Ameren Three Rivers Project

The Ameren Illinois Rivers Project is an almost 400-mile planned transmission line, stretching from the border of Missouri to the border of Indiana, covering a giant swatch of central Illinois.

UPDATE: The Illinois Commerce Commission approved the petition in part on August 20, 2013. While the ICC did give the green light for several sections of the line, others were not approved OR are being challenged by landowners. Go here to read the ICC’s full decision. Much more important information, including videos, are on the project website. Click Read More for this information.

Sever Walker Padgitt has already spoken to over 300 landowners about regarding compensation. If you have any questions about the impacts of the powerline on your property and how they affect compensation contact our office at any time at 1-888-318-3761.

A state appeals court is listening to a request for the route of a high-voltage American transmission line to be reconsidered. More than 400 public comments on the proposed route were filled with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). Opponents are arguing that the high voltage line will hurt property values, interfere with framing and create environmental hazards.

The proposed new route would be 18 miles shorter and save approximately $36.8 million. This differs to what the ICC found earlier that the route as approved would be least expensive when “all costs and benefits are taken in account”. The ICC agreed to rehear the case in February but stood by its decision, therefore the case then went to the appellate court.

The Ameren Transmission spokesman stated that work has continued and doesn’t see any reason the project won’t proceed as originally anticipated, with the entire process completed by the fourth quarter of 2019. The ICC spokesman said the appellate court could either uphold the commission decision on the proposed route or send the case back for further consideration.

Full story here.

If you think you may be affected by the Ameren’s Powerline Project and/or are interested in a free consultation, contact our eminent domain landowner attorneys at 1-888-318-3761 or visit us on the web at www.landownerattorneys.com.

Sever Walker Padgitt is doubling their efforts in regards to Ameren’s Illinois Rivers Project and will be hosting four more seminars to help those affected. The date and time of these free, open to the public, informational seminars are below:

April 29, 2014 – 6:30 p.m. – Jacksonville, IL

April 30, 2014 – 6:30 p.m. – Springfield, IL

May 6, 2014 – 6:30 p.m. – Decatur, IL

May 7, 2014 – 6:30 p.m. – Charleston, IL

Any and all interested parties are welcome to attend any of these seminars. For more information about the eminent domain attorneys at Sever Walker Padgitt, or if you are involved in your own eminent domain dispute, please contact our office at any time at 1-888-318-3761 or visit us on the web at www.landownerattorneys.com.

ST. LOUIS, Feb. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Today’s decision by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) clears the way for the nearly 400-mile-long Illinois Rivers electric transmission project that will create jobs, facilitate the delivery of low-cost power and improve the reliability and efficiency of the electric power grid.

Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois (ATXI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE), has received siting approval of final routes and substations from the ICC to build the estimated $1.1 billion Illinois Rivers transmission project. This is Ameren’s largest-ever transmission project and the longest single transmission line project in Illinois history.

“Today’s action by the ICC is welcome news for Illinois,” said Maureen Borkowski, chairman, president and chief executive officer of ATXI. “This project will benefit the state’s economy, create jobs and provide Illinois electricity customers greater access to a variety of low-cost energy sources, including wind energy.”

Last August, the ICC approved the need for the project and some of the project routes and substations. Today, the ICC resolved all remaining routes and substation location issues. The 345,000-volt transmission line, using steel poles with a single shaft, will run from Palmyra, Mo., crossing the Mississippi River at Quincy. It will then run east past Meredosia, Pawnee, Pana, Mt. Zion and Kansas, ending at Sugar Creek, Ind., with additional lines running from Meredosia to Ipava and between the Sidney and Rising substations near Champaign. Following last August’s action by the ICC, ATXI began the real estate process on those portions of the project with final route approval, including surveying work and negotiations with landowners to secure 150-foot-wide easements. Substation construction is already underway. Line construction is expected to commence later this year.

The project previously received approvals from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. (MISO), a regional transmission organization serving a 15-state region and the Canadian province of Manitoba.

Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ameren Corporation dedicated to electric transmission infrastructure investment, expanding Ameren’s already robust transmission system of more than 7,500 circuit miles of high-voltage transmission lines in Illinois and Missouri.

Full story here.

If you think you may be affected by the Ameren Illinois Rivers Project and/or are interested in a free consultation, contact our eminent domain landowner attorneys at 1-888-318-3761 or visit us on the web at www.landownerattorneys.com.

CHARLESTON — Landowners in Moultrie, Douglas and Coles counties are awaiting the Illinois Commerce Commission’s final decision, due by March 1, on a newly issued judicial recommendation for the local route of the Illinois Rivers transmission line.

Following a rehearing process for certain proposed segments of this transmission line, Administrative Law Judges John Albers and Stephen Yoder recently issued a proposed order that includes their recommendations for a route from substations in Mt. Zion to Kansas for Ameren Transmission Co. of Illinois’ new line. The judges also recommended granting the company’s request to expand the Kansas substation.

This proposed route enters Moultrie County northwest of Bethany and then takes a southeast path as it stays north of Bethany, Sullivan and Allenville. The route then goes east across northern Coles County, running south of Humboldt. Finally, the route travels southeast in eastern Coles County north of Ashmore on its way to the Kansas substation.

One of the landowners along this proposed route is Brad Morgan, whose family has a grain farm north of Charleston near Rardin. He said this route passes through more than a mile of his family’s sesquicentennial farm. Morgan said his house is in or right next to this route, and homes of five of his family members are nearby.

Morgan said he is concerned that this proposed route for the transmission line would decrease the value of his family’s farmland and their homes, adding that he fears that his home may need to be demolished. He worries that the placement of utility poles would damage his field tile system, interfere with GPS signals, and block the aerial spraying of pesticide and fungicide.

“It is something that makes me sick to think about,” Morgan said. “It is just going to be a nuisance forever.”

In August, the Illinois Commerce Commission gave its approval for Ameren Transmission to build the majority of the nearly 400-mile-long Illinois Rivers transmission line from the Mississippi River near Quincy to the Indiana border near Terre Haute, Ind.

The subsequent rehearing process on segments of the transmission line that still need final approval grew to include rehearing requests from a Piatt, Douglas and Moultrie (PDM) counties coalition of property owners, Channon Family Trust (CFT) and the Moultrie County Landowners Association, among others. In their recommended, the two judges favored the PDM/CFT route from Mt. Zion to Kansas.

“It is clearly the least-cost option which has been presented to the commission, it presents no difficulties in construction or maintenance, and affects fewer property owners than the other options presented. It also appears to better utilize existing corridors such as roads, section lines, and property lines,” the judges wrote.

The judges also wrote, “Regardless of which route is approved…the evidence does not appear to reflect that any residences will need to be removed.”

Beth Bosch, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Commerce Commission, noted that parties to the rehearing process can still file briefs on exceptions to the proposed order until Jan. 29. She said the order will be forwarded to the commission, which will have until March 1 to make any revisions to the order and then make a final decision on the route.

“The issue of the full route is not resolved yet,” Bosch said. “From our standpoint, we are waiting to see what the final route will look like based on rehearing.”

Leigh Morris, a spokesman for Ameren Transmission, said the commission has already determined that the Illinois Rivers line is a necessary transmission infrastructure project and will now make a decision that finalizes the route.

“We are reviewing the proposed order now. Whatever the commission winds up giving approval for, that is what we are going to build,” Morris said, adding that he has been pleased to see local landowners and public officials play an active role in the rehearing process.

Dale Crawford, chairman of the executive committee for the Moultrie County Landowners Association, said the rehearing process for the segment from Mt. Zion to Kansas has been a “tug of war” between landowners trying to minimize the impact of the Illinois Rivers project on homes and agricultural land, including Amish farms, in their respective counties.

Crawford said the Moultrie County Landowners Association formed in fall 2012 as a way to organize local home and farm owners in response to the proposed transmission line. Their organizational efforts have included hiring an attorney to represent them in the rehearing process.

“It is kind of a convoluted and complicated process,” Crawford said. “I am sure people from all sides are ready to get this thing over with. It has drug on for a long time. We are ready to be done with it.”

In Coles County, Morgan said he encourages his fellow landowners to keep track of the Illinois Rivers project on the Illinois Commerce Commission website at www.icc.illinois.gov, under case number 12-0598, and make public comments on the page for this case.

The map of the proposed route also can be found at that Web address.

“Many landowners don’t even realize there is still a possibility of this coming through here,” Morgan said.

Morris said Ameren Transmission does not start seeking easements for a new transmission line in areas that are still subject to rehearing, but it does start this real estate process where it has final approval from the Illinois Commerce Commission. He said the company has begun seeking easements in Clark and Edgar counties. Under such easements, Morris said, the landowners will retain ownership and use of their property.

Bosch said if Ameren Transmission needs to acquire any right of way via eminent domain, the company will have to first seek approval from the Illinois Commerce Commission.

Morris said the nearly 400-line transmission line will be constructed in segments and is scheduled to be fully in service by the end of 2019.

“A transmission line is something that is not a short-term project. It will be serving the area for decades to come,” Morris said of downstate Illinois. “By having a more robust transmission system, it could benefit industry, manufacturing and commercial development. If a company does not have the energy it needs, you can have everything else in place and they still will not come.”

If you think you may be affected by the Ameren Three Rivers Project and/or are interested in a free consultation, contact our eminent domain landowner attorneys at 1-888-318-3761 or visit us on the web at www.landownerattorneys.com.

TUSCOLA — A high-voltage transmission line that once seemed likely to be built across southern Piatt County and northern Douglas County may take another path.

Administrative law judges for the Illinois Commerce Commission are recommending the commission approve a more southern route for that segment of Ameren Transmission’s Illinois Rivers line.

The substitute route would pass through Moultrie and Coles counties instead.

The group Defend Piatt and Douglas Counties, made up of residents that objected to a route in their backyards, called the recommendation “fantastic news” in a recent email to its followers.

The commission is expected to vote on the proposed order from the administrative law judges on or before Feb. 20.

The Piatt-Douglas group has urged area residents to write letters to members of the Illinois Commerce Commission in support of the proposed order and to post similar comments on the commission’s comment site.

In the proposed order issued Friday, the judges stated that the “PDM/CFT” route — the route through Moultrie and Coles, as proposed by a Piatt-Douglas-Moultrie coalition and the Channon Family Trust and modified by staff — was preferable to other routes.

It was the least-cost option, presented no difficulties in construction or maintenance and affected fewer property owners than the other options, the judges said.

“It also appears to better utilize existing corridors such as roads, section lines and property lines,” the proposed order stated.

The 345,000-volt Illinois Rivers line would extend about 380 miles, with the main line running from Quincy to Terre Haute, Ind. A separate line that’s part of the project would connect the Rising and Sidney substations in Champaign County.

The 92-page proposed order covered several aspects of the proposed line, including recommended expansion of the Rising and Sidney substations.

It also identified a preferred location for the Mount Zion substation in Macon County and addressed the line’s route between that substation and one near the Edgar County community of Kansas.

The route chosen in the proposed order would run south and east from the Mount Zion substation, skirting the Moultrie County seat of Sullivan on its northeast side, and then run east across Coles County, cutting just south of Humboldt.

That route would be about 12 miles south of the route through Piatt and Douglas counties.

The previously recommended route ran northeast from the Mount Zion substation and passed just north of LaPlace and Hammond in Piatt County before skirting Atwood on its southwest side.

It then headed east across Douglas County, running just south of Tuscola. In eastern Douglas County, the route turned south, skirting Oakland on its east side, before connecting with the Kansas substation.

Defend Douglas and Piatt raised concerns about that route, including its proximity to the Amish community around Arthur, a Native American archaeological site and the Tuscola airport.

Ameren Transmission held several public hearings on proposed routes for the transmission line during 2012.

In the spring of 2013, the company abandoned the route it had proposed through Moultrie and Coles counties and abruptly endorsed a route through Piatt and Douglas counties. That route had been floated by Moultrie County property owners.

Distressed by that move, more than 200 residents of Piatt and Douglas counties turned out Aug. 1 in Tuscola to raise concerns about the new route. But later that month, the Illinois Commerce Commission approved the route.

Opponents asked that fall for a rehearing of the case. The rehearing resulted in Friday’s proposed order from the administrative law judges.

Full story here.

If you think you may be affected by the Ameren Three Rivers Project and/or are interested in a free consultation, contact our eminent domain landowner attorneys at 1-888-318-3761 or visit us on the web at www.landownerattorneys.com.

Full story here.

Property owners in southern Edgar County are alarmed by the prospect of having massive power poles carrying a 345,000-volt transmission line across their ground.
In August, the Illinois Commerce Commission approved a segment of Ameren’s proposed Illinois Rivers Transmission Line to cross Kansas, Grandview, Symmes and Elbridge Townships. However, the vast majority of the line that stretches more than 300 miles across Illinois from Missouri to Indiana was not approved.
Local opposition started as individual efforts but now people are joining together to pool resources, hire an attorney and wage a legal challenge.
Edgar County Citizens Are Entitled to Due Process has gained about 100 members in a short amount of time and filed documents with the Fourth Appellate Court claiming Ameren failed to meet the legal obligation of providing notice about the proposed line to all impacted property owners.
Vern See explained the coalition came together like “spontaneous combustion.”
He and Tom Ogle, another active member of the group, insisted the effort does not qualify as a NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) reaction.
See acknowledged the nation’s power grid needs to improve and expand, but he objects to how Ameren is attempting to force the issue.
“There are easier paths,” said See.
Ogle agreed. He added other states locate the high-voltage lines along existing interstate highways but that was not the case with the Illinois Rivers proposal.
“They are rushing it,” See said, adding an opinion
that Ameren has not done due diligence and looked at all of the alternatives.
According to Ogle, Edgar County Citizens Are Entitled to Due Process is actively looking for property owners along the proposed route. He said much of the contact list was compiled from Ameren’s own mailing data, but the utility giant itself has not identified every property owner on the path.
See emphasized that county residents who live well away from the proposed line and did not received notice of the plan are still impacted.
“It affects everybody in Edgar County,” he said.
Edgar County Citizens Are Entitled to Due Process will meet monthly, although the schedule is yet to be determined.
Anyone desiring more information or who wants to join the group’s efforts should contact Ogle at 217-463-2768.

If you think you may be affected by the Ameren Three Rivers Project and/or are interested in a free consultation, contact our eminent domain landowner attorneys at 1-888-318-3761 or visit us on the web at www.landownerattorneys.com.

ATWOOD — Howard Kamm planted 120 walnut trees on his land near Atwood 20 years ago, and he isn’t about to let the route of a new power line zap them out of existence.

For a while, though, it looked like the trees were going to be history. State regulators in August signed off on a planned route for the proposed $1.4 billion, 330-mile Illinois Rivers power line that would slice right through the trees and within 125 feet of Kamm’s home.

But Kamm and hundreds of other home and landowners in Douglas and Piatt counties fought back, and on Oct. 2, the Illinois Commerce Commission regulators agreed that administrative law judges must give them a rehearing.

At issue is where, exactly, the 345,000 volt power cables should go. Kamm and other protesters say the line, which will run from Palmyra, Mo., to Sugar Creek, Ind., never entered Douglas and Piatt under routes proposed and discussed at public meetings by its developers, Ameren Transmission Co. (ATX).

In their successful petition for rehearing, they argued the route ATX settled on was developed from alternatives proposed by a group of well-organized Moultrie County property owners who didn’t want it in their backyard. As a result, Moultrie was bypassed in favor of sending miles of the route through Douglas and Piatt instead.

Filed objections from a coalition of the protesters, who have formed an organization called Defend Piatt and Douglas Counties, say the process was fundamentally unfair. They claim it’s resulted in a route that’s longer, more expensive and causes extensive disruption to families and businesses and even threatens an Indian burial ground.

“The thing about it is the people affected by this line had no public input, period,” Kamm said. “And we’ve ended up with a route just west of my house where the line will make six 90 degree turns in two miles, and all this just to keep it out of Moultrie County.”

A spokesman from ATX did not immediately return a call seeking comment Thursday. The ICC said the company will have its chance to argue the case in a hearing process before administrative law judges that must reach a conclusion by March 1. The ICC has granted several other petitions for re-hearings on the route of the line, and it has also denied some parts of the project, like an expanded electrical substation in Mount Zion, citing insufficient “evidence of need.”

Given the size of the Illinois Rivers line, ICC spokesman Randy Nehrt said the amount of legal activity buzzing around the project isn’t surprising. “It’s such a long line, it spans the entire state, and so it does affect a lot of landowners,” he added.

ATX said the line is needed to help handle future power needs and had hoped to begin construction as early as 2014.

Story originally published here.

The Illinois Commerce Commission has allowed a group of local landowners to make their case for why a major electrical transmission project should move off of their property and follow a new route.

The group would like to see the 345,000-volt transmission line run parallel to a 138,000-volt line that has been in place for more than 40 years. The existing line also travels in a more or less direct path from Meredosia to Pawnee.

A month ago, the Morgan, Sangamon and Scott Counties Land Preservation Group filed for a rehearing, targeting a proposed route from Meredosia to Pawnee. The path for this section of the Ameren Transmission Illinois Rivers Project had already been approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission.

On Friday, land preservation group member Kelly Dodsworth said the ICC granted a request for a rehearing.

The group is seeking to get the ICC-approved route changed, arguing that the chosen route is longer, about $36.8 million costlier and cuts through virgin agricultural land.

They say having it follow existing electrical lines would be cheaper for energy customers and have less impact on landowners.

“One of the tenets of ICC is to accept the least expensive route, and that was a point a commissioner brought up,” Dodsworth said. “That they needed to take a look at it again.”

The group was given until Monday to come up with a list of names, phone numbers and addresses of everyone who will be affected along the existing line.

“Even with the rushed information request we’ve decided we have the resources to handle it, so we’ll have it to them Monday. That’s the good news,” Dodsworth said.

A date for the rehearing has not yet been set, but some time is being allowed for the land preservation group and for property owners along the existing line to make cases for both sides.

“What we’re also going to try to do is visually inspect the ICC-designated line — which is the one we don’t want that runs though our property — and the existing line,” Dodsworth said. “Provide more detailed numbers about homes, cemeteries, bodies of water and things like that. … The way I understand it is that no one’s built along that route for 40 years, or tried to develop around there, because there’s an existing line.”

The Ameren Transmission Illinois River Project is a roughly $1 billion project, constructing a 330-mile line from a new substation in Palmyra, Mo., eastward through the middle of Illinois and across the Indiana border to Sugar Creek.

The utility maintains the transmission line is needed to upgrade services and safety and prevent outages, as well as for improved efficiency of the electric power grid. Construction is expected to start in 2014.

The group said any member of the public can contact the ICC through its consumer hotline or submit a written testimony through its website to express concerns.

If you think you may be affected by the Ameren Three Rivers Project and/or are interested in a free consultation, contact our eminent domain landowner attorneys at 1-888-318-3761 or visit us on the web at www.landownerattorneys.com.

Sever Walker Padgitt has been in contact with Ameren representatives, and according to this representative, some offers will be going out this week.

Before Ameren can make offers, they need to make sure all entities on the deed are accounted for. With so many properties, this can take a long time.

Sever Walker Padgitt advice: patience. Let Ameren come to you. If you are worried you are affected and haven’t been contacted, it could be very possible they simply haven’t gotten to you yet. If you are worried about these offers, contact our firm for a free assessment and case review.

Look for the following Ameren “tricks:”

-Two “local” appraisers providing valuations.

-Giving the higher of these two appraisers

-Giving % incentives to sign before the end of the year.

Don’t be fooled by these tricks. Take your time and make a rational decision backed by knowledge and experience.

If you think you may be affected by the Ameren Three Rivers Project and/or are interested in a free consultation, contact our eminent domain landowner attorneys at 1-888-318-3761 or visit us on the web at www.landownerattorneys.com.

A group of landowners from Morgan, Sangamon and Scott counties have petitioned the ICC for rehearing of a portion of the massive Ameren Three Rivers Project.

The Morgan, Sangamon and Scott Counties Land Preservation Group is specifically targeting a proposed route from Meredosia to Pawnee. The path for this section of the Ameren Transmission Illinois Rivers Project has already been approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission.

On August 20, the Illinois Commerce Commission approved, in part, the project. In its decision, the ICC decided on the fates of several portions of the route, including the path between Meredosia and Pawnee. The Morgan, Sangamon and Scott Counties Land Preservation Group feels this portion deserves a second look.

Steve Rhea and Kelly Dodsworth, members of the land preservation group, say the new 345,000-volt transmission line can follow parallel to a 138,000-volt line that has been in place for more than 40 years. That existing line also travels in a more or less direct path from Meredosia to Pawnee.

“There’s a shorter route and it costs $36.8 million less and we think the ICC should take another look at it,” Rhea said.

“A look at it again, because their own staff recommended it,” Dodsworth added. “This needs to be readdressed.”
Rhea said farmers along the existing path already have to accommodate farming around utility lines, but argued that the new path would be more disruptive.

“There’s been a lot of money spent on tilling, it’s going to affect aerial application of the land for spraying fungicide or insecticide or any other operations because of these overhead lines,” he said.

Full story here.

If you think you may be affected by the Ameren Three Rivers Project and/or are interested in a free consultation, contact our eminent domain landowner attorneys at 1-888-318-3761 or visit us on the web at www.landownerattorneys.com.

Story originally published in Springfield State-Journal Register.

Landowners across central Illinois are asking state regulators to reconsider portions of the approved route for Ameren Transmission Co.’s 375-mile Illinois Rivers Project high-voltage power line.

The company, meanwhile, has asked the Illinois Commerce Commission to hear additional information about its proposed routes from Pawnee to Pana and Pana to Mount Zion. Those sections were not included when the commission last month approved the rest of the route, which runs from the Mississippi River near Quincy to the Indiana border near Terre Haute.

Lawyers representing a group of landowners from Morgan, Sangamon and Scott counties filed an application Wednesday asking the commerce commission to reconsider the approved path from Meredosia to Pawnee. Theirs is one of about half a dozen such requests from counties across the midsection of the state.

Ed McNamara, one of the lawyers for the Morgan, Sangamon and Scott county group, said the expedited approval process the commerce commission used for the project — the product of a 2010 state law that Ameren backed — didn’t give landowners and others who will be affected enough time to gather information and respond to the company’s proposals.

That’s one of the reasons his clients want to reopen the discussion, he said.

“Give everyone a chance to have their say because these poles are going to be in the ground long past the time we’re on this earth, so it’s a very important thing,” McNamara said.
Cheaper route?

More specifically, McNamara’s clients are advocating that the new 345-kilovolt transmission line run parallel to an existing 138-kilovolt line as opposed to following the commission-approved route.

The approach his clients are suggesting, which another group of landowners and tenant farmers originally proposed before agreeing with Ameren Transmission on the alternate route the commission ultimately approved, is 18 miles shorter and would cost $36.8 million less to build, McNamara said.

The shorter route had the support of commerce commission staff and, unlike the other possible routes, wouldn’t adversely affect any of the parties involved, he said. McNamara is also representing a group of farmers in southern Sangamon County who support this alternative.

However, the commission determined that the approved path was “the least-cost route when all costs and benefits are taken into account,” according to its Aug. 20 decision.

In reference to the shorter route, Ameren Transmission spokesman Leigh Morris said “one of the concerns always is reliability” when two transmission lines run parallel, as one strong storm could knock out both.

“The commission’s approved a route,” Morris said. “We’re satisfied with the route that was approved.”

As for McNamara’s criticism of the process, Morris said the company went above and beyond legal requirements for informing landowners.

The company held three public meetings in each affected county over the course of six months, mailed invitations to landowners and took out large ads in area newspapers, he said.

In a separate filing, Andrew and Stacy Robinette of rural Waverly asked the commission to rehear their suggestion to reroute a portion of the approved path to move it away from their recently built home on DeLong Road and run it through farm fields instead.

The commission did not consider the merits of their proposal in making its decision and misidentified the route as being 75.2 miles instead of half a mile, according to their application for rehearing. Their attorney could not be reached for comment.
Pawnee to Pana

While Ameren Transmission is satisfied with the approved route, it is asking the commerce commission to reconsider the section that was not approved.

Instead of building the proposed segments from Pawnee to Pana and Pana to Mount Zion, commission staff recommended that the company build a new transmission line from Kincaid to Mount Zion and use existing high-voltage lines running from Pawnee to Kincaid and Kincaid to Pana to complete the project.

The commission did not approve the path from Pawnee to Pana because it determined it might not be the least-cost option.
In its application for rehearing, the company said there was no evidence presented to support the Kincaid alternative.

A rehearing would allow the commission “to consider additional evidence substantiating the operational and reliability benefits associated with a Pawnee-Pana-(Mount) Zion route compared to a Kincaid option,” according to the filing.

The company is also asking the commission to hear additional information about the proposed locations of six substations that were not approved in the earlier order, including ones in Pana and Mount Zion.

Morris said the order made it clear that the entire project was necessary, and these approvals are necessary to complete the project.

“There is an urgency to complete this project,” he said, adding that it is a “key component to a much more vigorous transmission system in this country” and will be “mightily” beneficial to Illinois.

The company knew that it was possible portions of the approved path would be reconsidered, he said.
After receiving requests for rehearing, the commission has 20 days to decide whether to grant them.

Ameren Transmission still expects to complete the first segment of the project by December 2016 and the rest by December 2019.

“There is nothing that has occurred that would indicate that those dates are unrealistic,” Morris said.
Land acquisition

While the regulatory process moves forward, Ameren Transmission has started taking steps toward acquiring the necessary land.

Affected landowners have already received letters from the company, and a real estate representative should be contacting them individually in the near future to begin negotiating, Morris said.

He encouraged landowners to stay engaged in the process.

“If you don’t understand something, keep asking questions until you do understand,” Morris said.

In general, they will be asked to agree to a 150-foot wide easement in which the company plans to put up single-shaft steel poles on concrete bases about 12 feet in diameter.

Jordan Walker is an attorney with Sever Walker Padgitt, a law firm specializing in eminent domain cases that has been holding informational meetings for landowners along the route.

At the meetings, including ones in Jacksonville and Rochester, Walker encourage landowners not to accept the first amount the company offers for easement rights.

Walker said the firm has signed up several clients along the route already and expects to represent more than 100 once the company starts making offers. His firm only gets paid if it is able to negotiate a price higher than Ameren Transmission’s initial offer.

“We’re confident in our abilities, and if people are concerned about their offers, they’re more than welcome to contact us,” Walker said. “If Ameren offers a just amount, there’s not much else I can do. But there’s a reason I have a job.”

The firm will probably hold another meeting in the area once the commerce commission makes a determination on the Pawnee-to-Pana route, he said.

If you think you may be affected by the Ameren Three Rivers Project and/or are interested in a free consultation, contact our eminent domain landowner attorneys at 1-888-318-3761 or visit us on the web at www.landownerattorneys.com.

Story originally published in Springfield State-Journal Register.

JACKSONVILLE — A law firm that specializes in representing property owners in eminent domain cases is telling those who might be in the path of a planned high-voltage transmission line not to accept the first offer for easements on their properties.

Ameren Transmission Co. of Illinois received approval from the Illinois Commerce Commission last month to build a 375-mile transmission line from the Mississippi River near Quincy to the Indiana border near Terre Haute.

Sever Walker Padgitt, which has offices in Champaign, is holding a series of informational meetings along the approved route for landowners who Ameren Transmission has identified as being affected.

The crowd of more than 60 who showed up to Monday night’s meeting at the Jacksonville Public Library overflowed the basement meeting room where the session was held. There is another meeting tonight in Rochester.

“Our biggest issue as a firm is that landowners don’t know their rights,” attorney Jordan Walker said after the meeting.

Walker said the purpose of the meetings is not only to sign up clients, but to educate property owners about those rights. The firm only gets paid if it is able to get owners a higher price for the easement rights than is initially offered, he said.

Negotiating a price
Ameren Transmission last week sent letters to about 1,500 landowners in the approved path notifying them that it wants to negotiate for easements on their properties, company spokesman Leigh Morris said.

In general, each landowner will be asked to agree to a 150-foot wide easement in which the company plans to put up single-shaft steal poles on concrete bases about 12 feet in diameter, Morris said.

“H structure” and “latticework” poles will only be used where the lines cross the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, he said.

The next step will be for a real estate representative of Ameren Transmission to contact landowners directly to negotiate.

If the company and a landowner are unable to reach an agreement, the company could go back to the commerce commission to receive condemnation authority, Morris said. The company would then have to go to court in the county in which the land is located, and a judge or jury would determine the price of the easement.

“It’s not something we really want to see happen,” he said, adding that it could take up to a year to complete. If landowners agree to the easements, they will be able to continue using the land for agriculture or other uses.

“The only significant thing that’s not allowed on that land, you can’t build a structure on it within the easement,” Morris said.

But Walker said landowners shouldn’t be eager to accept an offer right away.

“Always remember, you have leverage as a landowner, and leverage always equals money,” he said.

Walker also encouraged those at the meeting to seek “competent legal counsel” to help them through the process and told them not to feel rushed.

He also suggested forming groups to strengthen their bargaining power.

Route uncertainty
George Young, who has lived on 10 acres in the 800 block of Water Tower Road in Jacksonville for nearly 30 years, was one of those who received a letter from Ameren Transmission.

“We’ve heard so many stories from so many different places, that was one of the reasons to come here tonight, to see if anyone knew anything,” Young said.

He left with many questions unanswered, including the exact path of the transmission line, he said.

“Until you know exactly where it’s going, you can’t make any decisions,” Young said.

He came to the meeting with neighbor Tom Lonergan, who is facing a tough decision about the 5-acre property that’s been in his family for nearly 100 years.

He’d like to build a new house on the land but can’t move forward with those plans until he knows how the transmission line might affect it.

“I don’t want to leave that property, but I might have to,” he said.

Ameren Transmission itself is still facing some uncertainty about the route. The commerce commission did not approve one section of the proposed path — a 30-mile stretch running southeast of Springfield from Pawnee to Pana. The line would then continue to Mount Zion. Commission staff recommended an alternative of building a transmission line from Kincaid to Mount Zion and making use of existing high-voltage lines running from Pawnee to Kincaid and Kincaid to Pana.

Morris, the Ameren Transmission spokesman, said the company plans to file a request for rehearing on that portion of the project by next week’s deadline.

The commerce commission “made it very clear that the entire project is very necessary,” Morris said.

If you think you may be affected by the Ameren Three Rivers Project and/or are interested in a free consultation, contact our eminent domain landowner attorneys at 1-888-318-3761 or visit us on the web at www.landownerattorneys.com.

Despite the August 20 ruling from the ICC approving a majority of the Ameren Three Rivers Project–a 330 mile transmission line that will traverse much of central Illinois–landowners are set to ask the ICC for a rehearing on the matter.

“There’s a shorter route that would cost $36.8 million less than the route Ameren selected,” Morgan County land owner Steve Rhea said. “And I think we should be looking at the cost as opposed to just where we’re at right now.”

Rhea is concerned about the route the proposed 345 kilovolt line would cut through his fields, and what the impact would be on the farm ground and his operation.

“It is a permanent structure that will be put on your land,” Rhea said. “That would affect anyone. But we’ve made substantial investments in tiling and improvements there. The other thing we cannot do is have aerial application of insecticide and fungicide going forward in the future as we have in the past, so it’s going to change the way we farm.”

He’s part of a group asking the Illinois Commerce Commission to reconsider the route.

Landowners have until today to ask the ICC for a rehearing on the August 20 decision.

If you think you may be affected by the lliana Expressway and/or are interested in a free consultation, contact our eminent domain landowner attorneys at 1-888-318-3761 or visit us on the web at www.landownerattorneys.com.

Emienent domain landowner attorney Jordan Walker discusses the Ameren Three Rivers powerline, eminent domain and compensation on air with WGEM.

Hundreds of property owners in west-central Illinois are likely to find themselves working with utility company representatives within the coming weeks as a massive, multi-state power transmission route tries to become a reality as early as 2016.

The key to avoid becoming overwhelmed with the process is to know what’s likely to happen, according to an attorney whose firm specializes in land acquisitions. The law firm and others are starting to schedule meetings across the region to discuss plans by Ameren Transmission Co. of Illinois to secure rights-of-way from thousands of landowners across about 330 miles in the state.

Much of the land — and hundreds of the landowners — will be in west-central Illinois, with the line extending from its Illinois entry point in Quincy through Morgan, Brown, Cass, Pike, Schuyler and Scott counties. From there, it goes through Sangamon County and to the state’s eastern border with Indiana.

Attorney Jordan Walker with the Champaign-based law firm Sever|Storey said the process of granting easements can be daunting.

“It is often our experience that landowners are completely overwhelmed by land acquisition from an entity capable of seeking eminent domain authority if the entity so chooses,” he said.

Walker’s firm specializes in eminent domain cases in Illinois, Ohio, Indiana and North Carolina. He said this is one of the largest powerline projects he has seen. Sever|Storey is planning a series of meetings throughout the region to discuss the project with landowners.

Ameren Transmission said the acquisition process would start soon after the mid-August approval of a certificate of public convenience and necessity for the 345,000-volt transmission line by the Illinois Commerce Commission.

The state commission essentially agreed with the utility that the transmission line is needed to upgrade services and safety and prevent outages, as well as for improved efficiency of the electric power grid.

Although eminent domain has not been applied in this project, Walker said he doubts Ameren would have much problem getting such approval. Eminent domain is the approval by the state to allow a government or private entity to take private property for public use.

Even without it, Walker said, “even though it’s well within a landowner’s rights to right tooth and nail and take it to court, one of the realities is that once they got that [certificate of public convenience and necessity], fighting it becomes a pretty uphill battle.”

It is expected the project will require a 150-foot easement and “although property owners will retain full use of the property within the easement, structures may not be built or trees planted within the easement,” according to project documents.
Ameren Real Estate representatives will meet with landowners to discuss the easement process and to ensure that both Illinois Department of Agriculture guidelines are followed and land is restored as close as possible to pre-construction condition when things are done.

Farm Bureau officials in Pike and Scott counties have expressed concerns about plans and wants to make sure the interests of farmers are protected and there is proper compensation for any easements. Members were urged in a letter to have legal counsel before discussing easements.

Because a lot of farmers are not familiar with easements and land acquisitions, “you have this uneven power,” Walker said.
“By learning the process, and what safeguards are available, you put yourself on a more even keel,” he said.
Sever|Storey plans the following meetings in the region: Quincy — 6:30 p.m. today, Quincy Public Library, 526 Jersey St.; Jacksonville — 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jacksonville Public Library, 201 W. College Ave.; Rochester — 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Rochester Public Library, 1 Community Drive

If you think you may be affected by the Ameren Three Rivers Project and/or are interested in a free consultation, contact our eminent domain landowner attorneys at 1-888-318-3761 or visit us on the web at www.landownerattorneys.com.

Full story here.

Ameren is Starting Acquisition Now, Do you have a plan?

Only two short days after the Illinois Commerce Commission approved the Ameren Three Rivers Project, a 355 mile powerline crossing the entire state of Illinois, the utility hegemon has announced that property acquisition for the project will begin post haste.

On Wednesday, Ameren Transmission consultant Leigh Morris said landowners affected by the Illinois Rivers project should begin to receive written notification about the need for an easement through their property in the coming weeks.

The Illinois Commerce Commission signed off on a route running through sections of Piatt, Coles, Moultrie and Douglas counties among several others.

But, regulators denied the construction of new or larger substations in Mount Zion, Pana and a handful of other facilities, as well as delayed action on a section of line between Pana and Pawnee, affecting the route in Macon, Christian and Montgomery counties.

The company is reviewing its options in order to determine the routing of the two unapproved segments.

“There are a variety of steps that can be taken,” Morris said.

Construction is scheduled to begin as early as 2014.

Illinois Eminent Domain and Powerline Attorney at Sever Walker Padgitt to Discuss Key Strategies at Seminars

Jordan Walker, Esq. an eminent domain attorney with the landowner law firm of Sever Walker Padgitt will be holding several seminars to discuss key strategies for maximizing compensation at a series of seminars across the state of Illinois. At these seminars, you will learn essential facts that you will need when dealing with land acquisition agents from Ameren. An experienced Illinois eminent domain and powerline attorney will be on hand to answer your questions.

The seminars will be at the folllwing locations/dates/times:

September 4, 2013
Quincy Public Library
Large Meeting Room
526 Jersey Street
Quincy, IL 62301
6:30 CST

September 5th, 2013
That Place
1003 E Broadway
Astoria, IL 61501
7:30 CST

September 9th, 2013
Jacksonville Public Library
Meeting Room (Basement)
201 W College Ave
Jacksonville, IL 62650
6:30 CST

September 10th, 2013
Rochester Public Library
Rochester Community Room
1 Community Drive
Rochester, IL 62563
6:30 CST

September 12th, 2013
Decatur Public Library
130 N. Franklin Street
Decatur, IL 62523
6:30 CST

Call now to reserve your spot at one of these free seminars!

If you think you may be affected by the Ameren Three Rivers Project and/or are interested in a free consultation, contact our eminent domain landowner attorneys at 1-888-318-3761 or visit us on the web or contact Jordan directly at jordan@landownerattorneys.com.

In a decision a year in the making, the Illinois Commerce Commission has APPROVED the massive cross-state powerline known as the Three Rivers Project.

Wednesday afternoon, at the close of the business day, the paneled Commission chose to side with Ameren in its application filed almost a year ago. The ICC approved most of the routes designs proposed by Ameren; however, they did choose some altered routes offered by affected groups and eliminated six substations from the plan.

It is important now more than ever for affected landowners to contact an experienced eminent domain attorneys. Ameren will be moving fast to acquire as many properties as quickly as possible. Don’t let them run you over in their plans!

If you think you may be affected by the Ameren Three Rivers Project and/or are interested in a free consultation, contact our eminent domain landowner attorneys at 1-888-318-3761 or contact me directly at jordan@landownerattorneys.com.

Only two short days after the Illinois Commerce Commission approved the Ameren Three Rivers Project, a 355 mile powerline crossing the entire state of Illinois, the utility hegemon has announced that property acquisition for the project will begin post haste.

On Wednesday, Ameren Transmission consultant Leigh Morris said landowners affected by the Illinois Rivers project should begin to receive written notification about the need for an easement through their property in the coming weeks.

The Illinois Commerce Commission signed off on a route running through sections of Piatt, Coles, Moultrie and Douglas counties among several others.

But, regulators denied the construction of new or larger substations in Mount Zion, Pana and a handful of other facilities, as well as delayed action on a section of line between Pana and Pawnee, affecting the route in Macon, Christian and Montgomery counties.

The company is reviewing its options in order to determine the routing of the two unapproved segments.

“There are a variety of steps that can be taken,” Morris said.

Construction is scheduled to begin as early as 2014.

The attorneys at Sever Walker Padgitt will be holding several seminars to discuss the legal specifics of eminent domain and this project. The seminars will be at the folllwing locations/dates/times:

September 4, 2013
Quincy Public Library
Large Meeting Room
526 Jersey Street
Quincy, IL 62301
6:30 CST

September 5th, 2013
That Place
1003 E Broadway
Astoria, IL 61501
7:30 CST

September 9th, 2013
Jacksonville Public Library
Meeting Room (Basement)
201 W College Ave
Jacksonville, IL 62650
6:30 CST

September 10th, 2013
Rochester Public Library
Rochester Community Room
1 Community Drive
Rochester, IL 62563
6:30 CST

September 12th, 2013
Decatur Public Library
130 N. Franklin Street
Decatur, IL 62523
6:30 CST

Call now to reserve your spot at one of these free seminars!

If you think you may be affected by the Ameren Three Rivers Project and/or are interested in a free consultation, contact our eminent domain landowner attorneys at 1-888-318-3761 or visit us on the web at www.landownerattorneys.com.

In a decision a year in the making, the Illinois Commerce Commission has APPROVED the massive cross-state powerline known as the Three Rivers Project.

Wednesday afternoon, at the close of the business day, the paneled Commission chose to side with Ameren in its application filed almost a year ago. The ICC approved most of the routes designs proposed by Ameren; however, they did choose some altered routes offered by affected groups and eliminated six substations from the plan.

It is important now more than ever for affected landowners to contact an experienced eminent domain attorneys. Ameren will be moving fast to acquire as many properties as quickly as possible. Don’t let them run you over in their plans!

If you think you may be affected by the Ameren Three Rivers Project and/or are interested in a free consultation, contact our eminent domain landowner attorneys at 1-888-318-3761 or visit us on the web at www.landownerattorneys.com.

The Village of Savoy is the latest entity to join in against Ameren’s proposed Three Rivers Project across Illinois.

The Illinois Commerce Commission has approved Ameren Illinois to build a 138,000-volt transmission line from the Rising substation in western Champaign, along the west side of the city, roughly a quarter-mile west of Rising Road, then south past Curtis Road in Savoy. Construction of the line has already begun.

On Nov. 7 Ameren Transmission Co. of Illinois, an entity associated with Ameren Illinois, filed for approval from the ICC to build a 345,000-volt transmission line to connect the Rising substation with the Sidney substation, which could follow the same route as the 138,000-volt line. The hearing for approval of the 345,000-volt line is still pending.

Savoy will join in a consortium with the City of Champaign to learn more about the massive line.

Sever Walker Padgitt is offering its legal services to any landowners that feel they may be affect by the Three Rivers Project. The firm is already representing a Clark County group in the matter.

If you think you may be affected by the Ameren Three Rivers Project and/or would be interested in a free Sever Walker Padgitt speaking arrangement contact our attorneys at any time at 1-888-318-3761 or visit us on the web at www.landownerattorneys.com.

In a press release by Ameren Corporation, the Federal Energy Regulation Commission approved this week the Spoon River Project, 70 miles of new 345-kilovolt transmission line from Oak Grove to Galesburg and continuing near Peoria.

The Spoon River Project is part of the $1.3 billion worth of projects approved by the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator Inc. board in December 2011. The other two are the Mark Twain Project in Missouri and the Three Rivers Project in Illinois, which gained approval from FERC in 2011 and is currently up for approval by the Illinois Commerce Commission.

FERC approval of the Spoon River Project signifies the formal beginning of the project, and citizens can expect to see public meetings from Ameren in the next year or so.

Sever Walker Padgitt has maintain close monitoring of this and other proposed Ameren projects in Illinois. In all likelihood, Ameren will need to utilize eminent domain authority–granted by the ICC–to acquire land for this and other projects. Our Illinois Representative, attorney Jordan Walker has been the lead man on these projects, among others.

If you think you may be affected by the Ameren Spoon River Project or would be interested in a free Sever Walker Padgitt speaking arrangement contact our office at any time at 1-888-318-3761 or visit us on the web at www.landownerattorneys.com.

Full story here.

The gigantic Ameren Three Rivers Powerline Project crossed a huge threshold Wednesday when it submitted to the Illinois Commerce Commission its plan to install a transmission line that will run from the border of Missouri to the border of Indiana.

Any utility company attempting to build or install power h2lines needs to first get its plan approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission. Concerned and affected citizens may comment on the project by going to the Commission’s web site: www.icc.illinois.gov. When and if Ameren gets its proposed plan approved, Ameren will begin to acquire land from property owners almost immediately, if not sooner. Look for this to happen in Spring 2013.

Ameren lists over 1500 landowners as “affected” by the primary route proposal.

Sever Walker Padgitt intends to host several seminars in late winter/early spring to discuss what this powerline will mean for property owners. If you think you may be affected by this project, contact our office at any time at 1-888-318-3761 or visit us on the web at www.landownerattorneys.com.

See the full report here.