MoSaysNo

Fighting the infiltration of Solar Farms, Grain Belt Express, and Wind Turbines in Missouri

Author: admin

Audrain County

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If you live in Audrain County and aren’t aware, industrial solar farms, nearly 400 ft. tall wind turbines, and approximately 160 ft. tall transmission towers carrying 2,500 MW of power through their lines, are being planned for your near future. 

While the solar farms and wind turbines are voluntarily leased out on their land by your fellow landowners, the transmission line from Grain Belt Express is not. 

Instead, Grain Belt Express is forcing its way across Missouri and through Monroe, Audrain, and Callaway Counties via eminent domain. 

The Solar Farms, Wind Turbines, and Transmission Line Relationship

While some residents have no problem with wind turbines and solar farms, but are against the transmission lines, what they don’t understand is that all of these companies are connected. 

The solar and wind companies need the transmission lines to move their generated electricity.  The transmission lines need the wind and solar farms to use their lines to move the electricity.

If you are a farmer or landowner thinking of leasing your land to industrial wind or solar project developers, keep in mind that when you open the door to one of these companies, you open your door to ALL of them, including ones that can use eminent domain to take your property for their profit.

Confirmed Projects

Given how intentionally discreet these companies tend to be with the details of their projects, here are the projects in Audrain County we know about:

•  Huck Finn Solar Project  (EDF Renewables/Ameren Missouri):  ¹2,500 acres on the border of Ralls and Audrain Counties, with an estimated 2,050 acres in Audrain County and 450 acres in Ralls County

•  Envoy Solar  (Azimuth Renewables/Birch Creek Development):  ²438 acres with 128,000 solar panels located south of Vandiver Village and Norfolk and Western Railroad, east of the A.P. Green facility and west of Highway 54 in Mexico

•  Firebrick Wind Project  (Cordelia Power/Tenaska):  ³100 wind turbines nearly 400 ft. tall will be erected east of Mexico on 30,000 acres as part of a 30-year project.  The project began in Jan. 2020 with the first landowner signed up in Feb. 2020.  Construction is set to begin in 2025 and become operational in 2026.

•  Grain Belt Express is attempting to use eminent domain through Missouri and as part of their 40-mile ‘Tiger Connector‘ high-voltage transmission line with nearly 160 ft. towers through Monroe, Audrain, and Callaway County.  The line will carry renewably generated electricity that will connect with the McCredie and (under construction) Burns substations north of Kingdom City

•  Altona Solar:  300 acres north of Centralia is currently under construction.  Locals say the developer is seeking additional land. 

*All of the above information regarding the wind, solar, and transmission line projects will be updated as more information and updates are known.
Sources:  ¹https://www.eqmagpro.com/solar-project-coming-to-audrain-ralls-counties/ and https://www.wgem.com/2022/07/29/ameren-missouri-build-largest-ever-solar-facility-ralls-audrain-counties/
²https://www.centralmoinfo.com/mexico-approves-solar-farm/, https://kxeo.com/2023/04/12/mexico-city-councils-approves-permit-to-construct-solar-farm/, and https://azimuth-renewables.com/envoy-solar/
³https://www.vandalialeader.com/index.php/cordelio-power-shares-progress-on-firebrick-wind-project/, https://www.power-technology.com/marketdata/power-plant-profile-firebrick-wind-farm-us/, and https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1FNQ4I7W5wY46qc3yV70GKa02gFh4Vq8&ll=39.25550560731583%2C-91.59370138888889&z=13

Firebrick Wind Project Location Details 

Details of where this wind farm or wind turbine locations will be are currently unknown.  When we inquired to the writer of the most recent article about this project we could find in ‘The Vandalia Leader’ from March 2023, we were told he “couldn’t get any definitive answers on exact locations.  Cordelio would only say that the leased properties were close to Vandalia city limits.” 

In our research, we found that the ‘Northeast Missouri Wind Info.‘ site shared the map below regarding permits they found for proposed wind turbine projects in Audrain County as of 6/15/22.  This may give some idea of where the turbines could be put up.

Proposed Wind Turbines in Audrain County as of 6/15/22.  Click here to get GPS coordinates of the turbines and zoom in on the map.

Grain Belt Express and Tiger Connector Details

In addition to the wind and solar companies trying to force their way into Audrain County through their deceptive ways, the county has also been targeted by Grain Belt Express. 

Grain Belt Express is trying to run a 5,000 MW high-voltage transmission line to carry wind turbine-generated electricity through Missouri from Kansas to Indiana.  Along that route, they are trying to connect to the McCredie power substation, and the new Burns substation if approved by grid officials, to offload their electricity via the ‘Tiger Connector’.

This line, proposed to be built near our homes and across our fields and pastures on approximately 160 ft. tall towers, will carry 2,500 MW.

At a Public Service Commission (PSC) hearing in March ’23 on approving Grainbelt’s request to run their ‘Tiger Connector’ line, many landowners spoke out against it, sharing their bad experiences with Grain Belt Express. 

From seniors being threatened to landowners being lied to about being the only ones to not sign their agreement, there were a number of stories depicting what kind of company Grain Belt Express is and how they feel about those whose land they want to take.

One farmer who was concerned about some trees his cattle calved in being removed for the transmission line, was told by Grain Belt Express that the line wouldn’t be moved to accommodate his cattle.

In conclusion, a privately owned, FOR-PROFIT company is trying to FORCE Audrain County and residents from neighboring counties to give up their land for this transmission line, so the company can make money on the renewable electricity generated that it is mostly sending out-of-state, from wind and solar projects most people don’t want. 

In October ’23, despite hearing numerous landowners’ testimony, a four-day hearing where many organizations and others spoke out against the line, and with few customers to justify the transmission line, the Missouri Public Service Commission chose to approve Grain Belt Express’ request to build the Tiger Connector.

You can zoom in on the map of the route of the Grain Belt Express from Kansas to Indiana, including the ‘Tiger Connector’ route by clicking here.

Their Gain is Our Loss

With their nearly $50,000 per acre government subsidies to develop these areas into green energy, this is not something that only a few companies will be partaking in.  Nor will it be going away anytime soon.

Instead, there are too many companies to count out there actively discreetly looking and seeking out landowners to solicit for the development of wind and solar.  We hear about new ones sending out letters all the time, especially targeting seniors, trusts, and out-of-state landowners.

Many of these companies are subsidiaries and LLCs with U.S. addresses under an umbrella of a foreign-owned company.  They also have no long-term history to prove that they keep the promises they tell everyone.

At a meeting at the capital, a lobbyist for the solar industry stated that their goal is to acquire 80,000 acres in Missouri for solar.  We’re not sure if that was just his company or the entire solar industry, but either way, that’s a lot of farmland land and landscape going to be affected.

Educated Residents Are Their Biggest Fear

Education about this industry, its tactics, and its dirty little secrets are these companies’ biggest fear, which is why this information MUST be read, shared, and action taken NOW. 

As if using our own tax money to take our food-producing farmland, potentially jeopardizing our health, destroying the land and our views, as well as negatively impacting our property value wasn’t bad enough, make sure you read our ‘FACTS’ page here, for more information.

Not Acting is Not an Option

The only way to defend this invasion is for everyone in Audrain County to speak up.  Let every local, state, and U.S. representative and decision-making committee listed below know your opposition to these unreliable, intrusive, and potentially harmful tax-payer-funded projects.

This is a massive invasion that is quietly and quickly taking place.  As you read this, landowners, quite possibly those around you, are being solicited to lease out their land to wind turbine or solar farm developers for 30+ years.

You may also be unaware that your neighbor has been approached and is selling off their land rights to a transmission line company that may be planning to put their towers near your house. 

You’ll have no idea any of this is even a possibility as you look out over your yard at the neighboring field or pasture, enjoying your hard-earned rural view.

Unfortunately, this is a very real possibility for many rural residents and why not acting to protect your county and beloved views is not an option. 

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

Contact your local county commissioners and tell them you DO NOT WANT wind turbines, solar farms, or the Grain Belt Express transmission line in your county.

Let the commissioners know that you don’t want this ugly, unreliable, and dangerous alternative energy taking up our valuable farmland, reducing our property values, and turning our beautiful county into a potentially polluted industrial green energy mess.

Here are the Audrain County Commissioners and their contact information to let them know how you feel about wind, solar, and transmission lines flooding into Audrain County.

Alan Winders
Presiding Commissioner
Email:  awinders@audraincounty.org

Tracy Graham
Western District Commissioner
Email:  tgraham@audraincounty.org

Leslie Meyer
Eastern District Commissioner
Email:  lmeyer@audraincounty.org
Cell:  573-473-1567

County Commissioners Main Phone Number:  573-473-5822

Address:  Audrain County Courthouse, 101 N. Jefferson St., Mexico, MO  65265

Contact your state and U.S. representatives and senators and let them know you oppose these companies destroying your beautiful county.

Missouri House of Representatives
Audrain/Callaway/Monroe County residents contact Kent Haden via email at Kent.Haden@house.mo.gov and phone at 573-751-3649

Missouri Senator
Audrain/Randolph/Monroe/Ralls/Macon/Shelby/Marion/Adair/Knox/Lewis/Schuyler/Scotland/Clark County residents contact Cindy O’Laughlin via her contact page here, and by phone at 573-751-7985

U.S. House of Representatives
6th District of Missouri, including Audrain County, contact Congressman Sam Graves via his contact page here, and by phone at 816-792-3976

U.S. Senators
Josh Hawley can be contacted here, and by phone at 202-224-6154
Eric Schmidt can be contacted here, and by phone at 202-224-5721

Show your support by reading over this entire website to get all the details of what’s happening.  Spread the word by putting up a yard sign, and talking to friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors about how big and serious this issue is.  Make your opposition known to your county commissioners and U.S. and state representatives and committees.

Sign up for our newsletter here to get the latest updates about local and state happenings related to our fight against wind, solar, and transmission lines.  You’ll also be notified of upcoming meetings and Capitol visits to urge our state legislators to pass laws helping us to have a say against these corporations that are invading our counties.  Updates and information will also include what is happening in Callaway County.

Visit the websites below to get updates and learn more:

(Local, national, and worldwide news on wind, solar, Grain Belt Express) Facebook Page:   Audrain County, MO•Grain Belt & Solar Invasion

(Worldwide victims of Industrial Wind Turbine Syndrome) Facebook Page:  Victims of Industrial Wind

(Updates about life for one family in Australia living next to a wind farm) Facebook Page:  Diary of a Wind Farm Neighbour

(Updates on Invenergy/Grain Belt Express (aka GBE)) Website:  Stop Path WV with relevant previous articles here, here, here, and here.

(Northeast  Missouri wind turbine fight, progress, and living with wind turbines) Website:  Northeast Missouri Wind Energy Information

(Wind farm news and updates) Website:  National Wind Watch and ‘What to do when your community is targeted‘

(Robert Bryce is an author, journalist, film producer, and podcaster who has been writing about energy, power, innovation, and politics for more than 30 years)  Substack Articles:  https://robertbryce.substack.com/archive

Be sure to visit our other pages:     FACTS Page          Latest News & Meetings          Testimonials          Learn More          Get a Yard Sign

 

 

 

 

 

 

Callaway County

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Unbeknownst to many, Callaway County has become a hotbed of behind-the-scenes activity in the last couple of years as the government’s ‘climate crisis’ narrative and ‘green energy’ push has intensified.

Add in all the government tax credits and subsidies the Biden administration is offering and you have a market ripe for companies looking for easy targets to make big profits.

Solar Farm Developers Crept and Crawled Into Callaway County

The first proposed solar project to come to light in Callaway County was in New Bloomfield in 2021.  Since then, we’ve learned that several farmers and landowners in the Kingdom City and Hatton area quietly signed leases with solar farm developers.

If the solar developers exercise their option to put the land they have leased into solar farms, their leases will be for around 30 to 40 years.  Thousands of acres of land and many homeowners will be affected by this massive industrial-scale solar invasion.

With their sweet promises of steady and predictable incomes and low impact on the use of the property, these developers have all painted a rosy picture.

Time will tell for sure, but the old saying “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” seems to ring true from the evidence we continue to uncover online.  As more wind and solar projects go in all over the U.S., more horror stories are coming out and will continue to.  It’s basic math.

The law of large numbers

The law of large numbers is a fundamental concept in probability theory.  It states that, as the number of trials or experiments increases, the average of the results of those experiments will converge to the expected value.  In other words, as the sample size increases, the average of the observed results will become more and more representative of the true value.

Unfortunately, many of the companies making these wonderful promises have not been in business for more than a few years.  Therefore, they have no historical data on how low of an impact they make on the property because they have no long-term projects out there they can point to.

Also, being set up as LLCs, the owners are protected if the company shuts down or goes bankrupt, including as a result of the government subsidies stopping.  Solar developers also tend to sell their projects, sometimes numerous times, making getting those promises fulfilled, much harder.

All one has to do is look at our Testimonials page to see the firsthand destruction and noise these solar farms cause.  They are LOUD during the construction phase and once they are up and running, despite every single company telling the local residents they wouldn’t be.  They all also claim there will be no glare off the panels.  That too, is incorrect.

The proof of the deception of these companies is all over our Testimonials page, so make sure you look at and share it with your neighbors, because this is what our new way of life will look and sound like if these companies get their way.

It’s all about the Money

Sadly, by choosing to lease out their land for solar farms, the farmers and landowners have opened the door to other “green” projects, including transmission lines, with the authority to use eminent domain, to pour into our rural community.

If we had all been united against our community being turned into an industrial green energy area instead of divided by opportunity for ourselves at whatever cost to our neighbors, these companies would likely have moved on.

With no idea that our county and rural community was being targeted by companies wanting to turn it into a giant ugly and noisy industrial green energy area, both local and state levels of government were caught unprepared without any sort of specific guidelines in place.

That included any laws or ordinances in place to protect all the homeowners who would suddenly find themselves living next to ugly, noisy, potentially harmful, industrial projects with no restrictions of any kind.

Instead of being forthcoming and transparent with their intentions, these companies, many of which are foreign-owned, have chosen to be sneaky and secretive to try to get their way.

With all the government subsidies, estimated at almost $50,000 per acre, and tax breaks, there is too much profit at stake for these companies to risk getting any pushback from residents.

That’s why NDAs are used on farmers and landowners to secure the land, and development plans are already well along before anyone even knows anything about them.  It’s all by design.

Confirmed Projects

Here are the proposed projects we’re aware of:

• Show Me State Solar Project (via Ranger Power):  14 landowners, 5,820 acres leased north of Kingdom City

• Golden Harvest Solar Project (via Savion):  6 landowners, 2,350 acres leased west of Hatton

• Guthrie Solar Project (via NextEra):  5 landowners, 600 acres leased in New Bloomfield

• Grain Belt Express is a for-profit private company given public utility status in 2019 by the Public Service Commission that allows them to use eminent domain.  In October ’23 to Missouri Public Commission approved their request to build a 40-mile ‘Tiger Connector‘ transmission line that will connect with the McCredie and most likely (currently under construction) Burns substations north of Kingdom City

• Burns Power Station (owned by Ameren, to serve as Interconnection by Ranger Power):  14-acre facility for the Show Me State Solar Project’s electricity transmission located north of Kingdom City near McCredie substation has recently begun construction

In addition, we’ve been told that an additional 518 acres have been leased to an unknown solar company.

With the confirmed parcels leased,  that will mean that if these projects become reality, there will be 8,770 acres or nearly 14 square miles of land leased for solar farms in Callaway County.  That figure doesn’t include the possible 518-acre parcel since we cannot confirm a lease is for sure signed.   (as of August 2023)

Map of at least 4,106 acres of land that will be part of the ‘Show Me State Solar Project’ north of Kingdom City.  (Photo from Show Me State Solar’s website)

Grain Belt Express and Tiger Connector Details

In addition to the solar and possible wind turbine companies trying to force their way into Callaway County, the county has also been targeted by Grain Belt Express.

Grain Belt Express is trying to run a 5,000 MW high-voltage transmission line to carry wind turbine-generated electricity through Missouri from Kansas to Indiana.  Along that route, they intend to connect to the McCredie power substation, and the new Burns substation if approved by grid officials, to offload their electricity via the ‘Tiger Connector’.

This line, proposed to be built near our homes and across our fields and pastures on approximately 160 ft. tall towers, will be capable of carrying 2,500 MW.  Despite no real customers to speak of and very few affected landowners willing to sign over their property rights, in October (2023) the PSC approved Grain Belt’s request to build the Tiger Connector.

At a Public Service Commission (PSC) hearing in March 2023 on approving Grainbelt’s request for the ‘Tiger Connector’ line, many landowners spoke out against it, sharing their bad experiences with Grain Belt Express.

From seniors being threatened to landowners being lied to about being the only ones to not sign their agreement, there were a number of stories depicting what kind of company Grain Belt Express is and how they feel about those whose land they want to take.

One farmer who was concerned about some trees his cattle calved in being removed for the transmission line, was told by Grain Belt Express that the line wouldn’t be moved to accommodate his cattle.

To summarize, a privately owned, FOR-PROFIT company has been granted the right by the Missouri Public Service Commission to FORCE Callaway County and residents from neighboring counties to give up their land for this possibly dangerous transmission line, so the company can make money on the renewable electricity generated that it is mostly sending out-of-state, from wind and solar projects most people don’t want.

You can zoom in on the map of the route of the Grain Belt Express from Kansas to Indiana, including the ‘Tiger Connector’ route by clicking here.

The Solar Farms, Wind Turbines, and Transmission Line Relationship

While we currently don’t have any confirmed wind turbine projects in Callaway County, our county commissioners have recently been approached by at least one wind turbine developer to see what ordinances there are that would restrict them.

While wind and solar farms, as well as transmission lines, may seem harmless and actually good for our area and the climate crisis, they are anything but.  In addition to being an unreliable source of energy, there are numerous downsides, including severe health issues that can be caused by them, which we share here on our ‘FACTS PAGE’ and here on our ‘TESTIMONIALS’ page.

Eminent domain being exercised by a private, for-profit company also sets a dangerous precedent for other companies to use for their own personal monetary gain.

Some residents are for the wind and solar, but against the transmission lines, but what they don’t understand is that all of these companies are connected.  The solar and wind companies need the transmission lines to move their generated electricity.  The transmission lines need the wind and solar farms to use their lines to move the electricity.

The companies will tell you that’s not true, but like the long list of things they say to try to get their way and all the money being thrown at them for getting it, it IS the truth.  Documents they file with organizations like the PSC (Public Service Commission) to get approval for these projects, confirm that.

Speak Up and Save Our County

The only way to defend this invasion of our county is for everyone in Callaway County to speak up.

It only takes a few minutes to call or send an email letting every local, state and U.S. representative and decision-making committee know your opposition.

While you may not be directly affected by any of these projects right now, there’s no guarantee that you won’t be at some point.  So much money has been thrown at these renewable companies by our government, it’s naive to think the above projects will be the only ones.

At a hearing at the Capitol regarding a tax bill being proposed against solar, one lobbyist stood up and said they planned to acquire 80,000 acres in Missouri for solar.

While we don’t know if that was just one company’s goals or a combined number, regardless, that’s a pretty staggering number of acres turned into industrial solar fields.  That’s also a large number of people and their enjoyment of their homes being affected.

Like a plague of money-grubbing locusts moving through our area, these companies will leave ugliness and ruin in their wake.  The land and landscape will forever be changed by these companies seeking only to use our land and risk our health, for their monetary gain.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

Contact your local county commissioners and tell them you DO NOT WANT wind turbines, solar farms, or the Grain Belt Express transmission line in our county.

Callaway County has no need for any of the electricity that will be generated and right now, these companies have very few customers in Missouri.  Instead, the electricity generated in our rural areas will be shipped out of state.

Let the commissioners know that we don’t want this ugly, unreliable, and dangerous alternative energy taking up our valuable farmland, decreasing our property values, and turning our beautiful county into an industrial green energy mess.

Gary Jungermann
Presiding Commissioner
Email:  gjungermann@callawaycounty.org

Randall Kleindeist
Eastern District Commissioner
Email:  rkleindienst@callawaycounty.org

Roger Fischer
Western District Commissioner
Email:  RFischer@Callawaycounty.org

County Commissioners Phone Number:  (573) 642-0737

Office Hours:  Monday-Friday 8:00 am – 4:30 pm    (Closed for lunch from 12:00 -1:00)
Address:  Callaway County Courthouse, 10 East 5th Street, Fulton, MO 65251   (Basement of the courthouse)

Contact your state and U.S. representatives and senators and let them know you oppose these companies destroying our beautiful county.

Missouri House of Representatives
Audrain/Callaway/Monroe County residents contact Kent Haden via email at Kent.Haden@house.mo.gov and by phone at 573-751-3649

Callaway (New Bloomfield) residents contact Jim Schulte via email at Jim.Schulte@house.mo.gov and by phone at 573-751-5226

Missouri Senator
Callaway/Montgomery/Lincoln/Pike County residents contact Travis Fitzwater via his contact page here, and by phone at 573-751-2757

U.S. House of Representatives
3rd District of Missouri, including Callaway County contact Blaine Luetkemeyer via his contact page here and by phone at 202-225-2956

U.S. Senators
Josh Hawley can be contacted here, and by phone at 202-224-6154
Eric Schmidt can be contacted here, and by phone at 202-224-5721

Show your support by reading over this entire website to get all the details of what’s happening and why, putting up a yard sign, talking to friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors about how big this issue is, and making your opposition known to our county commissioners, state and U.S. representatives, and the Missouri Public Service Commission.

Few people actually understand the scope of this invasion and how, thanks to big government incentives, it’s being done in rural communities in every state using the same sneaky tactics.  Tactics that are moving us towards destroying the peace and beauty of our rural life, potentially harming our health, ruining valuable farmland and property values, and all while working to build an unreliable electric grid.

In order to save our county from all of this, every citizen MUST act so the opposition is overwhelming.

Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates about local and state happenings related to our fight against wind, solar, and transmission lines.  You’ll also be notified of upcoming meetings and Capitol visits to urge our state legislators to pass laws helping us to have a say against these corporations that are invading our county.

Join our local Facebook groups to get the latest updates from local and state news, to what’s happening in other states’ fights against wind and solar projects, as well as topics about the no-so-green ‘green’ industry.

Callaway County Missouri Commercial Social Invasion Facebook Page

New Bloomfield Citizens Against Solar Facebook Page

If you are a landowner and are interested in joining with other Mid-Missouri landowners to fight against wind, solar, and transmission lines, including putting up yard signs, attending capitol meetings with lawmakers and public service commission hearings, and helping in the fight and to spread the word, you are invited to join Mid Missouri Landowners Alliance (MMLA).  Send an email to rejectsolarfarms@gmail.com for more information.

Visit the websites below to get updates from other Missouri counties’ fight against wind/solar/transmission lines and learn more.

(Local, national, and worldwide news on wind, solar, Grain Belt Express) Facebook Pages:   Audrain County, MO•Grain Belt & Solar Invasion, Concerned Citizens of Boone, Howard, and Cooper Counties, MO, and No to Solar & Wind Farms in Macon County Missouri

(Updates on Invenergy/Grain Belt Express (aka GBE)) Website:  Stop Path WV with relevant previous articles here, here, here, and here

(Northeast  Missouri wind turbine fight, progress, and living with wind turbines) Website:  Northeast Missouri Wind Energy Information

(Wind farm news and updates) Website:  National Wind Watch and ‘What to do when your community is targeted‘

(Robert Bryce is an author, journalist, film producer, and podcaster who has been writing about energy, power, innovation, and politics for more than 30 years)  Substack Articles:  https://robertbryce.substack.com/archive

Be sure to visit our other pages:     FACTS Page          Latest News & Meetings          Testimonials          Learn More          Get a Yard Sign

Disclaimer:  The information contained on the MoSaysNo website is for general informational and educational purposes.  The decision to use the content on the MoSaysNo website is the responsibility of the reader.  While MoSaysNo believes the information on its website is accurate, we encourage the reader to conduct their own research.  Information provided is subject to interpretation and may be updated as new research, findings, materials, reports, and studies become publicly available.

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