February 24, 2015
Illinois

Final public meetings set for electric transmission line

By Tim Landis, Business Editor | The State Journal-Register | Feb. 23, 2015 | www.sj-r.com

A third and final round of public meetings has been scheduled on a major power transmission line before developers ask regulators to approve the central Illinois portion of the project.

The 750-mile Grain Belt Express transmission line would carry electricity produced by Kansas wind farms across portions of Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois. The central Illinois portion would enter near Quincy on the Mississippi River and leave the state near Terra Haute, Indiana. The proposed corridor crosses portions of Pike, Scott, Greene, Macoupin, Montgomery, Christian, Shelby, Cumberland and Clark counties.

Developer Clean Line Energy, based in Houston, held a similar round of meetings in December and February. A company representative said Monday plans are to submit the project to the Illinois Commerce Commission by mid-year. Regulators in Illinois and Missouri still must approve Grain Belt Express. Kansas and Indiana regulators have approved the segments in those states.

An announcement from the company on Monday indicated alternative routes would be posted to the company website, grainbeltexpresscleanline.com, on Wednesday. Alternative route maps also will be available at the next round of meetings.

Public information meetings are scheduled for:

* 8-11 a.m. Monday, March 2, York Township Community Center, 502 E. Union St. in West Union; 4-7 p.m., Greenup Municipal Building, 115 E. Cumberland St. in Greenup.

* 8-11 a.m. Tuesday, March 3, Strasburg Community Building, 105 E. Commercial St., Strasburg; 4-7 p.m, Raymond Knights of Columbus Hall, 510 E. Sparks St, Raymond.

* 8-11 a.m. Wednesday, March 4, Fraternal Order of Eagles Post 4190, 185 U.S. 51 in Pana; 4-7 p.m., Virden Knights of Columbus Hall, 1320 N. Dye St., Virden.

* 8-11 a.m. Thursday, March 5, Nimrod Funk Building, 401 N. Walnut St., Winchester; 4-7 p.m., Carrollton Knights of Columbus Hall, U.S. 67, 1 mile south of Carrollton.

* 8-11 a.m. Friday, March 6, American Legion Post 152, 1302 W. Washington St., Pittsfield.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/02/24/final-public-meetings-set-for-electric-transmission-line/