Developers of the Grain Belt Express transmission line, Invenergy, have requested the federal government to narrow a 780-mile route proposed by the Department of Energy as a transmission corridor of national interest. The proposed corridor runs through Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois before ending at the Indiana border, encompassing the route of the high-voltage transmission line being built by Invenergy. The company is asking for the corridor to be reduced from five miles wide to 0.5 miles to address concerns from stakeholders along the project path.
Over the years, Invenergy has faced opposition from rural neighbors and lawmakers regarding its use of eminent domain to acquire property for the project. The Department of Energy’s designation of national interest corridors would grant federal officials the right to use eminent domain for projects, even if state regulators have denied a permit. This has sparked criticism from conservative lawmakers and farm groups.
Kansas Farm Bureau president, Joe Newland, opposes the use of eminent domain within these corridors and has encouraged members to share their concerns as the Department of Energy finalizes corridor designations. U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran introduced legislation to prohibit the use of federal funds in projects using eminent domain for transmission lines.
Despite the opposition, Invenergy maintains that it tries to reach voluntary agreements for easements before resorting to eminent domain. The Kansas Corporation Commission has approved feeder lines to deliver energy from renewables to the Grain Belt Express, providing more certainty for the project’s economic development and energy reliability benefits in Kansas.
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Photo credit kansasreflector.com
