Wind power line proposal irks some Midwest farmers

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — The windy plains of Kansas could be a
treasure trove in the nation’s effort to harness clean energy, but a
major proposal to move wind-generated electricity eastward is running
into a roadblock: Farmers who don’t want high-power transmission lines
on their land.
Clean Line Energy Partners wants to spend $2.2
billion to build a 750-mile-long high-voltage overhead transmission
line. Towers 110 to 150 feet tall, 4-6 per mile, would carry lines with
power generated by Kansas’ modernistic windmill turbines through
sparsely populated northern Missouri, through the cornfields of Illinois
and to a substation in Sullivan, Ind. The exact route has not been
finalized.
The idea is supported by environmental groups who say
it is an opportunity to take a big step forward for an energy source
that could reduce the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels and cut air
pollution. Clean Line has four other transmission line projects in the
works in the West and Midwest.
All five still require regulatory
approval. If all goes right, the Kansas-to-Indiana line — called the
Green Belt Express Clean Line — could be operational by 2018, said Mark
Lawlor, director of development for Clean Line.
"There are a whole
host of wind developers who are ready to go but they don’t have the
ability to transmit the power," Lawlor said. "But like an oil or gas
field that’s remotely located, you’ve got to find a way to get that
resource to market."
Clean Line says the project will be an
economic boon, with all four states seeing new jobs for construction and
local companies providing things like parts and concrete. Lawlor said
consumers would benefit, too, by the new source of power that would
drive down electricity costs.
Kansas figures to benefit the most.
Clean Line projects that more than $7 billion of new wind projects will
be needed to meet demand created by the line, potentially creating
thousands of new jobs in Kansas and making the state a hub of wind
energy.
Randi Tveitaraas Jack, energy coordinator for the Kansas
Department of Commerce, said the agency doesn’t endorse individual
projects, but that in general, "We’re very supportive of the wind
industry in Kansas and continued growth, and transmission is an
important piece of that."
Both the property owner and the counties
where the towers would be built stand to make money. A typical county
could see $800,000 annually in property taxes, Lawlor said.
As for
property owners, compensation will depend on how much easement is
needed, the value of the land and other factors. Lawlor gave an example
of an easement stretching half a mile across land valued at $5,000 an
acre, housing two tower structures. The owner would get about $45,500
for the easement and a one-time payment of $18,000 for each structure — a
total of $81,500. Owners could also opt for smaller annual payments for
the structures.
Yet many landowners have organized in opposition
to Clean Line. They worry about whether the towers and lines will reduce
property values, get in the way of farming operations like crop-dusting
and irrigation, and even create health risks for those living so close
to high-voltage wires.
"This is some of our best ground," said
Kent Dye, 56, who farms about 7,000 acres in northeast Missouri’s Monroe
County. "This line — there’s no proven need for it. There are no
contracts to provide power, no contracts to sell on the other end."
Then
there are property rights issues. Clean Line filed an application with
the Missouri Public Service Commission in January for approval to
operate as a public utility, a move that would grant eminent domain
rights. Similar approval would be needed in Illinois. Clean Line already
operates as a public utility in Kansas and Indiana.
Many along
the route worry that a private company could simply take over land that
in some cases has been in families for generations.
"We have
sacrificed everything for this land," said Jennifer Gatrel, 33, who,
along with her husband, Jeff, farms a 430-acre cattle ranch in western
Missouri. "We don’t go on vacation. We don’t go out to eat. Everything
we have is tied up in this land. The idea that somebody can come in and
take it from us is appalling and it goes against what it is to be an
American."
Lawlor said the company prefers not to use eminent
domain and wants to reach agreements with landowners. He also cited
studies showing that power lines and towers have no effect on property
values.
"When they sit down and talk to us and get the information
about the reality of the project, I think we’re succeeding in clearing
the air," he said.
Not as far as Gatrel is concerned.
"There are already significant barriers to farming," Gatrel said. "This would be another
major barrier."
___
Associated Press reporter Jim Suhr in St. Louis contributed to this report.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights
reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
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