We have brought up our dislike for Senator O'Laughlin in the past and we continually question her loyalties and who she is truly working for. She is supposed to be an elected representative for the people of Northeast Missouri, however, we find that more often than not, she only represents herself and her personal interests.
Her latest endeavors that leave a bad taste in our mouths, comes on the heels of the Grain Belt Express and a bill that is currently making its way through the legislature that will prohibit private entities from using eminent domain. This bill is of interest because it would stop Invenergy from forcing another transmission line on the people of Northeast Missouri in the name of wind energy. You can learn more about the Grain Belt Express here, here and here. We can say that we wholeheartedly support this bill, as it is a small step in the right direction in order to prevent the further destruction of rural Missouri.
Anyway, back to Senator O'Laughlin. We can always count on her to write some misguided piece for our local corrupt, bias newspaper, The Schuyler County Times. Here is the piece we are referring to:
Frankly, when we saw this, we laughed in disbelief. Just a few months ago, Senator O'Laughlin was telling residents in Schuyler and Adair Counties that they should welcome wind energy with open arms and they should be willing to find a middle ground. She did not seem to care about personal property rights then. See for yourself:
Her tune sure has changed in a short amount of time. What changed Senator O'Laughlin?
This was our original response to her piece regarding the High Prairie Wind "Farm:"
First, let us take a second to remind everyone, that the taxes that Terra-Gen, Ameren, the Commissioners, etc. are so happy to discuss and spew, were NOT a possibility when landowners began signing lease agreements. Landowners began signing leases with Terra Gen in March of 2016. The bill (HB 220) to keep the taxes local was not submitted until December 2018 and was not approved by the Governor until July 10, 2019. That means, until July of this year, the taxes were NOT going to stay local. What this bill did was give those who sold out Schuyler County, an excuse or "reason." Mainly, it made them feel better for their greed. To be clear, this does not apply to every landowner/leaseholder or every elected official. There are those who truly did not know what they were signing, did not understand the scope of this project or felt they were doing what was best for their farm/family. There are also those who had signed with the prior wind company and likely assumed that as that project did not come to fruition, this project would not either.
Now, to address the true ignorance of Senator O'Laughlin's comments. This quote stands out, "Changes in our landscape, including transmission lines, pipelines, and wind farms may or may not be what neighbors are hoping for, but it is undeniable that these projects are a rare opportunity for outside investment in Northeast Missouri." Senator O'Laughlin's attempt at belittling constituent's concerns and turning those concerns into issues involving the landscape is laughable. This page routinely posts concerns regarding health affects related to turbines, wildlife concerns, issues with property values, and non-participating landowner's property rights, to name a few. Senator O'Laughlin's comments show how uninformed she is regarding the true scope of this project. The concerns about this wind project and wind turbines in general, reaches far beyond their appearance. Now, if someone wants to argue about the health effects, we have 170 references and counting that we would be willing to send you. Also, don't forget that the Missouri Department of Conservation views this area as the worst area in the state for wind turbines in regards to bats. We will provide those documents to you too. We will continue to wait for someone, anyone to provide real references and rebuttals to the concerns we raise aside from troll-like comments such as "fake news" and laughing emoji’s or comments like Senator O'Laughlin's that trivialize the complaints we raise without any real substance to back up their remarks.
Following personal interactions with Senator O'Laughlin, we are well aware of her ability to flip and flop on issues, but to be so blatant as to put it in print, and in such a short time span. Its either callous or nonsense. She has no tact.
From the Herald-Whig in March 2015, "Cindy O'Laughlin of Leo O'Laughlin Inc. said the Shelbina-based company could offer ready-mix concrete, rock and trucking services during construction of Clean Line Energy's 750-mile Grain Belt Express line, provided the project receives all needed approvals and the family-owned business makes and wins a bid.
'It would be an opportunity for us to do some business,' O'Laughlin said. 'We don't have an opportunity that often, particularly not one of this size. I think that most of the counties and businesses in this area feel the same way. We are all looking to do business.'"
Here is our response to that:
For anyone that may oppose or have concerns about wind energy, it becomes clear very quickly just how far up the ladder corruption and conflicts of interest climb. The state Senator for the district Schuyler County falls in is Cindy O'Laughlin. When we began to have concerns about this project and how it was being handled earlier this spring, Senator O'Laughlin's office was called several times with no response back. After observing her participation in drafting and passing a bill to keep the tax revenue local for this project and her social media push to highlight tax revenue, we once again contacted her, via email this time. The email is provided below just to give an idea of the concerns raised. It came to our attention that there may be a large conflict of interest for Senator O'Laughlin and we wanted to clear the air with her about those conflicts. Yet again, no response. In all fairness we feel that members of this community should know that Senator O'Laughlin's family owns a large concrete business with 3 locations in the area. We have provided a link to an article where Senator O'Laughlin is quoted saying their company intends to make a bid on the Grain Belt Express line project. This high powered transmission line was fought diligently for years by many people, some in her district, and O'Laughlin supported it. Why? This transmission line and the Mark Twain line all tie into wind energy projects sited for here and surrounding areas. What other projects has her company bid on? What kind of profits have they seen or will they see? Shouldn't this information be made public alongside claims of wind energy support? The only rhetoric we continue to hear from her is the tax revenue but essentially her bill to keep taxes local, this money for the school, is the only argument used to justify personal gain. Her passing this bill cements support for these projects, guaranteeing opportunities for her personal gain. We are not trying to cast doubt on our senator or speak unkindly of her. Her job is to serve the constituents in her district and ignoring concerns and not even responding is unacceptable, especially when the concerns jeopardize her personal gain. We ask that Senator O'Laughlin provide the members of her district with any bids/profits from wind energy contracts her company has made. In addition, fully disclose campaign contribution donors. There is over $120,000 in contributions still listed as uncoded. This is just to be certain her campaign did not receive money from wind related companies or if it did, the public is made aware. If wind energy is so good, why do these conflicts of interest keep surfacing? Why is no one making the argument for wind energy, just pushing tax revenue especially for the school? What wouldn't our leaders, county on up, accept for our county with the promise of money for the school? If you have questions or concerns, please contact your representatives! Question them beyond tax revenue and see if they have actually done their homework. See if they realize what wind energy is doing to rural communities or even care. Hold people in decision making positions accountable.
We are not the only ones to raise these concerns. In August 2018, the St. Louis Post Dispatch reported, "Sara Schuett, executive director of the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, said the organization opposed O'Laughlin because, 'based on her public comments, Cindy O'Laughlin would put her own profits and the profits of others over the property rights of Northeast Missourians.'"
We do not believe we could say it better ourselves, and those of us living within the footprint of the High Prairie Wind "Farm," know all too well how Senator O'Laughlin puts her own personal interests above those of her constituents:
We think it is important that Senator O'Laughlin's constituents know who is truly representing them in Jefferson City. We find it asinine that she is attempting to garner support and take credit for sponsoring a bill that will prohibit private entities from using eminent domain. It is clear that she is a fraud.
We hope that Representative Hansen's HB 2033 passes. Let's give credit where credit is due.