U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) today sent a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, condemning the Biden Administration’s latest attempt to green-light construction of the Grain Belt Express through a $4.9 billion conditional loan.
“I write with alarm in response to the Department of Energy’s $4.9 billion conditional loan guarantee to the Grain Belt Express, which cuts directly across my state. In addition to wreaking havoc on landowners, the Grain Belt Express has proved time and time again that it cannot survive without federal government intervention,” Senator Hawley argued.
He went on to call out Biden’s Energy Department for desperately throwing taxpayer dollars at the unpopular transmission project and dismissing Missourians’ documented opposition to it.
“To make matters worse, this transmission project is destined to fail,” wrote Senator Hawley. “Since the line is a merchant transmission line, it relies on contracts with power customers. It currently has no signed customers.”
Senator Hawley has repeatedly advocated on behalf of Missouri famers and landowners against the Biden Administration’s federal government land grab.
Read the full letter here or below.
December 12, 2024
The Honorable Jennifer Granholm
Secretary
U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Ave SW
Washington, D.C.
Dear Secretary Granholm,
I write with alarm in response to the Department of Energy’s $4.9 billion conditional loan guarantee to the Grain Belt Express, which cuts directly across my state. In addition to wreaking havoc on landowners, the Grain Belt Express has proved time and time again that it cannot survive without federal government intervention. Your attempt to force this project by authorizing eleventh-hour funding before President Trump takes office should be reversed at once.
As you know, on November 25, 2024, your Department announced a $4.9 billion conditional commitment for a loan guarantee to Grain Belt Express LLC. This decision commits billions of dollars to fund a project that is still awaiting technical, environmental, and financial reviews. The environmental study alone is not expected until April 2026, yet you are committing to funding the project now – over a year before the study’s completion.
Farmers in my state rightfully have fought this transmission line at every turn. When the Grain Belt Express could not receive support from states for installation, the Department of Energy intervened and declared a National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor to override states’ autonomy and decision-making processes. Your decision to commit funding to the Grain Belt Express via conditional loan comes after repeated refusals to engage with my constituents, who live in constant fear of their land being confiscated.
To make matters worse, this transmission project is destined to fail. Since the line is a merchant transmission line, it relies on contracts with power customers. It currently has no signed customers. It has completely circumvented the regional transmission planning process that vets transmission lines for reliability benefits and fair cost allocation. Most recently, a court reversed the Illinois Commerce Commission’s approval of the Grain Belt Express because it ruled the line didn’t have adequate financing. And now you want to throw billions of taxpayer dollars at this project.
Missourians don’t want this transmission line. Stop forcing it on them.
Sincerely,
Josh Hawley
United States Senator