Legislators discuss bill that could derail Rock Island Clean Line

    GRUNDY CENTER — State Reps. Walt Rogers, Dean Fisher and Pat Grassley briefed a partisan crowd on legislation aimed at stopping the proposed Rock Island Clean Line during Sunday’s Preservation for Rural Iowa Alliance Stop RICL meeting at the Grundy Community Center.
    Rogers (R, Waterloo) said the legislation, which is still being drawn up, is designed to require that when a utility seeks a franchise in Iowa, a substantial amount of the energy must stay in Iowa.
    “I do not feel this is in the best interest of Iowa,” he said.
    Fisher, a Republican from Garwin, said he would not want the proposed power corridor running through his land, noting that the fact that the lines are not part of the overall grid system bothers him.
    Grassley (R, New Hartford) had previously also come out against the line. He said the entire process of that the Iowa Utilities Board takes potential franchisees through is flawed, noting that, though the Utilities Board is not a partner of the utility, it appears it is when it hosts public meetings such as the one held in Grundy Center in late November.
    “This is something new to Iowa,” he said of the project.
 

For more of this story, see the Jan. 23 Grundy Register.