Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins testified before the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) on Thursday, June 8, 2023, regarding Invenergy’s Grain Belt Express “Tiger Connector” electric transmission line and issued the following statement upon conclusion:
“Missouri landowners, farmers and ranchers have been dealing with the actions of the Invenergy Grain Belt Express (Grain Belt) project for more than a decade, and despite eminent domain reforms gained in House Bill (HB) 2005 as passed during the 2022 Missouri legislative session, it’s clear that Invenergy’s “Tiger Connector” line is seeking to subvert the legislated provisions by filing an amendment with the PSC rather than applying for approval as a new project. At the end of the day, Invenergy again seeks to use Missouri as flyover country to fill the pockets of distant investors while providing little benefit to Missourians. Invenergy is not operating like a conventional business in the free market but is instead seeking to use the power of eminent domain to seize private property and then apply for lucrative federal subsidies to construct the line to benefit its entirely private interests.
“Let me be clear, balancing grid security and private property rights is essential. However, it is a false premise that the only way to ensure reliability for consumers is through the continued pursuit of an economically questionable transmission line that has yet to demonstrate legitimate contracts or demand for the wind and solar energy they wish to ship to the East coast on the backs of Missouri landowners, farmers and ranchers. It is simply wrong that landowners along Invenergy’s proposed route are forced to sell their land at a time – and to a buyer – not of their choosing, to forever host a line they do not want.”
