in $52 billion in energy cost savings within fifteen years.
The fate of the Grain Belt Express (GBE) and a huge number of union jobs is now wildly less certain, following a U.S. Department of Energy announcement that the $4.9 billion loan guarantee giving to the developers of the project has been canceled. It is not clear what the Department of Energy believes the project did to fail to meet the conditional aspects of the loan guarantee which had been set up under the Biden administration after nearly a decade of planning.
Missouri Senator Josh Hawley (R) fought tooth and nail to make sure the project died. Sen. Hawley now says he is “thrilled” to hear that the loan guarantee has been cancelled.
The proposed Grain Belt Express is a massive network of transmission towers that would, in Phase 1, cross from central Misouri north to St. Joseph, MO, travellng west across the northern portion of Kansas down to an area just south of Dodge City, KS. A second, later, phase would connect the first phase’s eastern portion across Illinois to the very western edge of Indiana.
Republicans had turned the project into an absurd boogie man, focusing on the idea that some portion of the electricity would be supplied via windfarms that are already built and operating in Kansas. The entire Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) area is already a net importer of electricity, but this would allow the system to be integrated into the the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) and Associated Electric Cooperative Incorporated. (AECI)
Missouri, in particular, has a desperate need to be further connected to new power sources moving forward. The state imports most of its power. Missouri residents and businesses already face rapidly growing utility bills. The inability of the state to generate power will impact its ability to land major industrial projects that bring jobs to the state. Not only will union lineworkers lose work, but so will construction workers and industrial workers.
Union lineworkers, like those in IBEW Local 53, now stand to lose a massive amount of work thanks to the actions of Pres. Trump, Sen. Josh Hawley, and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.
IBEW Local 53 Business Manager and Financial Secretary Benjamin Bush expressed disappointment and provided the below statement to The Labor Beacon:
“It’s rather unfortunate what has transpired here. A political quagmire that could lead to higher energy bills for Missouri residents, decreased grid reliability and security, and a hard pass from investors in multiple sectors when looking at the state of Missouri. This project will bring much needed energy that is already being produced from Kansas to the Midwest and connect three Regional Transmission Organizations.
“Once complete, the line is expected to increase the grid capacity by 5,000 megawatts and will put thousands of people to work across the United States. Truck drivers, engineers, material producers and construction workers to name a few. For reference, 5,000 megawatts is right at the total generation capacity of Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. AECI generates and delivers electricity to over 900,000 meters representing 2.1 million people in 3 states, mainly Missouri.
“The cost savings to consumers should be evident after reading that statistic and knowing that AECI will be tied into this line. The Grain Belt Express is projected to reduce energy and capacity costs for Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois energy consumers by approximately $11.3 billion over 15 years, with total power cost savings across SPP, MISO, and PJM of $51.9 billion over 15 years.
“Not only will this project put many of my members to work at local 53, but it stands to make history as the second largest transmission project to ever be constructed in the United States and save consumers billions of dollars. It’s a damn shame some of our politicians are more concerned about political games than they are about the working class and the future of our country.”
SENATOR FIGHTS TO KEEP PROJECT ALIVE
Senator Martin Heinrich, the Ranking Democrat on the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, wrote to the U.S. Department of Energy demanding answers. Sen. Heinrich, the senior senator from New Mexico and a Democrat, called the project a “jobs creator.” Heinrich emphasized that he is “concerned that this move is illegal” and that “the federal government is eroding what little trust the private sector has in our ability to be reliable partners.”
Senator Heinrich is demanding answers from the Trump administration by August 12, 2025.
“I write to request information regarding the Department of Energy’s decision to terminate the conditional loan guarantee made to the Grain Belt Express— an interregional transmission project that has been in development for more than a decade. The Department’s decision to abruptly terminate the conditional loan guarantee raises serious questions about the legality of the termination and this Administration’s commitment to bringing down energy costs for millions of Americans. The decision to cancel the project’s loan guarantee appears to not have been based upon the merits of the project but rather comes as the result of a nonsensical witch hunt. The Grain Belt Express transmission project is designed to meet the surging energy demands facing the country,” said Sen. Heinrich in the letter.
“Transmission lines are not built overnight and can take over a decade to complete. It is no secret that the country is in dire need of transmission infrastructure. At a hearing last month, you conceded as much, stating, ‘the United States needs to build more energy infrastructure of all kinds and certainly including transmission lines.’ Given this need and the length of time it takes to complete a transmission project, it is inexplicable that the Department would terminate the Grain Belt Express after more than a decade in the making,” continued Sen. Heinrich.
GRAIN BELT EXPRESS
“Unfortunately, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey are declaring open season on America’s ability to build needed energy infrastructure. We ask you to put this unfounded noise aside and affirm a commitment to the Grain Belt Express to reach closing, following the fulfillment of conditions negotiated in our Conditional Commitment.
“The Grain Belt Express transmission line is a critical energy security project, supported by a broad, multi-state coalition of stakeholders. It will strengthen grid reliability and resilience while saving U.S. consumers billions of dollars. It is an open-access line that will deliver all forms of American energy based on customer demand and available market power, enhancing the ability of the largest grid operators to share power, including from generators directed to operate under DOE’s 202(c) authority.
“This 800-mile power pipeline is capable of delivering four nuclear power plants’ worth of electricity. It is the highest capacity and second longest line in U.S. history. By connecting four U.S. grid regions—also a historic first—the Grain Belt Express will deliver cost savings and strengthen reliability for 29 states and D.C., more than 40% of Americans, and 25% of Department of Defense installations.
“Unfortunately, the Grain Belt Express has been the target of egregious politically motivated lawfare. Senator Hawley and AG Bailey have pursued an unwarranted and unhinged crusade against the Grain Belt Express through media attacks and letters to you seeking rescission of the Grain Belt Express’ conditionally approved DOE loan guarantee, as well as AG Bailey’s own separate consumer protection investigation and request to the Missouri Public Service Commission (MPSC) to reopen its Grain Belt approval. Recent false accusations from Senator Hawley and AG Bailey saying that the Grain Belt Express will cost America billions instead of saving us billions, whether mistaken or purposefully declared, are misleading at best.
“The questions raised by AG Bailey were all considered and decided by the MPSC through a long and rigorous regulatory process that started in August of 2022 and appealed to exhaustion in the Missouri courts reaching finality on April 28, 2025. The State of Missouri was represented throughout these proceedings, yet AG Bailey never intervened or otherwise contested the proceeding. Missouri law and constitutional due process protect the Grain Belt Express’ property interest in its permit granted by the MPSC. No amount of political posturing and unrelenting attacks can change that fact.
“This procedural abuse is a waste of public resources and is harmful to Missourians and all Americans, both of whom will directly benefit from the project. For the Trump administration, however, this attack is even more harmful, because it puts reliability, resiliency, and affordability of all types of energy at risk. As America is facing extreme energy demand growth, these anti-growth politics of infrastructure opposition cannot be acquiesced to. And, in light of the need to keep critical energy facilities online using Presidential emergency authority, this line is even more important now than it was when it was started.
“These attacks threaten to deny not only Missourians, but millions of Americans of the energy cost savings, reliability, and economic benefits the Grain Belt Express will deliver, including:
In Missouri, Grain Belt has signed agreements tied to contractually guaranteed energy cost savings for municipal utilities serving 39 communities.
Major U.S. construction contractors are counting on $1.7 billion in awards the Grain Belt Express recently announced, touted by the White House as a win for America.
Across Kansas and Missouri, the Grain Belt Express has executed over 1,500 voluntary agreements with landowners and has contractually-obligated payments to landowners and county governments due at construction.
Tristin Amezcua-Hogan is the Editor of The Labor Beacon and a member of LIUNA Local 264. Tristin also serves as the Director of Communications for the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO and the Chair of the Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance.
Tristin grew up as the son of a UA Local 669 member in Tecumseh, KS and the great-nephew of George C. Amis, longtime leader of the United Rubberworkers (now USW Local 307) in Kansas. Growing up in rural Kansas as the child of teen parents, Tristin quickly came to appreciate the life-changing benefit of a union job.
Tristin and his partner, Rebeca Amezcua-Hogan, are residents of the Westside, Kansas City, MO's historic Mexican neighborhood. They are proud members of Kansas City's New Reform Temple.
