Missouri AG slams ongoing ‘Grain Belt Express’ project as a “rip-off”

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey slammed the Grain Belt Express project.

The plan is to bring an electric transmission line that Invenergy is planning to build is meant to supply 5,000 megawatts of additional U.S. energy delivery capacity.

The transmission line will run through Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana, totaling 800 miles.

During his appearance on “Mornings with Maria” on Fox Business, Bailey called the Grain Belt Express project a “rip-off for all Missourians” and that it has been “since day 1.”

“None of the promises they made to regulators or the public here in the state of Missouri have been fulfilled, and they don’t have the electrons to push through the power lines,” Bailey said. “Moreover, to the extent we need these new transmission lines, why aren’t they being built over existing footprints rather than harming Missouri agriculture, which is the foundation of our economy here in the state of Missouri?”

Bailey also said the company is “attempting to rebrand the project as somehow aligned with the president’s goal of unleashing energy” after it was “sold as a way to create renewable energy sources to fulfill the Green New Deal” when it was introduced years ago.

But others see it differently.

“This announcement shows once again how much Missouri can contribute to big infrastructure projects like this transmission line, which will help bring energy savings and reliability to 39 municipal utilities across the state,” Missouri Speaker of the House Jon Patterson said at the time. “It’s great to see Grain Belt Express continuing to invest in Missouri and support our workers, especially after their recent agreements with Hubbell Power Systems in Centralia and the Missouri Public Utility Alliance.”

The two contract awards were also highlighted by the Trump administration and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, with the latter saying in posts on X that the project will “help meet demand” for more power and “increase reliability for millions of Americans.”

Overall, Invenergy has estimated the Grain Belt Express will save Americans $52 billion in energy costs over a decade and a half.