Bill that would jeopardize construction of Grain Belt Express

By Caitlin R. King
Missouri News Network

A bill that would prevent construction of the Grain Belt Express was debated by the Committee for Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment on April 21.

Sponsored by Sen. Jason Bean (R-Holcomb), Senate Bill 508 would block what Bean believes would “set a terrible precedent for property owner rights and creates a situation for (all of) Missouri to be exploited by out-of-state special interests.”

The precedent Bean is referring to is the issue of eminent domain. This is the third year in a row that Missouri lawmakers have attempted to pass legislation to block the use of “eminent domain for the purpose of constructing above-ground merchant lines.”

According to its website, the Grain Belt Express would run 800 miles connecting Kansas to Indiana. Previous Missourian reporting found that the project would include three converter stations, one of which would be in Missouri. Two hundred miles of the route would run through eight Missouri counties, delivering 500 megawatts of wind-generated power to certain cities and towns in the state’s electric grid, including Columbia.

The counties that would be affected are: Buchanan, Clinton, Caldwell, Carroll, Chariton, Randolph, Monroe and Ralls.

Bean, the bill’s sponsor, does not represent any of those counties.

“I’m not against eminent domain. I’m certainly not against utilities, and I understand that sometimes utilities need to use eminent domain to accomplish a benefit for the communities they serve,” Bean said. “That isn’t what (the) Grain Belt stands to do.”

“Simply put, allowing (the) Grain Belt to move forward would establish a precedent that would allow property rights for Missouri landowners to be trampled on for generations to come,” he said. “Grain Belt stands to receive all the benefits of a public utility, without the oversight of the Public Service Commission.”

Nearly 30 witnesses spoke before the committee, with fewer than a third of them being in opposition to the bill. The bill’s supporters’ primary issue with the Grain Belt’s construction is in regard to eminent domain.

“The people of Ralls County do not want anybody stealing our land,” said Ralls County Associate Commissioner Junior Muehring.

During her testimony, Chariton County resident Tina Reichert spoke about her family’s experience with the people behind the Grain Belt Express.

“One of the poles used to be like 400 feet out our front door, and they came to us, and they said ‘If we move that, the line, totally off your property, would you be willing to basically back out and stop opposing us?’” Reichert said. “And we said, well, obviously we’d be thrilled if it wasn’t on our land, but we don’t want it on anybody’s land.”

Ron Henke and his family have been farming in Chariton County since “August the fifth, 1887.”

“My grandsons are the seventh generation,” Henke said, his voice cracking, “and I don’t want them encumbered by private gain for somebody else’s use.”

Along the walls of the Senate Lounge are hand weaved tapestries illustrating Missouri’s history. The central piece reads “agriculture.”

“I noticed right above your head: agriculture,” Henke said.

“That’s agriculture with property rights that we need to protect for future generations that will feed us and not just transport something across our state that we will have little or no appreciation for.”

Those in opposition of the bill cite the opportunity Grain Belt provides for Missouri to utilize renewable energy.

Carolyn Amparan with the Missouri Sierra Club and Columbia Climate and Environment Commission emphasized that “new problems require new solutions.”

“We have a statewide, longer-term issue that we need to think about, and that is climate change. We can all agree that agriculture is in a very important, significant industry for the state, and climate change is going to very negatively impact our Missouri farmers and ranchers if we don’t take steps to stop it,” she said.

Also in opposition of the bill was Peggy Whipple, an attorney representing the Grain Belt project. The bill “will create a statute that cannot be defended” Whipple warned.

“My point to you as a lawyer is that if SB 508 is passed into law, the legal (ramifications) would be very substantial,” she said. “I think you’re looking at a $30 million verdict against the state.”