The Missouri Attorney General is requesting the federal Department of Government Efficiency to investigate federal loans given to a clean energy transmission line that is expected through West Central Illinois.
Muddy River News reports Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has sent a letter to DOGE and Elon Musk calling for an immediate investigation into the nearly $5 billion in federal loan guarantee to be awarded to the Grain Belt Express project.
The Grain Belt Express project proposes constructing transmission lines across Missouri and Illinois farmland to transport wind-generated energy from Kansas to other states. The project has has been controversial among Missouri and Illinois farmers and landowners whose properties face confiscation through the use of eminent domain.
Local counties that are a part of the scope of the project include Pike, Scott, Greene, and Macoupin counties.
Bailey, a Republican, said the project is less about renewable energy and more about lining the pockets of wealthy investors. Bailey blames the loan on the Biden Administration and their advancement of what he calls a radical “green agenda.” The letter highlights that the GBE project has initiated nearly 40 eminent domain proceedings against Missouri landowners.
An Illinois appellate court lifted a stay on the project in September 2023. The Illinois Farm Bureau has and property owners have been fighting against the project since 2015.
According to the Grain Belt Express website, construction is scheduled to begin sometime this year and be completed by 2028, barring complications.