A 578-mile electric transmission infrastructure project intended to move wind and solar power across the Midwest may lose a $4.9 billion Energy Department loan, a Missouri senator says.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said in a press release Thursday that he "secured a pledge" from Energy Secretary Chris Wright to halt the Grain Belt Express, a transmission line being constructed by the power generation company Invenergy.
"Had a great conversation today with @realDonaldTrump and Energy Secretary Chris Wright. Wright said he will be putting a stop to the Grain Belt Express green scam," Hawley wrote in an X post Thursday.
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The Energy Department last November provided the Grain Belt Express with a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $4.9 billion, which included $4.4 billion in principal and $470 million in capitalized interest. The project would run from Ford County, Kansas, to Callaway County, Missouri.
Hawley sent a letter requesting the cancellation of the conditional loan on June 25, pointing to some frustrations expressed by farmers over potentially losing land due to the project.
A post from the Grain Belt Express's X account responded to Hawley's statement, saying "Senator Hawley is trying to deprive Americans of billions of dollars in energy cost savings, thousands of jobs, and grid reliability and national security, all in an era of exponentially growing electricity demand."
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