House energy committee schedules joint hearing with water committee on Grain Belt Express

Chair Leo Delberding told the House Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications that the committee will meet jointly with the House Water Committee on Thursday at 9 a.m. to hear from stakeholders and examine the Grain Belt Express project’s scope and status.

Delberding said the committees initially planned a larger historic courtroom but had to change rooms after scheduling conflicts; the joint hearing will be in the Appropriations hearing room at 112 North unless otherwise posted. ‘‘We’re gonna combine the water committee along with this committee…we’re gonna have hearings on the Grain Belt Express to try and figure out for sure publicly what it is, how much of it’s done, where’s it going, and what’s the purpose of it,’’ he said.

He asked members and the public to watch legislative bulletin boards and posted committee agendas for any room or time changes. No witnesses, testimony, or formal actions on the Grain Belt Express were taken at this introductory meeting; the announcement was scheduling and procedural.

Why it matters: the Grain Belt Express is a multi‑state transmission project that proponents and opponents have said will affect siting, transmission capacity and local impacts; a joint hearing signals the committees’ intent to gather information publicly before further action.