DOE cancels $4.9B loan for energy project Illinois lawmaker calls a
'scam'
[August 02, 2025]
By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributor
(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Energy has canceled $4.9
billion in federal loans for the Grain Belt Express, a proposed
multistate transmission line that faced pushback from Illinois
landowners over concerns about property rights and eminent domain.
State Rep. Chris Miller, R-Oakland, praised the DOE’s decision and
called the project a “scam” driven by global investors and green energy
lobbyists.
“This is a huge win for taxpayers in Illinois and across the United
States,” Miller said in an interview. “It was an assault on property
rights, on the livelihoods of Illinois farmers, and I’m proud to stand
with my constituents against this scam.”
The 800-mile Grain Belt Express aimed to carry wind power from Kansas
eastward but drew rural backlash over eminent domain, including
opposition at a 2024 Meade County Kansas Corporation Commission hearing
where resident Barbra Parker spoke.
"The current plan would place it approximately 150 feet from my front
door. Over the years, through that very door, have walked my
grandfather, my father, my grandmother, my mother, myself, and now my
daughter Kate — four generations of farmers and ranchers,” said Parker.
“So I'm asking Invenergy to work with me on possibly adjusting the route
or considering micrositing alternatives. I’m asking that the commission
oversee and ensure that micrositing is used.”
Micrositing in wind energy means fine-tuning turbine placement to boost
output and reduce environmental impact.
Supporters say the Grain Belt Express would improve grid reliability,
deliver lower-cost clean energy to major population centers and generate
economic activity along its route.
In 2023, when the ICC approved the project, Mark Denzler, president and
CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association said in a news release,
“This project will deliver billions in energy cost savings. Energy
infrastructure investment is key to ensuring our region maintains our
traditional energy cost advantage and manufacturing competitiveness.”
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Alan Wooten | The Center Square
Miller criticized the project as a costly green energy push that
threatens farmland and drives up electric bills.
"All you see at night are red blinking lights, and during the day,
you see thousands—tens of thousands—of acres covered in solar
panels, taking up the best farmland God ever created,” said Miller.
The Grain Belt Express transmission project has faced major legal
challenges in Illinois over whether it qualifies as a public utility
and if the Illinois Commerce Commission has the authority to approve
it. In 2018, the 5th District Appellate Court ruled the ICC lacked
authority to grant the necessary certificate because Grain Belt
Express did not meet the definition of a public utility.
In response, the Illinois General Assembly passed a law in 2021
allowing private developers to seek public utility status, leading
the ICC to approve the project in 2023. However, the appellate court
reversed that approval in 2024 due to concerns about the company’s
financing, and the case is now before the Illinois Supreme Court.
Miller explained the Illinois Farm Bureau and landowner groups have
long challenged the ICC’s approval of the project.
“This fight is happening at the grassroots because Illinois citizens
don’t want this. They see it as a complete scam and blame J.B.
Pritzker’s energy policies for skyrocketing electric bills—almost
like a second mortgage on their homes,” said Miller.
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