Committee Looks at Eminent Domain Changes

A priority for the Missouri Legislature’s Joint Committee on Agriculture next session is changing the use of eminent domain for utility purposes. The years-long effort is in response to Invenergy’s Grain Belt Express project. The company wants to build a high-voltage power transmission line across eight northern Missouri counties. During a committee hearing Wednesday, B.J. Tanksley with Missouri Farm Bureau says the use of eminent domain in private property rights continues to be an area of concern for members. Farm Bureau opposes the Grain Belt Express project.

Invenergy says Grain Belt Express would support 15-hundred construction jobs over three years, and it would deliver millions of dollars in annual energy savings for 39 Missouri towns.