East Central Reporter

The Grain Belt Express, a 780-mile-long power line that would deliver electricity from Kansas to western Indiana, hit a major roadblock when the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) rejected the plan recently, according to a release from Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville).

Missouri's rejection of the Grain Belt Express’ application to allow the line to traverse the state poses a problem for the project as a whole and is the second time the PSC has rejected the application.  While the agency noted that the project is in the public interest, it cited a Western District Court of Appeals decision requiring the counties through which the line travels to approve it before the PSC can.

The Grain Belt Express is a 3,500-megawatt high-tension power line that would allow the operator to transfer wind-generated energy to customers in areas that have traditionally relied on coal energy, reducing their costs.

Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) | http://www.ilga.gov/

Halbrook noted that the line would travel through the 102nd District, including Alton and Effingham, and that residents living along the line’s projected path have raised concerns about the health threats posed by the project.