Wind Transmission Project Supported in Missouri Appeals Court Ruling

An established Missouri attorney, Douglas Healy works on administrative and litigation matters for major clients including the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission. An appellate case that attorney Douglas Healy successfully represented in 2019 centered on infrastructure that will bring electricity from Kansas wind turbines to power plants and end-users across several states.

In early 2019, the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) ruled in favor of the Grain Belt Express transmission line project, as regulators decided it met public interest thresholds. Through the issuance of a certificate of convenience and necessity (CCN), that was issued in appellate court. They contended that valuable agricultural land would be destroyed in a project that primarily serves the interests of private investors.

Facing the loss of approximately 10 acres of agricultural land, appeals by the Missouri Farm Bureau and the Missouri Landowners Alliance claimed that this was unreasonable and unlawful. The appellate ruling was that “clear and satisfactory evidence” was not presented as to why the PSC ruling should be invalidated. Public benefits of the Invenergy-funded project include 250 megawatts in new renewable electricity capacity and annual customer savings in the $12 million range.