Dear GBE, 

Here’s the thing… I don’t support you. I think you are an opportunistic thief without a moral compass. I would never treat people that way. Don’t compare yourself to me. I made millions smile, but you have made millions cry. Your hundreds of threats of eminent domain to take private property has turned Missouri into The Unhappiest Place on Earth.

Never yours,
Walt Disney
Rolling in my Grave

Hello Folks!

When it comes to disaster for Missouri, we've got a lot in common!  I may have turned a whole town into an environmental disaster, but you da man, turning an entire STATE into an environmental disaster! 

I support Grain Belt Express because of its potential for both environmental and financial disaster for Missouri.  We disasters gotta stick together!

At first, everyone thought I was harmless, but when I got sprayed all  over the place to control dust, it soon became apparent that I was a bad idea, much like you.

Times Beach would be a great place to build GBE.  The landowners there no longer mind.

Love,
Dioxin Contaminated Motor Oil
Former Superfund Site

Dear Grain Belt Express,

I was once quoted as saying, "Our job is only to hold up the mirror - to tell and show the public what has happened." 

When the mirror is held to GBE, I'm afraid it looks like a speculative energy project without enough customers that is having way too much fun playing with its new eminent domain toy unwisely gifted by a misguided, and perhaps biased, politically-poisoned institution.

Last time I checked you didn't have enough commercial interest to make your transmission project economically viable.  But yet you seem to be in a big, big hurry to take land for a project you can't build.  Is there something else going on here?

Please stop using my name in your insultingly facile advertising.  As the former "most trusted man in America", I do not support you.

And that's the way it is,
Walter Cronkite
Reporting from the Great Beyond

Rumble, tumble, Invenergy!  You shake things up more than I do, and not in a good way.  That's why I support the Grain Belt Express!

Sincerely yours,
New Madrid Earthquake
Soon to be Born Again if They Keep Pumping Things Deep Underground

To Whom It May Concern,

On the off chance that your misguided advertising campaign actually produces more than a handful of self-interested "supporters," I advise that whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.  But I don't think you'll get much of a response from the Missouri people.  They know manure when they smell it.

I propose a grand deal... if you don't find any new supporters, then you abandon the Grain Belt Express.  What do you say?

In the first place God made idiots. This was for practice. Then he made public relations hacks.

The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog,
Samuel Clemens (my REAL name)

Sirs:

A competent leader can get efficient service from poor troops, while on the contrary an incapable leader can demoralize the best of troops.

You have demoralized the people of Missouri with your selfish, greedy scheme.

General John J. Pershing
No Longer At War In The Afterlife

Lovely, Contentious, Disastrous GBE,

We support you and look forward to adding you to our repertoire.

All the best,
Fire, Disease, Flood, Bad Weather and Pestilence, Inc.

Dear Invenergy,

Stop it!  You're making things tough on us.  We need the cropland you're taking out of production to stage our own disasters.

Not a fan,
Plague of Locusts

Hey Hucksters,

You don't really think people are going to go out of their way to support massive eminent domain takings across Missouri so that you can build a power line without any clear benefits for Missouri, do you?  Your "Way of the American Genius" campaign is a ship without a rudder.

What are you going to do with your manufactured support?  Push it under the noses of Missouri utilities and hope they see the light and sign up to become your customer?  Don't you know that utilities want to build and own infrastructure of their own because it's highly profitable?  Should Missouri close its own electric generators that employ thousands in good-paying jobs and replace them with energy imported from other places?

Or is this campaign just cover so you can make up "supporters" and then try to leverage your kingdom of make-believe for political purposes?

Failure looks good on you,
John Q. Public
Scanning a QR Code Because I Have Nothing Better To Do

...condemn land and interests therein for any public use or purpose, and to acquire perpetual easements in, over, and across lands in which defendants have an interest, together with rights of ingress and egress to said lands.

The property interests and easement rights which Plaintiff seeks to condemn and are necessary for the Project include and are described as follows:
rights to develop, permit, construct, reconstruct, repair, improve, alter, replace,
operate, use, inspect, maintain and remove a transmission line, which transmission
line may include poles, towers and structures, such wires and cables as Grain Belt
shall from time to time suspend therefrom, foundations, footings, attachments,
anchors, ground connections, communications devices, and other equipment,
accessories, access roads and appurtenances, as Grain Belt may deem necessary or
desirable in connection therewith and to study or inspect in preparation therefor,
including survey, soil sampling, geotechnical evaluation, environmental tests,
archeological assessments, and transmission and interconnection studies. The
permanent rigbt-of-way may be used for the transmission of electrical energy and
for communication purposes, whether existing now or in the future in order to
facilitate the delivery of electrical energy. The easement rights include the nonexclusive
right of ingress and egress over the Easement Property itself in order to obtain access to the permanent right-of-way,
and over the Defendant's property adjacent to the Easement Property and lying
between public or private roads. Grain Belt shall, without being liable for damages,
have the right from time to time, including after the initial construction of the
transmission line, to clear the Easement Property of any improvements or other
structures to the extent that they interfere with Grain Belt's use of the Easement
Property as described herein, except fences (provided Grain Belt shall at all times
have access through any such fence by means of a gate); control, cut down, trim
and remove trees and underbrush from the Easement Property; and cut down and
trim any tree encroaching upon the Easement Property or the transmission line that
in the reasonable opinion of Grain Belt may interfere with the safety, proper
operation and/or maintenance of the transmission line.

...to construct and maintain a high voltage, direct current transmission line and associated facilities commonly referred to as the Grain Belt Express Project.

The use of the foregoing Property Interests, including any expansion of its facilities within the Easement Property by Plaintiff, upon condemnation thereof, does not impose an
unreasonable burden or impact on Defendants' property or Defendants' activities thereon, and
Defendants shall retain the right to use the Easement Property in any manner not inconsistent with the rights of Plaintiff described herein, including use of the Easement Property for agricultural or other similar purposes.

Appoint[s] three disinterested residents of Buchanan County, Missouri as the Commissioners to ascertain and assess the damages, if any, that the Defendants may sustain and the just compensation, if any, to which they may be entitled by reason of the appropriation of the Easement Property and
Property Interests;

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Citified PR Person:  These local yokels think it's fun to gather at the end of the growing season and throw big festivals that they call "fairs" to display the things they have wasted their time growing over the past year.  They give out awards and everything!  Here's where we come in:  The locals auction their projects off for money at the end of the festival.  It appears that purchasing one of these food things garners great respect for the purchaser.  Our idea is to have GBE bid on these things!

Executive:  Why would we have to compete to own one of these animals?  Can't we simply take it from the local using eminent domain?  Besides, what do we want with farm animals?  I can't keep those kinds of animals at my home in Chicago.

Citified PR Person:  Well, sir, it appears that the locals send these animals to the butcher and then feed off their flesh over the winter.  Also, our eminent domain authority does not cover the taking of farm animals, however, if you want that changed I'm sure it can be done, but maybe not as cheaply as buying a cow.

Executive:  *screams*  That's barbaric!  I demand allegiance from state legislatures everywhere!  Besides, everyone knows that meat is manufactured at supermarkets, not created by killing things. And you must know that eating meat is causing climate change.  Everyone must stop eating meat in order to save the planet!

Citified PR Person:  I was prepared for that... so I also have another option.  Sometimes they auction off vegetarian options, such as pies.  But pies don't cost as much or earn as much respect for the purchaser.

Executive:  I like pie!  But you may also purchase animals for the express purpose of disposing of them in order to end their planet-warming flatulence.  Here's $10,000.  Now go forth and buy some goodwill.

“To that end, the bill would empower the federal government to override states’ decisions on the siting of high voltage electric transmission lines. 
Last week, the president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, wrote to this committee saying: ‘this new provision simply gives the state an ultimatum: ‘Approve the project or FERC will approve it for you.'

At a minimum, a change of this significance should be the subject of its own hearing before this committee." 

...the Secretary shall seek to enter into capacity contracts that will encourage other entities to enter into contracts for the transmission capacity of the eligible project.

“This bill also gives the federal government the authority to buy electric transmission capacity. 

There is no shortage of private sector investment in transmission capacity. 

There is no reason to make the federal government a transmission buyer or seller. 

A project to generate electricity using wind turbines in Kansas and distribute the power in the Midwest and east coast is moving forward.
Invenergy has purchased nearly half of the land it needs in northern Missouri for the construction project that will begin in earnest in 2023. All of those deals have been the product of voluntary negotiations with landowners willing to sell, according to the company, although Invenergy could have used eminent domain to acquire the land.

In certain circumstances, for example when landowners have stated their intention not to
engage in a voluntary negotiation process or have repeatedly refused attempts to be contacted by the Project, the only option available to Grain Belt Express is to pursue a legal proceeding for right-of-way acquisition. Missouri law requires landowners be notified in writing no less than 60 days in advance of the intended initiation of any right-of-way acquisition legal proceeding. Kansas has no prior notice requirement, however the Project intends to inform landowners prior to beginning any legal proceedings. To be clear, this letter is being mailed to all landowners for informational purposes and does not constitute such notice.

If we are not able to come to terms on an easement agreement within 60 days of this letter, Grain Belt intends to file a condemnation action regarding the referenced property.

As it relates to the proposed acquisition, under the Missouri law, you have the right to:

b. Make a counteroffer and engage in further negotiations;

The issue could come up again next year, but Luckey said the company isn’t concerned with that, as Invenergy is open to talking with lawmakers.
“It’s about coming to the table and letting them know we respect their point of view and the constituents they represent,” Luckey said. “We want to be a partner with them, and we are going to continue education and outreach with citizens and lawmakers.”

Luckey said linking the Grain Belt Express to the power grid could have helped avoid the massive power outage Texas experienced in February.
“The line would have made it possible to import substantial amounts of excess electricity to supply from other regions to address those outages,” Luckey said.

Invenergy also lists benefits to Missouri including  the possibility of using the infrastructure to improve broadband internet connectivity to underserved areas.

...nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

If we are not able to come to terms on an
easement agreement within 60 days of this letter, Grain Belt intends to file a condemnation action regarding the referenced property.

Congress should consider legislation to provide greater federal siting authority to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for projects like these that are clearly in long-term national security, climate protection and consumer interests. A recent National Academy of Sciences report on achieving net zero U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 found that new siting and permitting for transmission must be pursued to “put in place, in a timely fashion, the kind of high-voltage interstate transmission system that is needed for deep decarbonization.”

Pritzker, who vowed in the wake of the ComEd scandal that utilities and energy companies would no longer write the state’s energy policy, declined to comment on the specifics of his offer, saying that negotiators were “still working on the bill.”

“Utilities did not write the bill that we have worked on. That is clear,” Pritzker said. “We have done everything that we can to stand up for clean energy principles, to make sure that we’re expanding renewables in the state. I have set out the principles, I have stuck to those principles, and so my hope is that we’ll end up with a good energy bill.”

The panelists agreed that regulatory entities will need to alter their policies to accelerate transmission projects and facilitate their interconnection to the grid.