An estimated 250 people packed into one of the Audrain County Courthouse’ basement rooms the evening of July 18.
Centralia-area farmers look at a map showing the possible path of a revived Grain Belt/Invenergy power line.
They were there to hear Audrain County Farm Bureau’s Clarissa Cauthorn and attorney Brent Haden explain how a project most had thought was dead, might be resurrected and require strips of their land in Audrain, Monroe and Callaway counties.
Landowners at points north of Centralia recently received a letter letting them know that names such as Invenergy and Grain Belt were once again interested in running power lines across their land. With it returned concerns that taking easements by eminent domain was a possibility as part of the project’s expansion.
The new wrinkle in the project, the expansion, according to the Grain Belt Express website, rainbeltexpress.com/tiger-connector.html, is called the Tiger Connector. “The Grain Belt Express Tiger Connector is an approximately 40-mile-long electric transmission line that will connect existing power infrastructure located in Callaway County, Missouri to new power delivery. This new power delivery is provided by the Grain Belt Express transmission line to be built in North Missouri. In linking Grain Belt Express to existing infrastructure, Tiger Connector will bring the economic and energy benefits of the Grain Belt Express transmission line to more Missouri homes, businesses and communities.”
For the complete article, see this week’s edition of the Centralia Fireside Guard.
