Shelbyville, IL-(Effingham Radio)- In accordance with 2020 ILCS5/8-406, Invenergy Transmission LLC, an affiliate of Invenergy LLC, hereby provides notice to the Shelby County Clerk of the first of three phases (“Phase 1”) of public meetings for the Grain Belt Express project. The Phase 1 meeting will be conducted on February 9, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Strasburg Community Building at 105 East Commercial Street, Strasburg, IL 62465.
Enclosed with this letter are copies of the meeting advertisements that will be published in the Effingham Daily News on January 24, January 31, and February 7, 2022, as well as a copy of the primary and alternate routes being considered in your county.
Project Background
Grain Belt Express is a proposed long-distance transmission line that will carry more affordable, reliable power to consumers in Illinois and other states, connecting more Americans to domestic, clean electricity sources. The project is expected to be built at no cost to Illinois consumers.
In 2018, Invenergy Transmission LLC (“Invenergy Transmission”) signed an agreement to buy the Grain Belt Express project from Clean Line Energy Partners. In early 2020, Invenergy Transmission became the full and sole owner of the Grain Belt Express project. Invenergy Transmission is an affiliate of Invenergy, an Illinois-based company with a successful track record building clean energy projects. Invenergy Transmission and Invenergy have no affiliation with Clean Line Energy Partners.
Having secured project siting approvals in the three other states where the project is located (Kansas, Missouri, and Indiana), Grain Belt Express is now beginning the process of pursuing state regulatory
approval before the Illinois Commerce Commission. As part of this process Grain Belt Express is seeking input through public meetings on the primary and alternate routes that will run approximately 200 miles through Central Illinois, from Pike County on the Mississippi River to Clark County on the Indiana state line. The primary and alternate routes being considered are substantially similar to those presented to the Illinois Commerce Commission in 2015 when Clean Line Energy Partners previously applied for a siting permit in Illinois.
Public Meeting Process
Following the Phase 1 meeting in February, we anticipate holding a Phase 2 meeting in March and a Phase 3 meeting in April in Shelby County. As required by statute, you will receive a notice letter prior to each of these meetings in Shelby County.
The Phase 1 meeting will be an open house format and attendees can come and go as they please. No formal presentation will be given during the meeting. Your safety is important to us. Accordingly, the meeting will be conducted in a manner consistent with current applicable COVID-19 guidance
from federal, state, and local authorities. Any persons that are medically at-risk or otherwise do not feel comfortable attending in person are encouraged to participate virtually, along with those who may need to isolate due to COVID or other reasons at the time of the meeting. The self-paced, virtual meeting will be available between February 7 and February 21, 2022, and will be accessible on www.GrainBeltExpress.com.
Powering Economic Growth in Illinois
In Illinois, Grain Belt Express will create an estimated 2,200 jobs, bring at least $1.2 billion in new economic activity for Illinois, and provide $33 million in new tax revenue to local communities over the next 20 years. Once completed, the line will deliver cost savings and improve reliability for consumers across the region.
For additional information about the project, visit our website at www.Grain BeltExpress.com, leave a message on our hotline at 866.452.4082, or email us at connect@grainbeltexpress.com. Additionally, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at pwhitty@invenergy.com or 515.988.3650. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.
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