Battle over $600M wind power superhighway heads to Illinois Supreme Court
Rock Island Clean Line envisions building an electric project that would transmit wind energy to Grundy County in Illinois from planned turbines in Iowa.
Backers say $600 million would be spent on the 120-mile stretch in Illinois, in the process creating construction jobs, stimulating the manufacturing sector, generating tax and other revenues for state and local governments, and providing low-cost, clean renewable energy to 1.4 million Midwest homes.
There's just one problem: The 300-member Illinois Landowners Alliance, the 80,000-member Illinois Farm Bureau and Commonwealth Edison have fought the project. In August, an appellate court handed the opponents a victory, reversing a 2014 Illinois Commerce Commission decision that allowed the construction of the transmission line to proceed.
But it's not yet lights out for Rock Island Clean Line. Last week the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to review the appellate court's decision.
Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-grundy-county-transmission-1201-biz-20161130-story.html