Missouri Supreme Court Dashes Hope for Grain Belt Express

The Missouri Landowners Alliance and Block Grain Belt Express are optimistic that the Public Service Commission must again deny Grain Belt’s application, in the wake of a Missouri Supreme Court decision yesterday. The Court denied a petition to review an opinion of the Western District Court of Appeals regarding county commission assent for new transmission lines to cross local roadways. The case, Neighbors United Against Ameren’s Power Line vs. Public Service Commission of Missouri and Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois, earlier this year vacated a conditional permit for Ameren’s Mark Twain Transmission Project that was issued by the PSC before Ameren had received the assent of counties crossed by the project.

Earlier this month, Grain Belt Express, and other supportive parties, had urged the PSC to issue a decision on its transmission line application after the Commission discussed putting the case on hold until the Ameren matter was cleared up by the courts. Grain Belt Express, like Ameren, has not produced county assents from the eight Missouri counties it proposed to cross. The Court of Appeals made it clear that county assent must be submitted to the PSC before a certificate of convenience and necessity may be issued. Without Supreme Court review, the Appeals Court decision is final.

“We celebrate with Neighbors United for their incredible victory for property rights. We would also like to thank all the County Commissioners who have stood with us in our battle for our way of life and against eminent domain abuse,” commented Jennifer Gatrel, spokesperson for Block Grain Belt Express-Missouri.

For more on this article, see this week's issue of the Caldwell County News!