BlockRICL

DON'T BE DUPED: Hans Detweiler is making grandiose claims that an AIMA (Agriculture Impact Mitigation Agreement) has been reached with the Illinois Dept. of Agriculture.  What took so long? This is a basic, cut-and-paste project required to apply for a route.  RICL spin is back to claiming that the structures would be monopoles, but according to their own application to the ICC, the lattice structures could be up to 46 x 46 foot square and 200 feet tall. However, since they have repeatedly tried to convince landowners that the towers would be as far apart as possible, the "span" loophole in the AIMA has us still guessing at to their true intentions. When it's in a legally binding document, then we'll believe it.... sort of.

Straight from the Illinois Dept. of Agriculture: This does NOT consitute an endorsement of the project in ANY way. See their letter sent to landowners here.  The AIMA is procedural and intended to be the STARTING point for each landowner's easement agreement with RICL- if, and only if, they receive public utility status which won't happen until at least 2014- if ever.  Notice the attention to protecting yourselves and future generations against RICL's wish to make the landowners liable for damages, and apparently possible related expenses, to the structures and lines.

What RICL does NOT say, is the AIMA is a very basic agreement that IS NOT LEGALLY BINDING unless each landowner writes it into their easement contract -of course, the contracts already handed out by RICL "forget" to mention the AIMA or any inclusion of. What great "transparency."

IF we ever get to the point of writing easement contracts, landowners MUST get their own attorney, write their OWN easement contract, add specific conditions appropriate to their property, clarify the "good faith efforts" and could-be ambiguities in the AIMA, WRITE in that the AIMA is legally binding, AND attach the AIMA to the easement contract. Otherwise, Han's grandiose claims mean NOTHING.

Bases on "Clean" Line's actions so far, what exactly what is their definition of "good faith" ????

Where else would it be okay for a private company to use eminent domain to cut a swath through the middle of a privately owned factory, put up major obstructions in the production line, and think it's okay to pay less than market value for the property in the easement only?

ALERT: LaSalle and Bureau County Boards and ALL Road Commissioners Don't let the huge WRONGS that happened in Henry, Grundy, Whiteside, and Rock Island counties happen on YOUR watch. 

The Rock Island County fiasco: In April, the RI County board voted to table the proposed "agreement" with RICL until or if they got public utility status (at least 2014, if ever). IN MAY!!! the board untabled the agreement AND passed it in one meeting. Landowners found out too late to speak!!! They were in the fields planting- thinking this was tabled- but in the meantime, between one board meeting and the next, "Clean" Line was at work behind the scenes with board members and labor unions who shoved it through the next month..... And RICL claims to be "transparent" and working with farmers. Bull.

Many reports are coming in on individual board members and road commissioners being asked to meet individually with "Clean" Line reps. LaSalle County voted UNANIMOUSLY to table the "agreement" months ago citing what a poor, one-sided, and full of loopholes document it was. Now is it making sense why RICL would hire an ex-county board member in a county that has been clearly opposed to the project?

It is WRONG that counties can make an agreement with a PRIVATE company that causes irrevocable damage to PRIVATE property for PRIVATE gain without notifying the landowners affected. How can this be? At the VERY LEAST, landowners NEED TO BE NOTIFIED and there needs to be a PUBLIC HEARING where the landowners and the public can ask the tough questions (that nobody else bothers to consider) in a LEGALLY binding forum. 

A private company from Texas, with a couple of billionaire investors, working behind the scenes to take private land for private gain BEHIND THE BACKS of those being detrimentally affected is wrong. Just plain W.R.O.N.G.

This is a HUGE violation of property rights. Contact your LaSalle and Bureau county board members and let them know you support their continued opposition of RICL.

Just to be clear, and regardless of what RICL reps try to claim, RICL uses these county agreements as "endorsements" at the Illinois Commerce Commission and in their kool-aid sales pitches.

Block RICL,  originated in northern Illinois, but now stretches across the midwest in a networks of friends, neighbors and families. We are joining our talents and resources to oppose "Clean" Line Energy Partners, LLC projects- including Rock Island "Clean" Line, Grain Belt Express, and Plains and Eastern,  in addition to other unnecessary transmission line projects that are being proposed in the midwest  -  at the cost of billions of dollars to the taxpayer and consumer. 

"Clean" Line Energy Partners, LLC, expects us to believe that this project would make our electric prices go down.  By what creative accounting can that be even remotely possible when “Clean” Line’s own power point presentation states that the estimated cost of delivered wind is  $70 per megawatt hour- including $25 per megawatt hour in transmission cost- when our current electric prices are around $30 per megawatt hour???  

BLOCK RICL Initiatives: 

Add YOUR voice to our ongoing BLITZ campaign until Illinois calls a moratorium on all new transmission lines.  

ONLINE Petition: Click, sign, and send to all your friends, family, and neighbors!! 

Call and email Governor Quinn with this message:  

"We are calling for a moratorium on ALL new transmission line projects in Illinois until we can evaluate ALL lines collectively to assess the actual needs, benefits, and especially the COSTS to Illinois landowners, taxpayers, and consumers."

RICL  (parent company "Clean" Line Energy) is a private company intending to use eminent domain to build a 500-mile high-voltage DC power line near homes and through prime Illinois and Iowa farmland. The 200-foot easements alone would take over 12,000 acres and impact thousands more in the building and maintenance of these structures and future additions to easements!  

Representatives of RICL claim that they are not "currently" applying for eminent domain in IL; however, they neglect to say that IF RICL receives public utility status, then being granted the right of eminent domain is basically procedural.

Block Grain Belt Express and Block Plains and Eastern: Contact us or your own local networks for similar initiatives. In the meantime, you're more than welcome to use any of the materials we have developed for our area and posted on this site to tweak for your own areas.