The Grain Belt Express cleared a major legal hurdle in Illinois. (Capitol City Now)
The Illinois Supreme Court ruled 6-0 to reinstate the project's permit, affirming developers met their mandate under the state’s 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act to show they could finance the project “without significant adverse financial consequences for the utility or its customers.”
Up next: The project plans to move forward with private financing. But? Opponents argue that the law in question was written with criteria so specific it effectively applied only to Grain Belt Express. The Supreme Court only ruled on financing issues, sending that legal question back to a lower court to decide.