The Illinois Commerce Commission heard from farmers and landowners from across the Two Rivers area on Tuesday in Pittsfield. The ICC public forum was the first of three held along the proposed route of the Grain Belt Express Clean Line HVDC transmission line.

 

Around 150 people, mostly opponents of the controversial project expressed their positions with the ICC. Those supporting the project were mainly environmental groups and labor unions. Opposing the project include farmers, landowners as well as units of local government.

 

Farm Bureau has come out in opposition to project being treated as an established utility by the ICC. The organization opposes GBX being given preferential treatment by the ICC in allowing the company to use the expedited review process on their project affecting landowners across 200 miles of Illinois.

  

A cache of internal memos that federal regulators intended to keep private reveals a culture of secrecy, falsehood and dysfunction that permeated the Waters of the U.S. rulemaking process. On Thursday, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released more than 50 pages of documents in which the Army Corps of Engineers repeatedly rebuked EPA officials for their abuse of the rulemaking process in producing the deeply controversial Waters of the United States rule. The entire economic analysis used to support the rule, Army Corps officials wrote, had no basis in either science or economics: full report.

 

"It is clear from the memos that there were dire concerns internally that EPA was getting it wrong and with a high degree of arrogance," said AFBF President Bob Stallman in a news release. "The flawed economic study is just the tip of the iceberg, and it was known internally that trouble was ahead. In fact, the memos themselves were stamped 'Litigation Sensitive.' They were never intended to see the light of day."

Heavy flooding and poor growing conditions in Illinois this year are leading to problems for farmers. Fortunately, state officials are looking into providing some assistance to farmers and the federal government may offer low-interest loans.

 

Illinois Farm Bureau President Richard Guebert said in Tuesday's Newsline that conditions vary, but no part of the state has escaped weather problems this year. This has been "the most challenging spring I have seen in my 40 years of farming," Guebert explained. The situations farmers are facing have been extremely difficult but most are still optimistic and looking forward to next year.