JEFFERSON CITY, MO – Just weeks after Governor Parson signed HB 2005, a bill instituting common-sense reforms to eminent domain laws relating to electrical transmission projects, the company behind the Grain Belt Express (GBE) project announced its intent to construct another transmission line and skirt the new law. GBE’s plans for its “Tiger Connector” line in Audrain, Callaway, and Monroe Counties attempt to classify it as an extension of its original project rather than the new line that it is. Missouri’s Agricultural Organizations call on Invenergy to respect landowners and apply all the provisions of HB 2005 to this new project.
The full text of the letter follows:
July 21, 2022
Mr. Michael Polsky
Chief Executive Officer
Invenergy
One South Wacker Drive, Suite 1800
Chicago, Illinois 60646
RE: Grain Belt Express Tiger Connector Transmission Line
We write to you concerning the recently announced Grain Belt Express (GBE) Tiger Connector transmission line slated to be built in Audrain, Callaway and Monroe counties in Missouri. Our respective organizations’ memberships include many of the landowners who have been impacted by the ongoing development of the GBE high voltage direct current transmission line, as well as those who will potentially be impacted by the newly announced GBE Tiger Connector project. Our members fervently believe in the protection of private property rights, and the negative experiences of many landowners impacted by GBE was the primary reason our members fought for and secured stronger statutory eminent domain standards for electrical transmission projects in Missouri. We are disappointed to see what appears to be GBE’s attempt to skirt the clear intent of the Missouri General Assembly’s common-sense reforms of House Bill (HB) 2005 through making the Tiger Connector project part of its existing project. Actions like this continue to erode the trust of farmers, ranchers and other landowners.
In GBE’s July 11 press release, the company states it is “committed to building transmission infrastructure the right way–treating landowners with respect and fairness.” Missouri Farm Bureau believes a proper first step in doing so, at a minimum, would be to abide by all additional landowner protections put in place by Missouri’s recently passed legislation on this subject, HB 2005.
Setting aside the question of whether GBE could even file a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity application with the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) for the proposed Tiger Connector prior to August 28 of this year, which we believe they could not, we call on Invenergy to extend all additional protections to impacted landowners enacted by HB 2005. It is unquestionable that the intent of the Missouri General Assembly was to ensure landowners are compensated at a rate no less than 150% of fair market value and that good faith offers be extended at the outset of all new projects seeking PSC approval. Moreover, the PSC’s July 13 denial of the request to amend the existing case and creation of a new file further supports our position that this is a new project and therefore should be subject to the provisions of HB 2005.
Our organizations also believe landowners should be guaranteed their land will be restored to its full production capacity after construction, and that concerns such as compaction, rutting, and maintenance of the line will be of minimal impact. Additionally, if Invenergy truly respected the rights of landowners, it would minimize production and visual impacts of the transmission line by burying it, where feasible.
Missouri farmers and ranchers understand the value of investing in our communities and the importance of affordable, reliable, domestic energy production. However, much of the energy sector has been built on the backs of landowners for the benefit of all consumers and the profits of electric companies. This year, the Missouri General Assembly took an important first step to help landowners negotiate a fair deal when their land is deemed necessary to support electrical utilities and that the electricity generated benefits Missourians. Our legislators understand these transmission lines are not being constructed on vacant land, but rather, on productive ground that family farmers have been investing in for generations to produce the food, fuel and fiber necessary for our state, nation and world. Any electrical transmission project, no matter how worthy it may be, will inevitably impact the ability of farmers and ranchers to do their job efficiently and affordably. In addition, these projects have a financial and emotional toll on landowners, especially when forced to reconcile years of GBE’s changing narratives regarding the pending project’s intended goals and impact on their private property. Landowners and county officials who have been working with Invenergy on the GBE high voltage direct current transmission line are still not being given straight answers about where exactly the line will be built on their property.
We can assure you, many landowners and county officials have had a less than satisfactory interaction with GBE as it has cost them time, financial resources, and emotional strain over the past decade. However, if GBE intends to treat landowners with the fairness and respect it claims to, now is the time to make good on that promise. GBE must apply the provisions of House Bill 2005 to landowners impacted by the Tiger Connector project. GBE must also demonstrate to landowners, farmers, ranchers, and all Missourians that it can balance grid resilience and respect private property rights. To that end, we ask that you and your team arrange a meeting with us to discuss this project in greater detail. Please contact Dan Engemann, Missouri Farm Bureau Director of Regulatory Affairs at (573) 893-1409 or dan.engemann@mofb.org to make arrangements.
Respectfully,
Missouri Farm Bureau
Missouri Cattlemen’s Association
Missouri Soybean Association
Missouri Corn Growers Association
Missouri Pork Association