“Governor Cuomo’s bold commitment to harvest New York’s abundant offshore wind power could make us a regional hub for offshore wind development, creating jobs and attracting significant industry investments, while allowing the state to reach its 50 percent renewable energy mandate,” Gordian Raacke, Executive Director of Renewable Energy Long Island said.

They will not be visible from the beach. They will be 30 miles southeast of Montauk. Not even Superman standing on Montauk Point could see these wind farms.

Clean Line recently announced an agreement with Southwire, designating Southwire as the preferred supplier of the overhead transmission wire for the Rock Island Clean Line. The agreement anticipates that the wire will be produced in Southwire’s facility in Flora, Illinois, where the company employs approximately 130 people. Clean Line and Southwire announced the agreement on March 6, 2012, at the American Wind Energy Association’s Regional Wind Energy Summit- Midwest.

A leader in technology and innovation, Southwire Company, LLC is one of North America’s largest wire and cable producers. Southwire and its subsidiaries manufacture underground and overhead Utility products, Renewable Energy products, building wire and cable, metal-clad (MC) cable, portable and electronic cord products. Southwire also provides OEM wire products, engineered products, continuous casting technology, and products made by Technology Research, LLC and Watteredge, LLC, both subsidiaries of Southwire Company.

Southwire’s Flora, Illinois plant has more than 40 years of experience in the design and manufacturing of overhead transmission conductor. Today, the plant leverages that expertise to support large-scale transmission projects like Grain Belt Express. The Grain Belt Express project could require as much as $35 million in materials from Southwire, depending on commodity prices and other variables.

SPRINGFIELD (Nov. 12, 2015) – The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) today approved an Order granting Clean Line Energy a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to construct and operate the Illinois portion of the 780-mile direct current Grain Belt Express Clean Line.

The project will bring approximately $700 million of private investment to the state of Illinois, create about 1,500 jobs and support Illinois manufacturing.

Clean Line is also committed to supporting local businesses and has designated Southwire Company a preferred supplier for wire for the transmission line. Southwire will manufacture the wire at its plant in Flora, Illinois.

“The Illinois Chamber of Commerce applauds Clean Line Energy and Southwire Company for coming together to support manufacturing jobs in Illinois,” said Todd Maisch, President and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. “Through this agreement, the Grain Belt Express Clean Line will create vital work orders for a local company. Clean Line’s commitment to hiring locally whenever possible will ensure that the Grain Belt Express will be an economic boon to the state.”

Despite the Rock Island Clean Line’s schedule delays, the need to build electric infrastructure remains. Clean Line Energy continues to move full steam ahead on its other transmission projects. Currently, hundreds of people are at work to complete engineering and design, test materials, and negotiate easements to prepare for groundbreaking on the Plains & Eastern Clean Line, the country’s largest clean energy infrastructure project. The Plains & Eastern Clean Line will connect low-cost, clean energy resources in the Oklahoma Panhandle to Arkansas and states throughout the Southeast.

An impassioned public rejection of the Grain Belt Express project virtually saturated a packed Missouri Public Service Commission hearing Tuesday at the Cameron Community Center.

As part of the hearing process at the PSC, Grain Belt Express must answer questions about its testimony submitted by other parties. Ever wonder what’s behind the smoke and mirrors you read in the newspapers? Here’s the response of Clean Line Vice President of Land, Deann Lanz to a question you may have wondered yourself over the years.
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Who enforces Clean Line’s “Code of Conduct” for dealing with landowners, and does it protect you?

Question DL.2: With reference to page 4 line 11 of your testimony, please summarize all reported violations to date (if any) of the Code of Conduct by any employee or agent of Clean Line or Grain Belt in any of the states in which the proposed line will be located. Please include the name(s) of the individuals involved, the date of the occurrence, the location of the occurrence, and a brief summary of the conduct which violated the Code of Conduct.

Response: There have been two instances where Grain Belt Express investigated allegations of conduct outside the best practices standard. One involved a land agent visiting*************, a landowner in Chariton County, on June 12, 2014.
The other involved a phone call to *********, a landowner in Buchanan County, on April 2, 2014. In both instances the investigation found no violation of best practices. With Ms.********, the allegation was raised by a family member as opposed to Ms.******* herself. The meeting notes and report from the land agent showed no violation of the code of conduct or best practices. With Mr. ********, there was no record of the conversation taking place and Mr. ******** did not raise the issue with Grain Belt Express. The investigation showed no violation of the code of conduct or best practices.

In the first case family reported that a land agent refused to leave an elderly landowners room in a rest home. She repeatedly asked them to leave because she was ill. They refused. They told her that they would leave after she signed the easement. Family members told PSC staff about the incident and filled out a form that is now part of the public record.
In the second case, and elderly landowner was called and told "it was a done deal" and he needed to come fill out the papers. He believed them and had an appointment the next morning to sign the easement. He was told he was not allowed to bring anyone else with him. Luckily, he came to lock up after one of of our meetings and was shocked to find it was not a done deal! He submitted an affidavit about the issue to the PSC.

Can you provide a copy of any Participation Agreement under Section 1221 of EP Act signed by the Department?

We’re way down in the weeds now. This section of the EP Act allows three or more contiguous states to establish a regional transmission siting agency. Not sure why they’ve asked this, but it does add to their knowledge of the projected vague transmission grid actions, which appears like it could be a big money drain.

What is the goal of the grid modernization effort? Is there some terminal point to this effort? Is its genesis statutory or something else?