Condemnation Cases Continue To Draw Pushback From Property Owners Along Proposed Quincy Transmission Route

The Grant County Public Utility District (PUD) is encountering significant opposition from property owners in Grant County, Washington, as it seeks to condemn portions of their land for a major $260 million transmission expansion project. The project is designed to increase electricity capacity to Quincy, a rapidly growing hub for data centers, which accounted for 37% of the county's electricity use last year. The PUD has filed lawsuits seeking easements across nine homes and farms for a 31-mile transmission line, a controversial part of the project that would cross 112 parcels, including 34 homes. Property owners, such as Felicitas Quintero and Darrin Reynolds, are frustrated, stating that the project would place large transmission structures near their homes and interfere with farming operations, while arguing that the compensation offered by the PUD is insufficient. While the PUD claims it considered alternative routes that would affect fewer homes, it chose the current path due to fewer permitting and environmental mitigation requirements. Landowners, including the Quintero family and seven other families, have asked a Grant County judge to dismiss the utility's condemnation petitions, asserting that the PUD failed to offer just compensation for the long-term impact on their land. The dispute highlights broader pressure on utilities across the Western United States to expand transmission capacity.