Farmers on both sides of eminent domain debate
“A number of pipeline and power line projects have been proposed in Midwest states in recent months, and there are farmers lined up on both sides of the issue.
The projects themselves are in various stages of advancing through the regulatory process.
In Iowa, the big-name projects are the Dakota Access, LLC, also known as the Bakken crude oil pipeline, and the proposed Rock Island Clean Line electric transmission line. In Missouri, officials are looking at the Grain Belt Express power line and the Mark Twain transmission line, also known as the Ameren line. In Illinois, they are also considering the Ameren and the Rock Island, as well as the Dakota Access.
In Iowa, the Iowa Utilities Board, a three-member commission, is charged with approval of new electrical transmission lines and pipelines. In Illinois, it is the Illinois Commerce Commission, and in Missouri, it is the Public Service Commission.
None of these projects is under construction yet. All have been proposed and are being considered by the state officials. All face some opposition from farmers and landowners.
“Our members have had two years of really good debates on this,” says Don Petersen, government affairs director for the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation.”
Lucht, Gene. Iowa Farmer Today 25 February 2015.