million.”

Haahr and Hansen focused on Missouri property rights legislation

February 14, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Legislation aimed at preventing private entities like the Grain Belt Express from using eminent domain could hit the Missouri Senate floor in Jefferson City soon.

State Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Frankford, briefs Capitol reporters about eminent domain legislation on February 13, 2020, as House Speaker Elijah Haahr and other GOP lawmakers look on (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The legislation from State Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Frankford, was the first bill sent by the House to the Senate earlier this year.

“This legislation is just to protect people’s personal property rights against a private company wanting to use eminent domain, and that’s the bottom line on what we’re working on,” Hansen says.

Grain Belt Express plans to construct and operate a high-voltage transmission line across eight northern Missouri counties: Buchanan, Caldwell, Carroll, Chariton, Clinton, Randolph, Monroe and Ralls.

A Missouri Senate committee has approved legislation from State Sen. Justin Brown, R-Rolla, that bans private entities from using eminent domain to build above-ground merchant lines. Senator Brown’s bill is similar to Representative Hansen’s bill.

“I’ve requested my bill to be heard over there (Missouri Senate) in the committee here in the near future and then we’ll decide which bill we’ll maybe get on the floor in the Senate,” says Hansen.

Hansen and House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, briefed Capitol reporters Thursday in Jefferson City.

Haahr says his chamber is leading the fight to protect the property of Missouri’s farmers and ranchers. He also notes that last year’s Hansen bill wasn’t approved by the House until mid-April.

“Representative Hansen’s bill, we didn’t really start this process until after spring break of last year,” Speaker Haahr says. “This year it was the first bill out of the House, so I think that gives us a little bit more lead time.”

Last year’s bill died in the Missouri Senate in May.

The House approved Hansen’s bill in late January, on a bipartisan 118-42 vote. Five African-American House Democrats voted for the bill: State Reps. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, Raychel Proudie, D-Ferguson, Michael Person, D-Ferguson, Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-University City, and Kevin Windham, D-Hillsdale.

The Grain Belt project does have support. Backers say it would generate $7 million annually in property taxes to Missouri political subdivisions.

Supporters also say it would save towns like northeast Missouri’s Hannibal about $1 million annually in electricity costs.

The Grain Belt project also cleared another legal hurdle in December, when the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District ruled in favor of multi-state power lines, rejecting the arguments of Missouri Farm Bureau and landowners.