The company behind the Rock Island Clean Line plans to appeal their case to the Illinois Supreme Court.
The project would transmit electricity from northwest Iowa to a converter station in Grundy County. Parent company Clean Line Energy wanted to use eminent domain to secure property for the project in LaSalle County.
However, an appellate court said the utility couldn’t because it didn’t meet two requirements for being a public utility. Specifically, it doesn't own, control, operate or manage assets within Illinois, and the proposed transmission line isn't available for public use without discrimination.
The Ottawa Times reports Clean Line is joined in its appeal by several groups, including the National Resources Defense Council, Wind on the Wires, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. IBEW's international president says the court’s ruling interferes with “vital interstate transmission projects.”
