The goal is to alleviate congestion on the high-voltage electric grid, and benefit customers in the region, including parts of Pennsylvania and Maryland, Transource said in a news release. 

Abby Foster, a community affairs representative for the company, said typical farming practices in both counties will be able to continue in the rights-of-way. She also said that based on the feedback from the community, Transource will use a monopole structure for the towers, instead of the lattice structure which was in the original proposal. 
“By including community members in the siting process, rather than engaging them after decisions were made, we were able to consider and accommodate many landowner requests,” said Transource Director Todd Burns.

Foster added that over the next couple of weeks the company will contact  landowners with property on the proposed route. She said during this time, owners can raise issues like potential crop loss during construction or access roads that need to be built, and negotiate compensation.
 
"They're really looking to minimize and reduce any impacts that might occur to any agricultural practices," Foster said on behalf of Transource.

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.

...explore the specifics of how to develop and maintain positive landowner relationships while negotiating in good faith for pipeline, electric transmission, wind and solar, rail and public sector projects. This would include whether pursuing site leasing, site purchase, easements, right of ways and/or workspace, and whether coming from the perspective of project management, design engineering, environmental, appraising, permitting, survey, right of way, inspections, construction, operations, and others, this presentation is a must in helping ensure a successful project, on time and on budget with happy landowners.

Recognize and understand landowner’s perspectives and the importance of dealing with unique differences in various landowners, their personalities and their needs/concerns.

Beyond the historical considerations of zoning, environmental, special use, conservation and damages determination, communities are becoming more and more vocal in their requirements in infrastructure development.  As social media and cyber-activism have become the norm (even for landowners not impacted by a project), companies need to become social-savvy in route planning, outreach and negotiations.  More often than not, whether in the electric industry or in other related industries, projects are successful or fail spectacularly due to communication issues, lack of messaging and poor understanding of the locale impacted.

Case Study: Delivering Wind Energy to Market

The United States possesses some of the best renewable energy resources in the world. However, continued growth of the renewable energy industry in the U.S. faces a serious challenge: the lack of transmission. Clean Line Energy is developing a series of long-haul direct current transmission lines to deliver low-cost renewable energy to communities that have a strong demand for clean power.

This presentation will focus on the Grain Belt Express Clean Line, which will deliver wind energy from Kansas into Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. The project has received its regulatory approvals in Kansas, Illinois and Indiana and is currently working through the final state approval process in Missouri. The presentation will provide an update on the regulatory, routing, and other milestones accomplished with a focus on the benefits this project will bring to Missouri.

Amy Kurt, Director of Development, Clean Line Energy Partners

The Plains & Eastern Clean Line is one of the largest clean energy infrastructure projects in the country. It will provide a pathway for 4,000 megawatts of low-cost wind power to be delivered from Oklahoma to the Mid-South and Southeast. The agreement between Clean Line Energy and TRC, which has a major office located in Tulsa, furthers Clean Line's commitment to working with local suppliers.
"Clean Line Energy's mission of building modern energy infrastructure closely aligns with our own core values of sustainability, including our commitment to grow our clean energy services year over year," said Chris Vincze, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "The 700-mile transmission line will improve the U.S. electric grid, support economic development and job growth, and make safe, reliable and lower-cost power available to consumers.

TRC will provide program management, acquisition of environmental and cultural survey consents, and acquisition support. It also will be communicating with landowners across the route to educate them about the benefits of the project.

Do not represent that a relative, neighbor and/or friend supports or opposes the Project.

Do not suggest that any person should be ashamed of or embarrassed by his or her opposition to the Project or that such opposition is inappropriate.

Do not argue with property owners about the merits of the Project.

Through its rigorous review and lengthy negotiations to build in protections for landowners and the local communities, the processes insisted upon by the Department go well beyond the provisions established by Congress in Section 1222.

Clean Line Energy executive vice president Mario Hurtado, said via email. “We have created a market-leading compensation package that allows landowners to share in the revenues earned by the project and an easement acquisition process that provides important protections so that landowners are treated fairly.”

No Clean Line Entity shall engage in any coercive action with respect to any Landowner, Curative Party or tenant in respect of the undertakings required hereby.

The practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats.

(i) a proposed form of easement and/or other applicable documentation relating to the conveyance of the proposed Project Real  Estate Right;
(ii) a payment calculation sheet or other documentation in respect of any compensation proposed to be paid to such Landowner in connection with the applicable Project Real Estate Right; provided, however, that with respect to any parcel that is not a Waiver Parcel, such payment calculation sheet or other documentation shall only be provided after the appraisal has been performed;
(iii) a sketch identifying the boundaries and the nature of the applicable Project Real Estate Right;
(iv) a construction questionnaire designed to gather necessary information in respect of conditions at the location of the applicable Project Real Estate Right;
(v) a copy of the Clean Line Entities’ Codes of Conduct for acquisitions of Project Real Estate Rights (which is attached as Schedule 12 to
this Agreement);
(vi) a request for permission to conduct a survey of the applicable Project Real Estate Right; and
(vii) in respect of any Project Real Estate Right located in Oklahoma, a copy of the Private Rights Settlement Agreement, dated January 14, 2011 (the “Private Rights Settlement Agreement”), and the Order from the OCC, dated October 28, 2011, approving the PECL OK’s application to conduct business as a
public utility in Oklahoma.

The Clean Line Entities shall develop a  standard script of talking points (subject to DOE’s approval) describing DOE’s participation in the Project and DOE’s obligations in connection with any acquisition of Project Real Estate Rights, which standard script shall be applied and followed by each Clean Line Entity and its contractors in material respects in all communications and correspondence with any Landowner, Curative Party or tenant.

 Participation Amount. Commencing on and after the Project Completion, Clean Line shall pay to the easement grantor (landowner) at the end of each fiscal quarter an amount equal to 2% of the gross revenues received by the Clean Line Parties from the Project during such fiscal quarter resulting from the sale of transmission service in connection with the Project (as such gross revenue amount is reflected in Clean Line's Financial Statements for such fiscal quarter, including, with respect to the first such fiscal quarter, sales of transmission service which occurred at any time prior to Project Completion) (the “Participation Amount”).
The Participation Amounts shall be paid to landowner to offset costs associated with having their property devalued and their quality of life disturbed in perpetuity, or for any other landowner authorized purpose.

In the interests of full disclosure, we should note that we are not neutral observers of
eminent domain abuse in this area. Morriss’s wife’s parents, wife, brother-inlaw, and sister-in-law are involved in proceedings contesting the valuation of a power transmission easement across property held by a family limited partnership in Kimble County, Texas, in which they are represented by Barron & Adler. As a result, none of us feels particularly charitable toward utilities that make use of eminent domain for acquisition of power line corridors.

We argue that eminent domain laws need to be reformed to address these problems. The simplest reform is to eliminate eminent domain from LIEs entirely, forcing utilities to negotiate easement terms in arm’s length transactions and leveling the playing field between the utilities and landowners. Because the burdened landowners are a dispersed and unorganized interest group, while utilities have considerable political clout, this may be
unobtainable through the political process in many states. Similarly, the even more potent “bootleggers and Baptists” coalition of utilities and environmental pressure groups, which
back expansion of transmission lines for renewable energy, if not natural gas or oil pipelines, mobilize powerful interests behind
maintaining the power.

Much of the growth is likely to involve the use of eminent domain because utilities and
governments often consider eminent domain to be a cheaper and easier alternative to negotiating with potentially resistant, unhappy landowners for the acquisition of property.

 For example, providing courts (and other third parties with roles in eminent domain proceedings) with the opportunity to alter the easement terms proposed by utilities for LIEs would serve as an important step toward solving many of the problems we describe. In addition, states and the federal government can take further steps to improve the LIE acquisition process by gathering and disseminating market data to, and providing greater statutory guidance for, valuation
decisions.

A landowner from southeast Iowa today said he has recorded proof a land agent for the proposed Bakken Pipeline offered to get him an 18-year-old prostitute if he’d grant access rights to his property so the pipeline may pass through.

Hughie Tweedy of Montrose said he recorded two of his conversations with the land agent.
“On these recordings you will hear evidence of my senior pipeline representative offering me not once, not twice, but three times the sexual services of a woman,” Tweedy said, “the last time being a $1200 teenage prostitute.”

“If anybody knows of anyone who’s been dealt with unfairly,” Boeyink says, “get the names to me and we will deal with it swiftly.”

“If an old junkyard dog like me was offered the sexual services of little girls to get my hackles down, I wonder what was offered to the powerbrokers of this state to gain their support for silence,” Tweedy said. “Shame, shame, shame.”

“I've heard this from other landowners being told the same thing,” Murray says. “Right-of-way agents are saying this is inevitable so you better take the easement deal before you.”

“If anybody knows of anyone who’s been dealt with unfairly,” Boeyink says, “get the names to me and we will deal with it swiftly.”

Wally Taylor of Cedar Rapids, a lawyer for the Iowa chapter of the Sierra Club, said his organization is worried about an "extreme risk to property and the environment" if the pipeline project proceeds. There is no doubt that oil spills will occur and it will be many years before the land can be farmed again, he added.

It's also clear that if Bakken crude oil is transported through Iowa, it will be shipped from Illinois onto the world petroleum market via the Gulf of Mexico, Taylor said. "This is all about private property. It isn't about benefiting Iowa or the nation," he said. Similarly, the Rock Island Clean Line would not provide a way for Iowans to connect to the line or to obtain energy from the transmission facility, he added.

Paula Dierenfeld, representing Clean Line Energy Partners, said her company currently has obtained voluntary easements from about 15 to 20 percent of property owners and has a goal of obtaining "well in excess of 90 percent" voluntary easements. But she questioned the proposed requirement to obtain 75 percent voluntary sign-ups before eminent domain can be requested. She said a company could spend millions of dollars on obtaining easements without even knowing whether a project could move forward. She asked whether any businesses would support that idea.