Trump Administration Continues Political Attack on Renewable Energy

St. Louis, Mo- The Department of Energy (DOE) cancelled its loan for the shovel-ready Grain Belt Express transmission project that would quickly strengthen grid reliability and resilience, create jobs during construction, and lower electricity costs for small towns throughout Kansas and Missouri.

When it approved the project, the Missouri Public Service Commission found that Grain Belt would save Missouri customers $17 billion in lower electric bills. Additionally, the PSC found:

Need is also evident in that the Project is needed for reliability and resiliency of the grid and for national security. And by increasing the size of the transmission capacity and adding the Tiger Connector, including moving the converter station and AC line, the Project will bring the interconnectivity to multiple regions to improve the reliability and resiliency of the grid for Missourians and in the interest of national security. This will help guard against price spikes and outages such as those experienced by Winter Storm Uri and Elliot.

Prompted by a conversationbetween Missouri Senator Josh Hawley and Donald Trump, DOE Secretary Wright continued the Trump Administration's actions to defund and block renewable energy projects throughout the country with the cancellation of the Grain Belt Express's loan.

Missouri is a coal-dependent state, in the midst of a transition to cleaner sources of power. The Grain Belt transmission line would deliver 2.5 gigawatts of around-the-clock electricity - mostly from wind - to Missouri in the first phase of the project. Missouri is home to two of the deadliest coal plantsin the country, Ameren's Labadie coal plant and AECI's New Madrid coal plant. The project would provide options to Missouri towns for where they can buy power if looking for cheaper and cleaner electricity.

Statement from Gretchen Waddell-Barwick, Director of the Sierra Club Missouri Chapter:

"Today's decision continues the Republican agenda of extracting wealth from average American families and transferring it to the richest corporations in the history of the world. It's sadly predictable that Senator Hawley doesn't care that this project played by the rules, received multiple state approvals, and withstood legal challenges. This reeks of desperation to satisfy political interests at the expense of Missouri families and businesses throughout the state that may have to pay higher electric rates because of this decision."

The following quotes were taken from a 2022 E&E News story detailing the benefits of the Grain Belt project for Missouri towns:

• Jeff Bergstrom, general manager for municipal utilities in Marshall, said the savings from the project were important to his community to help spur growth.
• Dennis Klusmeyer, city superintendent for Shelbina, said his community would see $142,000 in annual savings, a 5 percent reduction in costs, which would be passed along to local businesses.
• Nici Wilson, city administrator for Odessa, said reduced energy costs would help offset rising labor costs and provide reliable electricity.

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.