(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Energy has canceled $4.9 billion in federal loans for the Grain Belt Express, a proposed multistate transmission line that faced pushback from Illinois landowners over concerns about property rights and eminent domain.
State Rep. Chris Miller, R-Oakland, praised the DOE’s decision and called the project a “scam” driven by global investors and green energy lobbyists.
“This is a huge win for taxpayers in Illinois and across the United States,” Miller said in an interview. “It was an assault on property rights, on the livelihoods of Illinois farmers, and I’m proud to stand with my constituents against this scam.”
The 800-mile Grain Belt Express aimed to carry wind power from Kansas eastward but drew rural backlash over eminent domain, including opposition at a 2024 Meade County Kansas Corporation Commission hearing where resident Barbra Parker spoke.
“The current plan would place it approximately 150 feet from my front door. Over the years, through that very door, have walked my grandfather, my father, my grandmother, my mother, myself, and now my daughter Kate — four generations of farmers and ranchers,” said Parker. “So I’m asking Invenergy to work with me on possibly adjusting the route or considering micrositing alternatives. I’m asking that the commission oversee and ensure that micrositing is used.”
Micrositing in wind energy means fine-tuning turbine placement to boost output and reduce environmental impact.
Supporters say the Grain Belt Express would improve grid reliability, deliver lower-cost clean energy to major population centers and generate economic activity along its route.
In 2023, when the ICC approved the project, Mark Denzler, president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association said in a news release, “This project will deliver billions in energy cost savings. Energy infrastructure investment is key to ensuring our region maintains our traditional energy cost advantage and manufacturing competitiveness.”
Miller criticized the project as a costly green energy push that threatens farmland and drives up electric bills.
“All you see at night are red blinking lights, and during the day, you see thousands—tens of thousands—of acres covered in solar panels, taking up the best farmland God ever created,” said Miller.
The Grain Belt Express transmission project has faced major legal challenges in Illinois over whether it qualifies as a public utility and if the Illinois Commerce Commission has the authority to approve it. In 2018, the 5th District Appellate Court ruled the ICC lacked authority to grant the necessary certificate because Grain Belt Express did not meet the definition of a public utility.
In response, the Illinois General Assembly passed a law in 2021 allowing private developers to seek public utility status, leading the ICC to approve the project in 2023. However, the appellate court reversed that approval in 2024 due to concerns about the company’s financing, and the case is now before the Illinois Supreme Court.
Miller explained the Illinois Farm Bureau and landowner groups have long challenged the ICC’s approval of the project.
“This fight is happening at the grassroots because Illinois citizens don’t want this. They see it as a complete scam and blame J.B. Pritzker’s energy policies for skyrocketing electric bills—almost like a second mortgage on their homes,” said Miller.
