I have no objection to companies who want to invest in Illinois’ electrical grid improvement or wind/solar energy projects that benefit Illinois residents. Clean Line Energy Partners’ projects (headquarters in Texas, not Illinois); however, serve only theirs and their global and investment partners’ benefit and bypass/undermine our state’s efforts to produce clean energy.

Key members of their executive staff held positions which established the standards that regulate this industry. Other key executives previously owned or worked for Horizon Wind Energy (Texas), sold out to EDP Renewables (a global energy giant) through Goldman Sachs in 2007, allowing them to collect over $440 million from green energy stimulus over the past three years. Do we really want a public utility that may sell out once their routes are established and send our tax money straight out of the country giving power over our utilities to a foreign country?

Rock Island Clean Line doesn’t want to use existing roadway easements because it would cost more and would rather go through prime farmland causing additional hardship to farmers heavily impacted by this year’s drought. Over the past 30 years we have lost 45 million rural acres to development with over 23 million acres being prime farmland. This is a non-renewable resource, and the damage by these projects cannot be undone. We cannot afford to allow our prime farmland to be destroyed/taken by eminent domain by companies who serve only themselves and global power brokers.