Who hasn't enjoyed their summer, free from GBE drama? It was nice while it lasted. But GBE hadn't really gone away... it just went in hiding at the project hospital behind the corporate couch, where it licked itself extensively and dreamed evil dreams. And, now, just in time for Halloween.... it's baaaaaaack!
Looks like Clean Line finally met the conditions precedent for the sale to complete. Invenergy says they are in the process of finalizing the deal. What were the conditions? Missouri and Kansas had to approve the sale, which they did. Kansas even went so far as to change the meaningless deadline to build the project that it set back in 2013. KCC added 10 years onto the project's lifetime, meaning landowners in Kansas will be held in limbo for nearly 20 years. Twenty years! Think about that for a moment. What if you had a cloud on your property for two decades? Say someone threatened to take over your kitchen using eminent domain, but never actually did it. And then the fridge broke. Would you want to buy a new fridge that someone else is just going to take? Of course not! And what if your job transferred you to another state while this was going on and you needed to sell your property? Who would buy a house where the kitchen was about to be taken by eminent domain? Holding landowners hostage on their own property for two decades, for free, mind you, is absolutely unconscionable.
The KCC's conditions for extending the deadline another 10 years:
Looks like Clean Line finally met the conditions precedent for the sale to complete. Invenergy says they are in the process of finalizing the deal. What were the conditions? Missouri and Kansas had to approve the sale, which they did. Kansas even went so far as to change the meaningless deadline to build the project that it set back in 2013. KCC added 10 years onto the project's lifetime, meaning landowners in Kansas will be held in limbo for nearly 20 years. Twenty years! Think about that for a moment. What if you had a cloud on your property for two decades? Say someone threatened to take over your kitchen using eminent domain, but never actually did it. And then the fridge broke. Would you want to buy a new fridge that someone else is just going to take? Of course not! And what if your job transferred you to another state while this was going on and you needed to sell your property? Who would buy a house where the kitchen was about to be taken by eminent domain? Holding landowners hostage on their own property for two decades, for free, mind you, is absolutely unconscionable.
The KCC's conditions for extending the deadline another 10 years:
- By December 2, 2024, Grain Belt shall show that through a combination of the following, a majority of the easements necessary to build the Kansas portion of the Project: (1) have been executed, (2) are demonstrably being negotiated, or (3) are subject to proceedings in state court. Alternatively, Grain Belt must show it has obtained financing for the complete Project. If Grain Belt is unable to meet the required percentage of easements or obtain financing, it is subject to sanctions or shall file a new transmission line siting permit application under K.S.A. 66-1, 178.
- By December 2, 2026, the percentage of easements necessary to build the Kansas portion of the Project escalates. If Grain Belt is unable to meet the required percentage of easements or obtain financing, it is subject to increased sanctions or shall file a new transmission line siting permit application under K.S.A. 66-1,178.
- By December 2, 2028, the percentage of easements necessary to build the Kansas portion of the Project escalates. If Grain Belt is unable to meet the required percentage of easements or obtain financing, Grain Belt must either: (1) shall file a new transmission line siting permit application under K.S.A. 66-1,178; or (b) abandon the Project and allow all easements to revert to the landowners.
Sanctions, you say? Surely you jest! What kind of "sanctions" could come out of a captured state agency that grants a 10-year extension when the regulated only asked for 5? The KCC continues to demonstrate its corporate ownership by ordering meaningless deadlines that it never enforces.
Invenergy is hiring to staff up the GBE project. Hans Detweiler's beard of unemployment has grown long waiting for this moment! He admitted as much during testimony before the Missouri PSC, where he pretended to be a Clean Line employee with knowledge about the project (although Hans was attached to RICL throughout its life). Poor Hans! All hope is dashed! Invenergy requires its new Vice President to be a degreed ENGINEER, not just a Poli Sci major who likes to masquerade as an engineer at landowner meetings. I wonder where Hans can buy an engineering degree real quick? Anybody know?
Alas, the job seems to be missing a requirement that this project guy have chameleon capabilities so that he's harder to find by landowners when things go wrong, but I'm sure that would be an unpublished plus.
Invenergy is hiring to staff up the GBE project. Hans Detweiler's beard of unemployment has grown long waiting for this moment! He admitted as much during testimony before the Missouri PSC, where he pretended to be a Clean Line employee with knowledge about the project (although Hans was attached to RICL throughout its life). Poor Hans! All hope is dashed! Invenergy requires its new Vice President to be a degreed ENGINEER, not just a Poli Sci major who likes to masquerade as an engineer at landowner meetings. I wonder where Hans can buy an engineering degree real quick? Anybody know?
Alas, the job seems to be missing a requirement that this project guy have chameleon capabilities so that he's harder to find by landowners when things go wrong, but I'm sure that would be an unpublished plus.
Invenergy has a new website for Grain Belt Express. I never thought I'd say this, but Clean Line's website for the project was much better. Invenergy's website is pretty devoid of useful information or opportunities for user interaction. It's almost like they haven't quite finished it yet and aren't ready to have it plastered all over the internet. Too bad, so sad.
There's pretty much nothing for landowners on Invenergy's website. I do note that the project is now 800 miles long, although Invenergy is using the same old project map. Where did the extra 50 miles of project come from? Or does the number 800 have a certain amount of luck or feng shui that 750 doesn't? Is Invenergy just that superstitious? Or do they actually think making the project sound longer is a good thing? It's not a good thing for landowners, but I don't think landowners are the target audience for this website. Perhaps Invenergy is working on a Facebook page for the project to give landowners an interactive portal? Miss Kitty Hamm can hardly wait!
Speaking of ham, I don't see a new round of landowner meetings designed for Invenergy to introduce itself to the subservient tenants who will maintain the real estate its money making project sits on in perpetuity. You're not even getting a ham dinner this time. It pretty much looks like Invenergy is just going to turn right around and file eminent domain on you whenever it wants. After all, why bother with the charade of "only as a last resort" when a state has granted you eminent domain authority? For a company unused to having the POWER of eminent domain to site its unwanted projects, I'm sure they just can't wait to use it.
There are still numerous substantial obstacles for GBE that Invenergy fails to mention on its website. First of all, the project has no customers! Without customers, it will never be built. Clean Line tried for nearly a decade to find customers (I mean real customers, not a bunch of greedy munis who think they're going to get a free lunch). What makes Invenergy think it can find customers now? Hey, guess what? Offshore wind. It's a thing. Nobody in PJM wants Invenergy's overpriced hot air. It also does not have a permit in Illinois and has not applied for one. It's just not true that simply buying utility property will make Invenergy a public utility in Illinois. If that's what Clean Line told Invenergy, the joke's on Invenergy. Getting GBE permitted in Illinois is close to impossible (and probably very, very expensive).
And then there's the pending appeal in Missouri. Oral arguments are coming up soon. Don't forget that GBE must receive the assent of every county crossed by the project before construction can begin. That's not going to be easy or cheap, either.
So, hey, Invenergy, you've got yourself a project! But you've also bought a huge, engaged and effective opposition that will thwart you at every turn. There's just no way to turn this "NO" into a "YES." Clean Line has created a deep-rooted hatred of fancy pants city guys on a money-making expedition to use rural America like their own personal slot machine. Sorry, you lose.
What's coming up for the opposition? Of course we don't publish our strategy (oops, sorry, Invenergy) ahead of time. Let's just say it's time to re-connect and get back to work. Let's kill GBE for good this time!
There's pretty much nothing for landowners on Invenergy's website. I do note that the project is now 800 miles long, although Invenergy is using the same old project map. Where did the extra 50 miles of project come from? Or does the number 800 have a certain amount of luck or feng shui that 750 doesn't? Is Invenergy just that superstitious? Or do they actually think making the project sound longer is a good thing? It's not a good thing for landowners, but I don't think landowners are the target audience for this website. Perhaps Invenergy is working on a Facebook page for the project to give landowners an interactive portal? Miss Kitty Hamm can hardly wait!
Speaking of ham, I don't see a new round of landowner meetings designed for Invenergy to introduce itself to the subservient tenants who will maintain the real estate its money making project sits on in perpetuity. You're not even getting a ham dinner this time. It pretty much looks like Invenergy is just going to turn right around and file eminent domain on you whenever it wants. After all, why bother with the charade of "only as a last resort" when a state has granted you eminent domain authority? For a company unused to having the POWER of eminent domain to site its unwanted projects, I'm sure they just can't wait to use it.
There are still numerous substantial obstacles for GBE that Invenergy fails to mention on its website. First of all, the project has no customers! Without customers, it will never be built. Clean Line tried for nearly a decade to find customers (I mean real customers, not a bunch of greedy munis who think they're going to get a free lunch). What makes Invenergy think it can find customers now? Hey, guess what? Offshore wind. It's a thing. Nobody in PJM wants Invenergy's overpriced hot air. It also does not have a permit in Illinois and has not applied for one. It's just not true that simply buying utility property will make Invenergy a public utility in Illinois. If that's what Clean Line told Invenergy, the joke's on Invenergy. Getting GBE permitted in Illinois is close to impossible (and probably very, very expensive).
And then there's the pending appeal in Missouri. Oral arguments are coming up soon. Don't forget that GBE must receive the assent of every county crossed by the project before construction can begin. That's not going to be easy or cheap, either.
So, hey, Invenergy, you've got yourself a project! But you've also bought a huge, engaged and effective opposition that will thwart you at every turn. There's just no way to turn this "NO" into a "YES." Clean Line has created a deep-rooted hatred of fancy pants city guys on a money-making expedition to use rural America like their own personal slot machine. Sorry, you lose.
What's coming up for the opposition? Of course we don't publish our strategy (oops, sorry, Invenergy) ahead of time. Let's just say it's time to re-connect and get back to work. Let's kill GBE for good this time!
RSS Feed