Communities lose more than they gain from TIFs
“Tax increment financing is sold by supporters as the closest thing to a free lunch mankind ever invented. We differ. Tax increment financing districts are downright dangerous. Anytime someone promises a free lunch, you should…
Metcalf files bill giving county say in rail talks
“State Rep. Will Metcalf, R-Conroe, is taking dead aim at high speed rails. Companies like Texas Central Railway, which hopes to build a high speed rail from Houston to Dallas, are staring down the barrel…
The Disaster Control Act Does Not Grant A Municipality With The Power To Acquire Perpetual Interests In Property
“In Minke Family Trust v. Township of Long Beach, Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, Ocean County, Docket No. OCN-L-3033-14 (Law Div. Feb. 13, 2015), Honorable Vincent J. Grasso, A.J.S.C. held that the shore…
Beginning of the End for the Map Act?
“The N.C. Court of Appeals handed down this month a ruling that strikes at the heart of a controversial piece of legislation known as the Map Act. Here at the John Locke Foundation, we have…
Deerfield adds US Department of Energy as defendant in action against gas pipeline
“A federal tort action filed by the town against the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission earlier this month has been amended to add the U.S. Department of Energy to the complaint as a defendant. Under the…
Conroe Lawmaker Wants to Kill Houston-Dallas Bullet Train, Even if It Doesn’t Touch His District or Public Money
“Imagine a train that could whisk you from here to Dallas in 90 minutes flat. Texas Central Railway, a private company working with a Japanese train manufacturer, wants to make that possible by 2021. A…
Locals react to proposed restrictions on eminent domain
“A bill has cleared Idaho’s Senate that specifically targets cities’ use of eminent domain to create hiking trails, bike paths and greenways. Some locals think the bill’s scope is too big. Senate Bill 1044 passed…
Farmers on both sides of eminent domain debate
“A number of pipeline and power line projects have been proposed in Midwest states in recent months, and there are farmers lined up on both sides of the issue. The projects themselves are in various…
Judge OKs eminent domain for pipeline
“The proposed Constitution Pipeline project has taken a major advance forward, with a federal judge granting it eminent domain rights to easements on properties whose owners had been resisting right-of-way agreements. Pipeline construction is now…
Meet the Voters on Opposite Sides of the Keystone XL Pipeline Debate
“While President Barack Obama’s veto on Tuesday of a bill to approve the Keystone XL pipeline marks yet another chapter in the politics of the controversial energy project, a legal fight continues to stop TransCanada…